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U.S. Involvement and Escalation
Strong Support for Containment
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Much of the nation supported Lyndon Johnson’s determination to contain communism in
Vietnam
Even after Congress had approved the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, President Johnson just wanted to
bomb Vietnam and opposed sending U.S. ground troops
He declared he was “not about to send American boys 9 or 10,000 miles away from home to do
what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves
However, in March of 1965, that is precisely what the President did, working closely with his
advisors, Johnson began dispatching tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers to fight in Vietnam
Robert McNamara- Secretary of Defense who helped orchestrate the Vietnam War
Dean Rusk- Secretary of State who helped orchestrate the Vietnam War
A 1965 poll showed that 61% of Americans supported the War with 24% opposing
The Troop Buildup Accelerates
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By the end of 1965, the U.S. Government had sent more than 180,000 Americans to Vietnam
William Westmoreland- American commander in South Vietnam who had served in WWII and
Korea
Westmoreland was less than impressed with the fighting ability of the South Vietnamese allies
and the “aggressive deployment of U.S. troops”
Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)- South Vietnamese Army that were allies with the
United States
Throughout the early years of the war, the Johnson administration complied with Westmoreland’s
requests; by 1967 the number of U.S. troops reached 500,000
Fighting in the Jungle
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The United States entered the war in Vietnam believing that its superior weaponry would lead it
to victory over the Vietcong
However, the jungle terrain and the enemy’s guerilla tactics soon turned the war into a frustrating
stalemate
Because the Vietcong lacked the high-powered weaponry of the American forces, they used hitand-run and ambush tactics, as well as a keen knowledge of the jungle terrain, to their advantage
Because some of the enemy lived with the civilian population, it was difficult for U.S. troops to
figure out their friends from the enemies
Adding to the Vietcong’s elusiveness was a network of elaborate tunnels that allowed them to
withstand airstrikes and to launch surprise attacks and then disappear quickly
The terrain was laced with countless booby traps and land mines and Americans soldiers
marching through South Vietnam’s jungles and rice paddies dealt with heat and leaches
A Frustrating War of Attrition
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Westmoreland’s strategy for defeating the Vietcong was to destroy their morale
War of Attrition- The gradual wearing down of the enemy by continuous harassment
Body Count- Tracking the number of Vietcong killed, believing that as the number of dead rose,
the Vietcong would surrender
Despite the growing number of casualties and the relentless pounding of U.S. bombers, the
Vietcong (who received supplies from the Soviet Union and China) remained defiant
The United States viewed the war strictly as a military struggle; the Vietcong saw it as a battle for
their very existence, and they were ready to pay any price for victory
The Battle for “Hearts and Minds”
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Another key part of the American strategy was to keep the Vietcong from winning the support of
South Vietnam’s rural population
The campaign to win the “hearts and minds” of the South Vietnamese villagers proved more
difficult than imagined
Napalm- a gasoline based bomb that set fire to the jungle in attempt to expose Vietcong tunnels
Agent Orange- a leaf killing toxic chemical to kill the jungle and make it easier to find the
enemy; many would blame AO for cancers in Vietnamese civilians and American soldiers
Search and Destroy Missions- Uprooting civilians with suspected ties to the Vietcong, killing
their livestock, and burning villages
Sinking Morale
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The frustrations of the guerilla warfare, the brutal jungle conditions, and the failure to make
substantial headway against the enemy took their toll on the U.S. troops
As the war continued, American morale dropped steadily, with many soldiers who were required
by the draft to fight, turning to alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs
Another obstacle was the continuing corruption and instability of the South Vietnamese Gov.
With growing demonstrations and Buddhist Monks setting themselves on fire again, South
Vietnam was fighting a civil war within a civil war
The Early War at Home
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The Johnson administration thought the war would end quickly, but as the number of U.S. troops
in Vietnam continued to mount, the war grew costly and the nation’s economy began to suffer
The inflation rate more than tripled, and Johnson asked for a tax increase, but at the loss of
federal funding for The Great Society
Through the media, specifically television, Vietnam became America’s “living room war”
Quoting body-count statistics that showed large numbers of communists dying in battle, General
Westmoreland continually reported that a Vietcong surrender was coming soon
The images on the television of Americans in body bags told a different story
Credibility Gap-Growing gap on what Americans heard from the Johnson administration to what
was actually happening