The Vietnam War Years

Chapter 29

Kennedy & Foreign Policy

Peace Corps
Sent volunteers to developing countries to help with projects such as digging wells and building schools

Bay of Pigs
Cuba Cuban Rebel Fidel Castro revolted against unpopular dictator
Soon established a Communist government allied to Soviet Union Many Cubans that opposed Fidel Castro fled to US

Fidel Castro
The close proximity of Cuba to Florida worried President Kennedy President Eisenhower planned to remove Castro from power with Cuban exiles to invade the island President Kennedy learned of it when he took office, and approved it

Bay of Pigs (4/17/1961)

1,500 Cuban exiles landed by boat at Cubas Bay of Pigs Castros forces quickly responded, killing about 300 invaders and capturing the rest Americans criticized President Kennedy

Berlin Wall
City of Berlin was President Kennedys second crisis East Berlin
Part of East Germany (Communist)

West Berlin
Part of West Germany (Democratic)

About 2.5 million East Germans fled to West Berlin

Soviets demanded the border be closed

Berlin Wall
8/13/1961
East German government began building the Berlin Wall
Barrier of concrete and barbed wire between East and West Berlin

Kennedy rushed troops to West Berlin, but unwilling to go to war The wall stood as a symbol of the Cold War for nearly 3 decades

Cuban Missile Crisis

October 1962
American spy planes discovered Soviets were installing nuclear missiles in Cuba If launched, the missiles could reach and destroy American cities within minutes The US Navy formed a blockade around Cuba to prevent Soviet ships from bringing in more weapons

Cuban Missile Crisis

Soviets backed away Soviets agreed to remove the nuclear missiles from Cuba

President Kennedy promised not to invade Cuba

Also agreed to remove some missiles from Italy and Turkey

Signed a Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

Banned the testing of new nuclear weapons aboveground

Race to the Moon

Space Race
The competition between US and Soviet Union to explore space

April 1961
Yuri Gagarin became the first person to travel into space, orbiting Earth once

Congress provided NASA with billions to land a man on the moon

Race to the Moon

May 1961
Alan Shepard Jr. became the first US astronaut in space

1962
John Glenn first American to orbit the Earth

NASA & Project Apollo pushed to land a man on the moon

1967 Three astronauts died in a fire during the prelaunch

Race to the Moon

July 20, 1969
Televised Eagle
Landed on the surface of the moon Neil Armstrong & Edwin Buzz Aldrin
First people to walk on the moon

Conflict in Vietnam
Most serious and deadly event of Cold War Ho Chi Minh
Vietnamese nationalist Believed that only a Communist revolution could free the Vietnamese people

France insisted that Vietnam was a French colony Domino theory

American leaders feared that if one country became Communist, nearby countries would too

Geneva Accords (after Vietnam defeated France)

Divided Vietnam into North and South

North & South Vietnam

North Vietnam
Became a Communist dictatorship led by Ho Chi Minh

South Vietnam
Had a Western-style government led by Ngo Dinh Diem Supported by US Disappointing leader
Appointed family to government positions

1956 Elections (Vietnam)

NLF in North Vietnam
National Liberation Front Recruited South Vietnamese opposed to Diem to fight against the South government Relied on Communist guerrilla forces called Vietcong

American Involvement
Sent aid to South Vietnam 16,000 US military personnel were serving in Vietnam Diem was losing support from his people

Diem ordered his troops to fire on Buddhist demonstrators

Buddhist monks protested by setting themselves on fire 11/1963 Group of South Vietnamese killed Diem and his brother. Weeks later, Kennedy was assassinated.

Escalation in Vietnam
President Johnson
We have the resources and the will to follow this course as long as it may take.

Tonkin Gulf Resolution

Reports of attacks on US ships Gave the president the authority to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States. Greatly expanded US role in Vietnam

Air Strikes Begin

Operation Rolling Thunder
Series of air strikes on war industries in North Vietnam Designed to disrupt the Ho Chi Minh Trail
Supply route used by North Vietnamese Network of paths and tunnels that led from North Vietnam, through Laos and Cambodia, and into South Vietnam

Planes bombed the route with a jellied gasoline to kill troops and destroy supplies. Planes also released chemicals such as Agent Orange to kill dense forests to increase visibility from air.

