L17 & L18: The Vietnam War: 1959-1975American Foreign Policy

AgendaObjective:1. To understand the events of

the Vietnam War.2. To evaluate whether the

United States’ involvement in the Vietnam war spread democracy, at home and abroad, as consistent with the United States’ rationale for getting involved in the war.

Schedule: 1. Lecture, Video Clips &

Discussion

Homework:

1. Civic Literacy: Last Day Tues 6/10

2. Facilitation Prep – Cold War Discussion:Green: Wed 5/28Yellow: Thurs 5/29

Broad Overview of the Vietnam War

• 1955 to 1975• War between:

– North Vietnam and its communist allies– South Vietnam and its anti-communist allies

• U.S. involvement escalated in the early 1960s and peaked in 1968• U.S. military involvement ended in 1973• Second longest war in American history (War in Afghanistan is

the longest)• 58,000 US casualties

Why Did the United States Fight a War in Vietnam?

• Part of the containment strategy.– Stop the falling of the

dominos

• Goal was to stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia.

Background on the Nation of Vietnam• Vietnam was a French colony from

mid 1800s to 1954• France ousted after defeat by the

Vietnamese in the First Indochina War in 1954.

• The Geneva Peace Accords of 1954, provided for the temporary partition of Vietnam at the 17th parallel– North Vietnam: communist regime,

supported by the USSR and the PRC, led by of Ho Chi Minh.

– South Vietnam: Republican government, led by President Ngo Dinh Diem.

• In 1957, Communists (Viet-Cong, VC) attack the south. With American military aid (no troops), Diem (South Vietnam, ARVN) began to counterattack.

Escalation of the Conflict• 1964 was an election year,

and Barry Goldwater, the Republican candidate, was running on the platform that LBJ was “too soft” on communism.

• To justify escalating the war, LBJ took advantage of a small naval incident in August 1964 at the Gulf of Tonkin.

Gulf of Tonkin Incident• In August 1964, North Vietnam

launched an attack against two American ships on call in the Gulf of Tonkin. – The first attack occurred on

August 2, 1964 (in actuality the US attacked the Vietnamese first)

– A second attack was supposed to have taken place on August 4, but authorities have recently concluded that no second attack ever took place.

• The Johnson administration used the attack to obtain a Congressional resolution, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, that gave the president broad war powers.

The United States Begins Bombing North Vietnam: Operation Rolling Thunder

• In early 1965, Johnson ordered “Operation Rolling Thunder” sustained bombing missions over North Vietnam. – Tried to overcome the main

challenge of fighting in Vietnam which is the dense jungle cover.

• “Operation Rolling Thunder” was backed up by phosphorous and napalm bombs – the latter causing horrific burns to thousand of innocent civilians.

• When this failed to break down the jungle cover the military started using Agent Orange to defoliate the jungle, which caused birth defects and cancers in people exposed to it.

VC Response: Protracted War Strategy

• After “Operation Rolling Thunder,” the Communist Party moved to a protracted war strategy: the idea was to get the United States bogged down in a war that it could not win militarily and create unfavorable conditions for political victory.

How did the North VietnameseFight Back Against the U.S.

Invaders?• The North Vietnamese used classic

Maoist guerrilla tactics. “Guerrillas must move through the peasants like fish through sea.”

• Viet Cong fighters would fight in the countryside among the peasants. Peasants will support them

with shelter, food, storage, intelligence, and recruits.

North Vietnamese Tactics• In areas held by the Viet Cong, the

Communists distributed land and weapons to the peasants. – The AK47 assault rifle out-

performed the American M16– The portable rocket launcher took

out many US vehicles & aircraft. – Booby-traps – Recycled dud bombs dropped by

the Americans

US Response to Protracted War: Search & Destroy Tactics

• The United States countered with “Search and Destroy” tactics. In areas where the Viet Cong were thought to be operating, troops went in and checked for weapons. If they found them, they rounded up the villagers and burned the villages down.

• This often alienated the peasants from the American/ South Vietnamese cause.

Video Clip!

• Vietnam in HD• Episode 2: Search and Destroy• 1:32-4:15• 7:42-12:50• 30:41-End• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v

=wPh1_BH5LXE

The War Goes from Bad to Worse• By 1968, things had gone from bad to worse for the Johnson

administration…• Tet Offensive:

– In late January, VC launched coordinated attacks against major southern cities.

– Take the Americans by complete surprise– Americans and South Vietnamese regroup and ultimately beat

back the Communists– Has a serious negative effect on public support and perception

of the war:• Communists were more capable of launching serious attacks than the Americans thought• How was the leadership of the US military caught off guard?• Images of brutality by the South Vietnamese lead public to question US tactics

Video Clip!

• Vietnam in HD• Episode 3: Tet Offensive• 1:28-20:05• 35:23-End• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v

=Y0aE0t2fqZ0

The Home Front: Death Tolls and the Draft

• Death Toll• Draft

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

– Instituted in1969• Increasing public protest

Video Clip!

• Vietnam Draft Lottery• https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=-p5X1FjyD_g

Vietnamization• Nixon came to office on the

promise of ending the war. • His strategy was “Vietnamization.”

– Brought American troops home while increasing the air war over North Vietnam and relying more on the South Vietnamese army for ground attacks.

– Also involved expanded US involvement into neighboring Laos & Cambodia to cut off supplies to the North Vietnamese

• Part of Nixon’s strategy of détente: the general easing of tensions between the USSR and the US.

Video Clip!

• Vietnam in HD– Episode Four: An Endless War

• 1:26-7:20– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR9eYg75eo0

– Episode Five: A Changing War• 1:20-5:05• 25:37-37:33

– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEVxYlAEv-c

– Episode Six: Peace With Honor• 17:42-28:00

– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz-nhp-zsbo

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.

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

• Vietnam became a communist nation and it remains so today.