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THE VIETNAM WAR
By: Brendan Heydt
About the war
• The Vietnam war was also named the Second
Indochina war, The Vietnam conflict, or the
American war.
• The conflict occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and
Cambodia.
• It took place from Nov. 1, 1955 untill April 30,
1975 when Saigon fell.
• It was supported by the government of south
Vietnam, the United States, and other anticommunist nations.
The Viet Cong
• The Viet Cong was a lightly – armed South
– Vietnamese communist. It controlled the
common front.
• Fought a Guerrilla War against anticommunist forces.
The Viet Cong
• The U.S. and south Vietnamese were
relying on air superiority and firepower to
conduct Search and Destroy operations.
• These operations involved Ground Forces,
artillery, and Airstrike.
• The United States entered the war to
prevent the communist takeover of south
Vietnam as part of containment. Military
advisors arrived in 1950. U.S. combat
units were deployed in the beginning of
1965.
• The Case Church Amendment was
passed by the U.S. congress. It prohibited
the use of American Military after August
15,1973
Casualties
3-4 million Vietnamese from both sides.
1.5-2 million Laotians and Cambodians.
58,159 U.S. soldiers.
Background to 1949
• France had began it’s invasion of
Indochina in the late 1850’s, and
completed the pacification in 1893. the
treaty of Hue concluded in 1884.
• Various Vietnamese opposition
movements to the French rule existed
during this period, such as Viet Nam Quoc
Dan Dang who staged the failed Yen Bai
mutiny in 1930.
The one that was the most succesful the
Viet Minh common front controlled by the
Communist party of Vietnam founded in
1941. It was founded by the U.S. and the
Chinese Nationalists in it’s fight against
the Japanese.
• On Sept. 1945 Ho Chi Minh, the leader of
the Viet Minh, declared the Independent
Democratic Republic of Vietnam before a
crowd of 500,000 in Hanoi.
Exit of the French, 1950
• In Jan. 1950 communist nations
recognized The Viet Minh’s democratic
republic of Vietnam as the government of
Vietnam. Non- communist nations
recognized the French-backed State of
Vietnam in Saigon led by former Emperor
Bao Dai.
• PRC military advisors began assisting The
Viet Minh in July 1950. PRC weapons
expertise, and laborers transformed the
Viet Minh from a guerilla force into a
regular army.
• There talks between the French and
Americans about using three tactical
nuclear weapons. One plan was Operation
Vulture.
• The Battle Of Dien Biem Phu marked the
end of French involvement in Indochina.
The Viet Minh and their commander Vo
Nguyen Giap handed the French a
stunning military defeat.
The transition period
• Vietnam was temporarily partitioned at the
17th Parallel, and under terms of the
Geneva Convention. Around 1,000,000
Northerners mainly minority Catholics fled
south.
• That was followed by an American
propaganda campaign using slogans such
as The Virgin Mary is heading south.
• It is estimated that as many as 2,000,000
more would have left had they not been
stopped by The Viet Minh.
•
Diem era,1955-1963
• The Geneva Conference, 1945
• The Domino theory which argued that if
one country fell to communist forces, then
all surrounding countries shall follow.
Rule
• A devout Roman catholic, Diem was
fervently anti communist , nationalist, and
socially conservative He was one of the
few Vietnamese nationalists who could
claim both atributes.
Insurgency in the South in 1956
• The Sino Soviet Split Led to a reduction in
the influence of the PRC, which had
insisted in 1954 that the Viet Minh
accepted a division of the country.
• Ho Chi Minh said do not antagonize if you
can avoid it.
During John F. Kennedy’s
administration 1961-1963
• When Kennedy won the 1960 U.S.
presidential election, one major issue
Kennedy raised was weather the soviet
space and missile programs had
surpassed those of the U.S.
• JFK’s administration remained committed
to the cold war.
• He faced a 3 part crisis the failure of The
Bay of Pigs invasion, The construction the
Berlin Wall, and a negotiated settlement
between the Pro western gov. of Laos and
the Pathet Lao communist movement.
• In 1961 Vice President Lyndon Johnson
visited Saigon.
• He declared Diem the Winston Churchill of
Asia.
Coup and assassinations
• The inept performance south Vietnamese
army were exemplified by failed actions
such as the Battle of Ap Bac on Jan
2,1963 which a small band of Viet Cong
beat off a much larger and better equipped
South Vietnamese force.
