COLD WAR IN CRISIS (60s, 70s, & THE END)

A. THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS

B. VIETNAM

1. HISTORY

2. KENNEDY & JOHNSON

3. ANTI-WAR PROTEST

4. NIXON

5. A DIFFERENT (UNIQUE) WAR

C. THE END OF THE COLD WAR

A. CUBAN MISSLE CRISIS

IN 1959, A COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT WAS ESTABLISHED IN CUBA.

WE FEARED COMMUNISM WOULD SPREAD THROUGHOUT LATIN AMERICA.

WHEN WE DISCOVERED SOVIETS SECRETLY BUILDING BASES FOR NUCLEAR MISSILES IN CUBA (AIMED AT THE U.S.) WE FREAKED OUT.

PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY IMPOSED A NAVAL BLOCKADE AROUND CUBA. AFTER SEVERAL TENSE DAYS AND WIDE-SPREAD PANIC OVER IMPENDING NUCLEAR WAR, SOVIET LEADER NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV WITHDREW THE MISSLES (WE PROMISED NEVER TO INVADE CUBA & REMOVED SOME MISSILES FROM GREECE AND TURKEY).

B. THE VIETNAM WAR WHEN THE KOREAN WAR ENDED, THE U.S. WAS ALREADY IN VIETNAM.

WE BECAME INVOLVED BECAUSE THE FRENCH WANTED TO REGAIN CONTROL OF THEIR COLONY AFTER WORLD WAR II. WE HELPED BECAUSE WE WANTED THEM TO JOIN NATO.

(B) 1. HISTORY OF VIETNAM

NATIONALISTS HAD STARTED A GUERILLA WAR TO KEEP THE FRENCH FROM REGAINING CONTROL OF THEIR COLONY AFTER WW2.

THEY WERE LED BY HO CHI MINH, A COMMUNIST WHO UNITED THE NATIONALISTS INTO AN ARMY KNOWN AS THE VIET MINH.

WE BECAME INVOLVED TO GET THE FRENCH TO JOIN NATO.

THE FRENCH LEFT AFTER A DEFEAT IN THE BATTLE OF DIENBIEN PHU (MAY 1954).

WE STAYED BECAUSE OF THE DOMINO THEORY.

IF ONE NATION FALLS TO COMMUNISM, THEY ALL FALL…

THE AREA KNOWN AS INDOCHINA WAS DIVIDED INTO LAOS, CAMBODIA, AND

VIETNAM IN THE 1954 GENEVA ACCORDS.

WE GAVE OUR ASSISTANCE TO SOUTH VIETNAM UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF NGO DINH DIEM AND GRADUALLY INCREASED OUR SUPPORT OVER THE

YEARS.1960= 900 ADVISERS

1961= 3,200

1962= 11,000

THEY WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO FIGHT!

(B) 2. KENNEDY AND JOHNSON

IN SOUTH VIETNAM, GUERILLAS KNOWN AS VIET CONG WERE SUPPORTED BY HO CHI MINH.

VIET CONG = VC OR CHARLIE

BY 1963, DIEM WAS OVERTHROWN BY S. VIETNAMESE LEADERS AND THE V.C. WERE GAINING GROUND.

PRESIDENT KENNEDY INDICATED HOPE OF WITHDRAWING OUR TROOPS, BUT HE WAS ASSASSINATED IN NOVEMBER OF 1963…

HE NEEDED AN ALL OUT WAR, AND IN 1964 THE GULF OF TONKIN RESOLUTION GAVE HIM A “BLANK CHECK” TO “TAKE ALL NECESSARY MEASURES” TO PROTECT AMERICAN LIVES AND INTERESTS.

THE NORTH VIETNAMESE HIT 2 AMERICAN DESTROYERS WITH THEIR TORPEDO BOATS. (AMERICANS DID NOT KNOW THAT THEY HAD ).

VIOLATED NORTH VIETNAMESE TERRITORIAL WATERS

LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON (LBJ) BECAME PRESIDENT (AND HE COULD NEVER ACCEPT A LOSS TO “COMMIES”).

