War in Vietnam

1954 - 1975

Where is Vietnam?

Longest and Most Unpopular War

The Vietnam War was the longest and most unpopular war in American history. During the war: 58,000 Americans lost their

lives. The oldest man killed was 62

years old; the youngest, 16. 61% of the men killed were 21

or younger. 304,000 were wounded. 75,000 were severely disabled. The United States spent over

$200 billion dollars on the war.

War in Southeast Asia At the end of WWII Ho Chi Minh and the

Vietminh (the Vietnamese nationalist force) took over the capital of Hanoi and declared Vietnam independent French were unwilling to give up their claims in

Indochina because of the valuable resources like tin, rubber, and rice

Faced a formidable foe in Ho and the Vietminh who did not want foreign rule

War broke out in November 1946 when a French ship shelled Haiphong

French controlled most of the cities and the Vietminh retreated into the countryside

Vietminh practiced guerilla warfare

US Support for the French 1950 – Truman agreed to send $20

million to aid the French Practices the policy of containment –

opposing communism wherever it appeared in an effort to “contain” its spread

Over the next 4 years, the U.S. gave a total of more than $2.6 billion to the French

The Geneva Peace Accords May 1954, French defeated in

key battle of Dien Bien Phu Geneva Peace Accords

Signed by France and Vietnam in the summer of 1954

Provided a temporary partition of Vietnam at the 17th parallel, with a promised national election in 1956 to reunify the country.

Why Did the United States Fight a War in Vietnam?

1. Containment: to hold the line against the spread of world Communism. America paid for the war the

French fought against Communist Vietnam as a part of the Truman Doctrine (1947): “To help free peoples to maintain

their free institutions and their national integrity against … totalitarian regimes.”

In the 1950’s, America became involved again.

Why Did the United States Fight a War in Vietnam?

2. Also, American policymakers developed the “Domino Theory” as a justification for the involvement. Theory stated: If South Vietnam falls to the Communist

then… Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, India and Pakistan

would also fall like dominos. The Pacific Islands and even Australia could be at risk.  

US Becomes Involved 1956, representatives from the U.S.,

France, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, China, Laos, Cambodia, and the Vietminh agreed that Vietnam would be divided at the 17th parallel and then reunified in 1956 after national elections The U.S. refused to sign the agreement for

fear that if South Vietnam became communist, other nations of SE Asia would do likewise (the Domino Theory)

The Two Vietnam Leaders Ho Chi Minh – Leader of the North

But also many in South Vietnam look to him for leadership

Hero because he broke up large estates and redistributed land to the peasants

He had beaten the French Became leader of the Viet Cong (VC)

Ngo Dihn Diem – Pawn of the US “Placed” into office by the US Anti-Communist, Nationalist, Catholic Corrupt govt that suppressed opposition of any kind Offered little or no land distribution to peasants Used $4 of every $5 on the military

Civil War Diem was expected to hold elections but in 1957 he

cancels elections with U.S. support Instead, he held a referendum in South Vietnam -

claimed 98% approval In Saigon he claimed 605,000 votes - only 405,000

registered voters Discontent among the peasants with Diem made it easy

for Vietminh to gain support in South Vietnam Vietminh and other groups in South Vietnam who oppose

Diem form the National Liberation Front (the Vietcong) Close ties with Ho Chi Minh, China, and the Soviet Union

The Kennedy Years Kennedy expands the

U.S. role in Vietnam Sends advisers and $ Instead of using the $ for

schools, hospitals, and land reform Diem pads the pockets of corrupt Saigon officials

No significant military victories over the Vietcong

The Overthrow of Diem May 8, 1963 - Buddhists

gathered to protest a gov’t ruling forbidding the display of Buddhist flags and gov’t troops fired on them

A month later a Buddhist monk immolated himself in protest of the Diem regime

Nov. 1, 1963 - South Vietnamese army officers seized control of the govt and in the process Diem was killed

Johnson’s War Johnson did not want

Vietnam to fall to communism like China

Surrounded himself with JFK’s foreign policy team Secretary of Defense –

Robert McNamara: recommends the US send more troops to Vietnam

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution August, 1965 – LBJ announces that N. Vietnamese

torpedo boats had attacked two U.S. destroyers patrolling in the Gulf of Tonkin USS Maddox then C. Turner Joy two days later

Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution “blank check” – Gave LBJ the authority to “take all

necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.”