• Discontent with Diem’s policies exploded
following the Hue Vesak shootings of
majority of Buddhists who were protesting
against the ban of the Buddhist flag on
Vesak, the Buddha’s birthday.
• U.S. officials began discussing the
possibility of a regime change during the
summer of 1963. The United States
department of State was in favor of
encouraging a coup, While the Defense
Department favored Diem.
• Chief among the proposed changes was
the removal of Diem’s younger brother
Nhu, who controlled the secret police and,
special forces was seen as the man
behind the Buddhist repression.
• General Paul Harkins the commander of
U.S. forces in south Vietnam had
predicted victory by Christmas.
• Officers from the CIA’s Special Activities
Division trained and led Hmoung
tribesmen in Laos and into Vietnam.
Lyndon B. Johnson expands the
war, 1963-1969
• LBJ, as he took over the presidency after
JFK’s death, didn’t consider Vietnam a
priority .
• He was more considered with his Great
Society.
• On November24, 1963, Johnson said,
“The battle of communism must be
joined… with strength and determination
• Johnson had reserved Kennedy’s
disengagement policy from Vietnam in
withdrawing 1000 troops by the end of
1963 NSSAM 263 on Oct. 11.
• The end military revolutionary council
meeting in Lieu of a strong Vietnamese
leader, was made up of 12 members
headed by General Duong Van Minh.
• An alleged NLF activist, captured during
an attack on an American outpost near the
Cambodian border, is interrogated.
• On August 2, 1964 , the USS Maddox, on
a mission along the coast of North
Vietnam, was fired upon.
• a second attack was two days later on the
USS Turner Joy and Maddox.
• An undated NSA publication declassified
in 2005, however, there was no attack on
August 4th.
• From a strength of 5,000 at the start of the
1959 the Viet Cong’s ranks grew to about
100,000 at the end of 1964.
• The National Security Council
recommended a three-staged escalation
of the bombing of North Vietnam. On
march 2, 1965 Operation Flaming Dart,
Rolling Thunder, and Arc light
commenced.
Escalation and ground war
• It was decided that U.S. Air force base
needed more protection. The south
Vietnamese military seemed incapable of
providing security.
• Minh warned that if the Americans want to
make war for twenty years then we shall. If
they want to make peace then we shall
and invite them to afternoon tea.
• The Marines assignment was defense.
The initial deployment of 3,500 in march
was increased to nearly 200,000 by
December.
• Desertion rates were increasing, and
morale plummeted.
• General William Westmoreland informed
Admiral Grant Sharp. Commander of the
U.S. pacific forces, that the situation was
critical.
• The Plan was approved by Johnson and
marked a profound department from the
previous departure from the previous
administration’s insistence that the
government of South Vietnam was
responsible for defeating the guerrillas.
• Members of the U.S. Navy Seal team one
move down the Bassac river in a STAB
during the operations along the river south
of Saigon , November 1967
• The one year tour of duty deprived units of
experienced leadership.
• South Vietnam was inundated with
manufactured goods
• Washington encouraged its SEATO allies
to contribute troops. Australia, New
Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Thailand
and the Philippians all agreed to send
troops.
• Meanwhile the political situation in South
Vietnam began to stabilize with the coming
to power of prime minister Air Marshal
Nguyen Cao Ky.
• The Johnson administration employed a
“policy of minimum candor”
Tet Offensive
• Having lured general Westmorland’s
forces into the hinterland at Khe Sanh in
Quang Tri Province, the NVA and NLF
broke the truce that had accompanied the
Tet Holiday.
• Although the U.S. and south Vietnamese
were taken aback by the scale of the
urban offensive, they responded quickly.
• General Westmorland had become the
public face of the war.
• In November 1967 Westmorland
spearheaded a public relations drive for
the Johnson administration to bolster
flagging public support.
• Tet Offensive the turning point in America’s
involvment in the war.
• Westmorland became chief of staff of the
army in march.
• On may 10, 1968 despite low
expectations, peace talks began between
U.S. and the Democratic Republic of
Vietnam
• As historian Robert Dallek writes, LBJ’s
escalation of the war in Vietnam divided
Americans into warring camps cost 30,000
American lives by the time he left office.
Vietnamization, 1969-1972
• Propaganda leaflets urging the defection
of NLF and North Vietnamese to the side
of the republic of Vietnam.
• Severe communist losses during the Tet
Offensive allowed U.S. president Richard
Nixon to begin troop withdrawals.
• Nixon said to withdrawal 150,000
American troops to be completed during
the spring of next year.
