USA and the Vietnam War

Between 1946 and 1954 France tried to regain its former colony in Indochina.

US involvement in Vietnam was largely down to concern over the ‘domino effect’ in South East Asia.

The French in 1954, were defeated by the Viet Cong.

President Truman committed US ground troops to assist France

In 1954 the Geneva Accords divided Vietnam along the 17th Parallel

The North Vietnamese government, led by Ho Chi Minh, declared the country to be a socialist state in 1954

Elections were planned for 1956, but were not held

From 1954, North Vietnam was led by NGO Dinh Diem (non communist) South Vietnam by Ho Chi Minh (a Communist)

NGO Dinh Diem was a highly popular and democratic leader of South Vietnam.

The National Liberation Front (NLF) formed in 1960 - it organised and led the Viet Cong.

The non- communist government of South Vietnam looked in danger of being overthrown by the communist-backed Vietcong guerrillas.

JFK is associated with escalating US involvement in Vietnam

President Eisenhower sent 1000 military advisers to South Vietnam and $1 billion in financial aid

President Johnson is associated with escalating the war in Vietnam.

Congress passed The Gulf of Hanoi Resolution to give Johnson the authority to commit US troops to South Vietnam

Operation Rolling Thunder cost the USA $900 million

The US believed Operation Rolling Thunder would need 3 months before it succeeded

By 1967 the US had 485,000 troops in Vietnam

Operation Rolling Thunder was a massive US bombing campaign of VC bases in South Vietnam

The strategic hamlet programme was a popular strategy with the South.

In a poll of the American people in 1965, 60% believed the US was not ‘wrong’ to get involved.

The VC was a Guerrilla insurgent force that fought alongside the North Vietnamese army against the South.

The Vietcong was aided and supplied by communist North Vietnam and its leader Ho Chi Minh.

The US search and destroy missions were a highly effective strategy in combatting the VC.

The US reluctantly resorted to using Napalm against suspected VC strongholds.

The US bombing campaign failed because the bombs often fell into empty jungle, missing their targets.

The My Lai Massacre of 1968 severely damaged America’s reputation and undermined support for the war at home.

The US bombing campaign never fully disrupted the Ho Chi Minh trail.

The TET offensive of 1968 was a huge military success for the North and the VC.

The TET offensive of 1968 was a major psychological blow for the US and South Vietnam.

Walter Cronkite’s view on the war had a major impact on the US people.

Richard Nixon won the 1968 election on platform of ‘win the war in Vietnam’

Nixon introduced a policy known as Normalisation in a speech on 25th July 1969

Nixon’s foreign policy in the ongoing Cold War was one of ‘detente’

Vietnamisation meant building up the capacity of the armed forces of South Vietnam until they could take responsibility for their own defence.

As part of Vietnamisation, Nixon escalated the bombing campaign in North Vietnam to disrupt the Ho Chi Minh trail and hit Vietcong bases in neighboring countries.

Peace Talks began in Paris in January 1973

Leading the talks for the USA was diplomat, Henry Kissinger

Nixon mounted bombing raids on North Vietnam in order to force the North Vietnamese to sign the peace accords.

Within 2 years of the ceasefire (agreed at Paris in 1973) Saigon fell to the communist north.

In military terms, the US policy of containment was a success in Vietnam.

The policy of containment had failed politically.

The policy of containment had failed in the propaganda war of the Cold War.

The War in Vietnam had cost the US $100 billion.

The leaking of the Pentagon Papers in 1972 defended US decision making in Vietnam