JOHNSON WAS RE-ELECTED AND WE CONTINUED TO SEND IN GROUND TROOPS (NOW WE ARE FIGHTING)!!

WE TOOK OVER FROM ARVN (ARMY OF REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM), THE SOUTH VIETNAMESE ARMY.

1964=23,000

1965=184,000

1966=485,000

1967=536,000

1964=23,000

1965=184,000

1966=485,000

1967=536,000

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL TURNING POINT OF THE WAR CAME IN 1968 WITH THE TET OFFENSIVE.

TET WAS THE VIETNAMESE NEW YEAR AND TRADITIONALLY FIGHTING STOPPED FOR THIS CELEBRATION.

THEY SHOCKED US BY LAUNCHING SIMULTANEOUS ATTACKS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY (AMERICAN EMBASSY SAIGON, AMERICAN MILITARY HQ, TAN SON NHUT AIRBASE.

IT WAS A PSYCHOLOGICAL VICTORY FOR THE NORTH AND THE VC.

AS JOHNSON’S POPULARITY FELL, ANTI-WAR PROTEST SEEMED TO BE ON THE RISE…

IN 1965, AS MANY AS 80% OF AMERICANS SUPPORTED THE WAR, BUT THINGS CHANGED AS TIME WENT ON…

COLLEGE CAMPUSES WERE THE CENTER OF PROTEST

GROUPS LIKE SDS (STUDENTS FOR A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY) STAGED DEMONSTRATIONS.

AMERICANS LEARNED OF INCIDENTS LIKE THE 1968 MY LAI MASSACRE.

(B)3. ANTI-WAR PROTEST

(B) 4. NIXON

THE WAR POWERS ACT PASSED OVER NIXON’S VETO IN NOVEMBER 1973

REDUCED THE PRESIDENT’S ABILITY TO INVOLVE THE U.S. IN AN UNDECLARED

WAR!

REQUIRES PRES TO REPORT TO CONGRESS WITHIN 48 HOURS AFTER COMMITTING AMERICAN

TROOPS TO FOREIGN CONFLICT.

WITHOUT CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL THE PRES HAS 60

DAYS TO BEGIN WITHDRAWING THE TROOPS.

NIXON BEGAN THE PROCESS OF “VIETNAMIZATION” WHICH MEANT TURNING THE WAR BACK OVER TO SOUTH VIETNAMESE TROOPS. HE BEGAN BRINGING OUR TROOPS HOME.

THE DRAFT ENDED IN 1973

IN MARCH OF ’73 THE LAST U.S. FORCES LEFT VIETNAM

IN 1975 SOUTH VIETNAM FELL TO THE NORTH (COMMUNISM)

HE WAS LOOKING FOR “PEACE WITH HONOR.”

(B) 5. A DIFFERENT WAR!!

AVERAGE AGE OF SOLDIER WAS 19-20

DAILY NEWS COVERAGE (TELEVISION)

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY (SOLDIERS SURVIVED WOUNDS)

NO FRONT LINES/ COULDN’T IDENTIFY ENEMY

NO DEBRIEFING (DOWNTIME)

365 DAY TOUR OF DUTY

AVERAGE AGE OF SOLDIER WAS 19-20

DAILY NEWS COVERAGE (TELEVISION)

MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY (SOLDIERS SURVIVED WOUNDS)

NO FRONT LINES/ COULDN’T IDENTIFY ENEMY

NO DEBRIEFING (DOWNTIME)

365 DAY TOUR OF DUTY

HOW WAS THIS WAR DIFFERENT?

C. END OF THE COLD WARTHE COLD WAR LASTED ANOTHER 15 YEARS. IT ENDED WHEN MIKHAIL GORBACHEV (SOVIET UNION) INTRODUCED REFORMS INTO SOVIET SOCIETY.

HE LIFTED THE IRON CURTAIN IN 1989 AND THE BERLIN WALL WAS TAKEN DOWN. EASTERN EUROPEAN NATIONS ELECTED DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS. IN THE SOVIET UNION, THE COMMUNIST PARTY LOST ITS MONOPOLY ON POWER. IN 1991, THE SOVIET UNION SPLIT INTO SEPARATE STATES.