US Soldiers in Vietnam
President Johnson pursued a policy of escalation in the war
Increased involvement

Strategies and Tactics

Much of the war was fought in jungles and villages in South Vietnam General William Westmoreland commanded US ground forces
Search and Destroy missions
US patrols searched for hidden enemy camps, then destroyed them with massive firepower and air raids

Strategies and Tactics

North Vietnamese used guerrilla warfare tactics
Set deadly traps and land mines Received supplies from Communist China and Soviet Union

Soldiers
Average age 18-21 Many minority and poor College students were able to get draft releases called deferments Carried 75-90 pounds of equipment through 100 degree heat and rainstorms that could last for days We required this kind of instant hair-trigger alertness, you simply trusted absolutely no one. I mean, from a 5 year-old kid to a 75 year-old woman

Turning Points in Vietnam

The Tet Offensive
Surprise attacks all over South Vietnam, including attack on US Embassy in Siagon, South Vietnams capital
US and South Vietnam successfully fought off attacks

Americans started to call for an end in the war involvement

Doves
Opponents of the war

Hawks
Supporters of the war

March 16, 1968

US Soldiers under command of Lieutenant Calley entered the South Vietnamese village of My Lai
They expected to find North Vietnamese forces Search & Destroy Mission
Turned into a massacre, opened fire and killed about 500 unarmed villagers, including women and children

US military officials tried to cover up news Lieutenant Calley tried by military and convicted of murder Questioned the US involvement in Vietnam

End of the War

Antiwar Protests
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) Members of the SDS protested the draft, as well as companies that made weapons used in Vietnam

Some young people chose to drop out of mainstream society and built a counterculture
Culture with its own values and ways of behaving Hippies
Emphasized individual freedom, nonviolence, and communal sharing Grew hair out long and wore unusual clothing

Election of 1968
Tet Offensive hurt President Johnsons reelection chances
I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as president.

Robert F. Kennedy (NY)

Won the California primary, an important step before upcoming DNC After giving his victory speech, he was assassinated by gunman Sirhan Sirhan

Election of 1968
Humphrey won the Democratic Nomination
VP of President Johnson (viewed as a negative)

Richard Nixon (Republican nominee)

Promised to restore order to American society and bring peace with honor to Vietnam

Nixon defeated Humphrey 301-91

War Under Nixon

I will not be the first president of the United States to lose a war. Wanted to get US troops out of Vietnam without creating the appearance of defeat Henry Kissinger
National Security advisor Created a plan to pull US troops from Vietnam and have the South Vietnamese Army take over all the fighting
Vietnamization

War Under Nixon

Began slowly withdrawing troops Without telling anyone, he approved bombing raids on Cambodia and Laos Many Americans were furious
Rather than seeking peace, Nixon seemed to be expanding the war Led to violent student protests

Pentagon Papers
Secret government documents that revealed US officials had been lying to the American public about the progress of the war for years

Election of 1972
Democratic candidate George McGovern
Outspoken opponent of the war Promised voters an immediate US troop withdrawal Hoped to appeal to young voters, many of whom would be voting for the first time

Twenty-sixth Amendment
Lowered the federal voting age from 21 to 18

McGovern did win majority of young voters, but majority of 21+ in both parties supported Nixon Nixon won 520-17

Vietnam War Ends

1/27/1973
US signed a cease-fire called the Paris Peace Accords with North Vietnam and South Vietnam US agreed to remove troops in Vietnam North Vietnam agreed to return all American POW

Even with this, North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam and capture Saigon

Communist leaders created the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Life in Vietnam
Cities, villages, forests and farms destroyed 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers killed 1 million North Vietnamese soldiers killed 2 million civilians killed Communist dictators took over Laos and Cambodia

Impact at Home
58,000 Americans killed 300,000 wounded Returning American soldiers were not always welcomed at home as heroes as other war veterans had
Were insulted by antiwar protesters Many suffered from PTSD

Americans had less trust in government officials, including the president

War Powers Act

Requires the president to get congressional approval before committing US troops to an armed struggle Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Designed by Maya Ying Lin, the black granite memorial lists the names of dead or missing American soldiers