LBJ failed to tell the public that American warships had been helping South Vietnamese commandos raid 2 North Vietnam islands the night of the attacks

The US in Vietnam By the end of 1965, 180,000+ Americans were

in S. Vietnam By the end of 1967, nearly 500,000 soldiers

had been sent to Vietnam At first, Americans were very optimistic of

ending the war quickly High VC body counts led many to believe the U.S.

was winning the war but they underestimated the VC and North Vietnamese allies

“You can kill 10 of my men for every one I kill of yours, but even at those odds, you will lose and I will win.” - Ho Chi Minh

The Air War Bombing cost fewer lives than ground

combat so the U.S. relied heavy on air power 108,000 bombing raids in 1967

Bombed roads, railways, factories, and homes in South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia

By 1967 the U.S. had dropped more bombs on Vietnam than the Allies dropped during WWII

This is why the VC developed the network of tunnels to begin with

1967 – Operation Cedar Falls: troops uncover a massive

tunnel complex used for guerrilla raids by tunnel

rats

Viet Cong Tunnel Complex

Escalation Operation Rolling Thunder

– an intense bombing of N. Vietnam Main target: Ho Chi Minh

Trail A network of paths

used by the N. Vietnam to transport supplies to the Vietcong (VC) in S. Vietnam

Used phosphorous and napalm bombs – the latter causing dreadful burns to thousand of innocent civilians.

Operation Ranch Hand

When this failed to break down the jungle cover the USAF started “Operation Ranch Hand” – the defoliation program, using Agent Orange. This deadly chemical cocktail, containing dioxin, killed off

millions of acres of jungle to try to weaken the Vietcong – but left a horrendous legacy in Vietnam.

The dioxin got into the food chain causing chromosome damage to humans. There were hundreds of cases of

children born with deformities.

The Ground War Miserable conditions: Suffocating heat,

mosquitoes, leeches, etc. Muddy trails through thick jungles Bouncing Betty’s – mines that would bounce

up to waist or head level then explode Booby traps and hidden tunnels Total War - Farmers by day, VC by night - did

not know who the enemy was As one marine said – “If they weren’t Vietcong

before we got there, they sure as hell were by the time we left”.

The War in America The Vietnam War had a major

impact on everyday life in America, and the Johnson administration was forced to consider domestic consequences of its decisions daily.

Since there were not enough volunteers to continue to fight a protracted war, the government instituted a draft.

Anti-War Sentiments As the deaths

mounted and Americans continued to leave for Southeast Asia, the Johnson administration was met with the full weight of American anti-war sentiments.

Student Anti-War Protests Protests erupted on college campuses and

in major cities at first, but by 1968 every corner of the country seemed to have felt the war's impact. Kent State (4 killed) and Jackson State (2 killed)

shootings

The Paris Peace Agreement

In early January 1973, the Nixon White House convinced Saigon that they would not abandon the South Vietnamese army if they signed the peace accord.

On January 23, the final draft was written, ending open hostilities between the United States and North Vietnam.

The Paris Peace Agreement did not end the conflict in Vietnam, however, as Saigon continued to battle Communist forces.

The Fall to Communism

From March 1973 until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, the South Vietnamese army tried desperately to save the South from political and military collapse.

The end finally came when North Vietnamese tanks rolled south along National Highway One.

On the morning of April 30, Communist forces captured the presidential palace in Saigon, ending the Vietnam War.

Why Did the United States Lose the Vietnam War?

1. They underestimated the tenacity and organization of the North Vietnamese 

2. Despite dropping more tonnage of high explosive on Vietnam than the whole of World War II, the Americans could not stop the movement of troops or supplies to the south along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.  

Why Did the United States Lose the Vietnam War?

3. The North Vietnamese conducted a “Peoples war” in which everyone played a part.

Why Did the United States Lose the Vietnam War?

“If they weren’t Vietcong before we got there, they sure as hell were by the

time we left.” – US Marine

4. At first, most Americans supported the war. But by 1970, the Peace Movement had support from all parts of society and no government could ignore it.

Why Did the United States Lose the Vietnam War?

5. After 1969, there were deep questions about the efficiency of US troops.

• There was a serious drug problem

• Desertion rates were high and morale low.

• Many troops were “time-servers,” meaning they counted the days until the tour was over

• Served because they had to not because they believed in the cause

Why Did the United States Lose the Vietnam War?

6. The US never really understood the culture of the Vietnamese people.

• Coca Cola, chewing gum, ball point pens, and ice cream cones could not dislodge their ancient beliefs.

Why Did the United States Lose the Vietnam War?

7. America was not prepared to keep losing high numbers of casualties for such limited progress in a difficult jungle war, for which they were not suited.  

Why Did the United States Lose the Vietnam War?

“You can kill 10 of my men for every one I kill of yours, but even at those odds, you will

lose and I will win.” - Ho Chi Minh

8. The strength and resourcefulness of the NLF. For example, the highly complex Cu Chi tunnel system the U.S. never shut down.  

Why Did the United States Lose the Vietnam War?

Sources http://www.windom.k12.mn.us/Staff/Kuntz.S

teve/VietnamSection1.htm http://www.slideshare.net/Pirate22/vietnam

-overview-powerpoint-presentation Battlefield Vietnam: A Brief History

http://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/history/index.html

Vietnam Revision Guidehttp://www.learnhistory.org.uk/vietnam/ustactics.htm