Heading Towards War Vietnam during WWII After the French were conquered by the Germans, the Nazi controlled government turned the Indochina Peninsula over to their Axis allies, the. returned to Vietnam to fight the Japanese. Vietnam after WWII He was supported secretly by the United States. At the end of the war, Ho Chi Minh became the head of the provisional government and sought recognition from the Allied powers citing the. He never got a response from President Truman. In 1945 Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnamese independence borrowing much of the language from the Declaration of Independence. Vietnam & the Cold war The United States wanted to get back on its feet after WWII. The French, with US approval, reasserted their claim to Vietnam and drove Ho Chi Minh and his supports out of office and into the jungle. Russian and (both communist) supported Ho s regime. Thus the US supported the French with economic and military aid. By 1954 the US was paying for % of the French war effort in Vietnam. The end of French rule in Vietnam May 8, 1954 the French fortress at was force to surrender. The French asked the US to provide air-strikes. President Eisenhower said, no. The French agreed to a ceasefire agreement and withdrawal from Vietnam. The Division of Vietnam A ceasefire agreement (the ) divided the country into two zones. The communist ran the northern half and the provisional, pro-western government ran the south. Elections were to be held in two years. The US encouraged the South Vietnamese Prime Minister, Ngo Dien Diem, to refuse to hold free elections.
The dominos They knew Ho Chi Minh would win. In 1954 Eisenhower mad public his on containment in Southeast Asia. You have a row of dominoes set up. You knock over the first one, and... the last one... will go over very quickly. After the broken promise to hold elections, Ho Chi Minh created the to engage in open hostilities within the South. Enter the United States Despite his own misgivings, President Kennedy sends the first troops to South Vietnam as and trainers. Kennedy becomes frustrated with the lack of progress being made by Diem. Diem promotes in a country that is mostly Buddhist making him very unpopular. A few weeks before he was assassinated, Kennedy authorized the removal of Diem. The spent $42k in bribes to military officers to overthrow and murder Diem. Lyndon Johnson becomes president and declares. I m not going to be the President who saw Southeast Asia go the way of China. The US was now spending $ million a day in Vietnam. Gulf of Tonkin incident During the summer of 1964 CIA-trained South Vietnamese were engaged in hit-and-run raids along the N. Vietnamese coast. The destroyer USS Maddox was in the same area measuring the range of enemy radar stations when it was attacked by torpedoes and machine gun fire. Johnson sent warning letters to and Moscow that he would not tolerate such attacks. The next day was joined by the. The ships sonar and radar readings indicated that both ships were under attack, and the boats responded by shooting in the general direction of the perceived attack. Hell those dumb stupid sailors were probably shooting at flying fish. -Johnson
There was no certain evidence that the second attack actually took place, but it gave Johnson what he needed to request congressional backing for retaliation. On August 7, 1964, the Senate and House passed the which gave Johnson the authority to, take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack and to prevent further aggression. With the resolution, congress handed its over to the president. Heading Towards War I. A Growing Credibility Gap When American Troops first entered the Vietnam War, many Americans military effort. Credibility gap As the war in Vietnam continued to drag on, public support decreased. Americans began to question the government The public began to what the Johnson administration said about the war. II. An Antiwar Movement Emerges As the casualties increased, Americans, especially college students, began to publicly the war. The Draft Young protestors focused their attention on what they felt was an draft system. College students could delay military service until graduation, called a. Those with low-income and limited education were called to serve. As a result,, especially African Americans, were called to war in greater proportions. Many draftees refused to serve. ( ) Others moved to Canada and other nations. Hawks and Doves - By 1968 the nation seemed divided into two camps III. 1968: The Pivotal Year The wanted the United States to withdraw from the war. The felt the United States should stay and fight.
The Tet Offensive On January 30, 1968, during, the Vietnamese New Year, the Vietcong and North Vietnamese launched a surprised attack In the attack, VC fighters and NV regulars hit American airbases in South Vietnam as well as the South s major cities and provincial capitals. Militarily Tet was a for the Communists, but It was a political victory because American began to openly criticize the war effort. As a result, the approval rating for the president plummeted. 1968 Presidential Election THE WAR WINDS DOWN Eugene McCarthy (D) and Senator Kennedy (D) entered the 1968 presidential race as dove candidates. Johnson withdrew from the presidential race, announcing his decision in an address to the nation on March 31, 1968. In April Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated. Two months later, Robert Kennedy was also assassinated. National Convention in Chicago - a clash between protesters and police erupted. Republican presidential candidate, Richard, benefited from the chaos a. An independent, Governor George of Alabama further split the Democrats. b. Nixon promised to regain order and end the war in Vietnam. Democratic nominee Hubert lost to Richard Nixon A. As peace negotiations were underway, Nixon increased air strikes against North Vietnam to maintain American strength. B. was dropped in order to kill vegetation and make it difficult for the enemy to hide in the jungle. II. Turmoil at Home Continues A. The Vietnam War continued to stir up and violence in the United States.
B. My Lai Massacre 1. In 1969 Americans learned of a 1968 event that further increased their feelings that this was a senseless war. 2. An American platoon massacred more than 200 unarmed South Vietnamese civilians in the hamlet of. 3. Most of the victims were old men, women, and children. C. Invasion of Cambodia 1. In April 1970, Nixon announced that American troops had invaded to destroy Vietcong military bases. 2. Americans viewed the invasion of Cambodia as an expansion of the war, and congress the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. D. The Pentagon Papers 1. In 1971 a former Defense Department worker, Daniel Ellsberg, leaked a secret document which showed that many government officials the public about Vietnam. III. The United States Pulls Out of Vietnam A. By 1971 nearly of Americans wanted the Vietnam War to end. B. 1972 Election - Nixon changed/relaxed his position on Vietnam saying that North Vietnam did not have to withdrawal from the South before a treaty could be signed. 1. A month before the presidential election, announced that peace was at hand. 2. Nixon won re-election in a landslide. C. Peace negotiations 1. On January 27, 1973, the sides agreed to end the war and restore peace in Vietnam. 2. After years at war, the longest in American history until the war in Afghanistan, the United States ended its direct involvement in Vietnam. D. 1975 North Vietnamese Invasion 1. In March 1975, the NVA launched a full-scale invasion of the South. 2. Thieu asked for United States assistance. 3. Nixon had resigned after the Scandal
4. New president, Gerald, asked Congress to supply aid. Congress refused. E. On April 30, the North Vietnamese captured. IV. The Legacy of Vietnam 1. This united Vietnam under communist rule 2. They renamed Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City. A. The Vietnam War had a lasting impact on the United States. 1. The war had cost almost $150 2. It resulted in US deaths and many injuries both physical and psychological. 3. Some families were left uncertain about s and s. B. In 1973 Congress passed the War Powers Act 1. It reestablished limits on power. 2. The act required the president to inform Congress of any commitment of troops abroad within hours 3. The President must withdraw troops in days unless Congress approved the troop commitment. C. The Vietnam War increased Americans about their government and made them question their leaders.