The United States and the War in Vietnam
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Transcript of The United States and the War in Vietnam
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The United States andthe War in Vietnam
1945-1975
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Costs of the War
• More than 58,000 Americans killed
• 1.5 to 2 Million Vietnamese killed
• Cost to the US more than $ 100 billion
• Cost to Vietnam in destruction, disruption, dislocation, disease, and more
• 18 million gallons of toxic defoliants
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Main Question
Why did the United States fight a war in Vietnam?
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Outline
I. My AnswerII. My Evidence
i. Trumanii. Eisenhoweriii. Kennedyiv. Johnsonv. Nixon
III. Lessons worth Learning
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Why did the United States fight a war in Vietnam?
Publicly Stated Reasons
1) “To help South Vietnam”
2) “To contain Communism”
3) “To preserve American credibility”
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Why did the United States fight a war in Vietnam?
“Real” Reasons
1) To contain Communism
2) To preserve American credibility
3) Domestic Politics
4) Hubris
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Truman: 1945-1952 From Colonialism to the Cold War
• Viet Minh fight against Japan during WWII• Ho Chi Minh reaches out to the US• 1946 war between France and Viet Minh• 1950 US begins direct support of France
– Recognizes French Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam as “free states” in Feb. 1950
– Economic and military aid– American military and intelligence “advisors”
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Truman: 1945-1952 From Colonialism to the Cold War
Why?
• US need for French support in Europe
• People’s Republic of China, Oct. 1949
• PRC and the Soviet Union recognize the “Democratic Republic of Vietnam” Jan. 1950
• The Korean War, begins June, 1950
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Eisenhower: 1953-1960 From the French to Diem
• From 1950-54, US pays for 80% of the war• Dien Bien Phu, March-May 1954• 1954 Geneva Convention, April-July, 1954
– Divides Vietnam– Rise of Ngo Dinh Diem with US support– 1956 elections to unify Vietnam
• Resistance to Diem grows steadily• 1960 National Liberation Front formed
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Eisenhower: 1953-1960 From the French to Diem
Why?
• “The possible consequences of the loss are just incalculable to the Free World.”
• “This war in Indochina would absorb our troops by divisions.”
• Eisenhower a cautious former General
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Kennedy: 1961-63 From 1000 to 16000 “Advisors”
• Battle of Ap Bac, Jan. 1963• Buddhist protests in South Vietnam, May-
June 1963• Diem killed in Coup, Nov. 1, 1963• North Vietnamese soldiers enter South in
large numbers (10,000 NVA with 170,000 VC)
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Kennedy: 1961-63 From 1000 to 16000 “Advisors”
Why?
• To contain Communism
• Domestic political pressure
• Belief in American power
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Johnson: 1963-1968 16,000 “advisors” to 586,000 troops
• Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, Aug. 1964
• Air strikes against North Vietnam
• March 1965 first American combat units arrive in South Vietnam
• By 1966, 180,000 American troops in SV
• By 1968, 586,000
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Johnson: 1963-1968 16,000 “advisors” to 550,000 troops
Why?
• Surrounded by JFK’s advisors
• Deaths of Americans in Vietnam
• Communist containment
• Domestic Political Pressure
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Johnson: 1963-1968 16,000 “advisors” to 586,000 troops
• Tet Offensive in Jan, 1968– Coordinated attack throughout South Vietnam– 84,000 PLAF soldiers involved– Heavy losses for PLAF, but psychological
victory
• Johnson drops out of Presidential race in March, 1968
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Nixon: 1969-1975 the long road to “peace with honor”
• “Vietnamization”
• 1970 South Vietnamese forces with US support invade Cambodia
• 1971 similar invasion of Laos
• 1972 US Air Force heaviest bombing of NV
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Nixon: 1969-1975 the long road to “peace with honor”
• Nixon visits China, Feb. 1972• Nixon visits Soviet Union, May 72• “Détente” makes cold war concerns less
pressing• 1973 a negotiated cease fire allows US
troops to withdraw• 1974 North Vietnamese troops invade SV• Spring 1975 NV troops capture Saigon
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Nixon: 1969-1975 The long road to “peace with honor”
Why?
• Domestic politics
• The Nixon Doctrine
• The Madman Theory
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Why did the United States not succeed militarily?
• Should the US have targeted “hearts and minds”?
• Should the US have invaded North Vietnam?
• My conclusion: US did not have the support of most Vietnamese people.
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What I Learned
• North Vietnam was an oppressive, undemocratic state.– 2 Million refugees from Vietnam after 1975
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What I learned
• Be cautious when planning the lives of others.
• Recognize the opportunity cost of war.
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Want to learn more?
“Bibliographic Essay,” in America’s Lost War, by Charles Neu.
Whitehousetapes.org