• On Oct 10, 1969 Nixon ordered a
squadron of 18 B52s loaded with nuclear
weapons.
• He also pursued negotiations.
• The anti war movement was gaining
strength I the U.S.. Nixon appealed to the
silent majority of Americans to support the
war.
Operation Menu: the secret
bombing of Cambodia and Loas.
• Prince Norodom Sihanouk had
proclaimed Cambodia neutral since 1955,
but the communists used Cambodian soil
and the Prince tolerated their presence.
• In 1971 the Pentagon Papers were leaked
to the New York Times.
• The ARVN launched Operation Lam Son
719 in February 1971.
• In 1971 Australia and New Zealand
withdrew their soldiers.
• Vietnamization was again tested by the
Easter Offensive of 1972.
• Rescue with Operation Linebacker and the
Offensive was halted.
1972 election and Paris peace
accords
• Nixon
McGovern
• The war was the central issue of the 1972
presidential election.
• However, South Vietnamese president
Thieu demanded massive changes to the
peace accord.
• On Jan. 15, 1973 Nixon announced a
suspension of offensive against North
Vietnam.
Opposition to the Vietnam War:
1962-1975
• Opposition to the Vietnam war tended to
unite groups opposed to U.S. anticommunism, imperialism, and colonialism.
On Oct. 15, 1969 The Vietnam Moatorium
attracted millions of Americans.
Exit of the Americans1973-1975
• The U.S. began reducing their troop
support in south Vietnam during the final
years of vietnamization.
• Under the Paris Peace accord between
north Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Duc
Tho and U.S. secretary of state Henry
Kissinger.
• The communist leaders had expected that
the ceasefire terms would favor their
sides.
• As the Viet Cong’s top commander, Tra
participated in several of these meetings.
• With U.S. bombing suspended, work on
the Ho Chi Minh trail and other logistical
structures could proceed unimpeded.
• Although McGovern wasn’t elected
president, the Nov 1972 election did return
a Democratic majority to both houses of
congress.
• The oil price shock of Oct 1973 caused
significant damage to the south
Vietnamese economy.
• Gerald Ford took over as U.S. president
on August 9,1974 after President Nixon
resigned due to the Watergate scandal.
• Tra’s plan called for a limited offensive
from Cambodia into Phuoc Long Province.
• On Dec. 13 1974 North Vietnamese forces
attacked Route 14 in Phuoc Long
Province.
Campaign 275
• On march10 1975, General Dung
launched Campaign 275, a limited
offensive into the central Highlands.
• President Nguyen Van Thieu was fearful
that his forces would be cut off in the North
by the attacking communists.
• As the ARVN tried to disengage from the
enemy, refugees mixed in with the line of
retreat.
• On march 20, Thieu reserved himself and
ordered Hue, Vietnam’s third largest city,
be held at all cost
Final North Vietnamese Offensive
• With the northern half of the country under
their control, the politburo ordered general
Dung to launch the final offensive on
Saigon.
• On April 7, three North Vietnamese
divisions attacked Xuan Loc,
Fall of Saigon
• Chaos, unrest, and panic broke out as
hysterical South Vietnamese officials and
civilians scrambled to leave Saigon.
• Martin Law was declared.
• Schlesinger announced early in the
morning of April 29 1975 the evacuation
from Saigon by helicopter of the last U.S.
diplomatic, military, and civilian personel.
People’s Republic of China
• In 1950 the People’s Republic of China
extended diplomatic recognition to the Viet
Minh’s Democratic Republic of Vietnam
and sent weapons.
• China’s ability to aid the Viet Minh
declined. When soviets aid to china was
reduced.
• In the summer of 1962 Mao Zedong
agreed to supply Hanoi with 90,000 rifles
and guns for free.
South Korea
• On the anti-communist side, South Korea
had the largest contingent of foreign
troops in south Vietnam after the U.S..
Australia and New Zealand
• Australia and New Zealand, close allies of
U.S. and members of the southeast Asia
treaty organization sent ground troops to
Vietnam.
Philippines
• 10,450 Filipino troops were dispatched to
south Vietnam.
Thailand
• Thai army formations saw action in South
Vietnam between 1965 and 1971.
Soviet Union
• The Soviet Union supplied north Vietnam
with medical supplies, arms, tanks, planes,
helicopters, and artillery.
North Korea
• In 1967 North Korea sent a fighter
squadron to north Vietnam.
Canada and the ICC
• Canadian, Indian, and Polish troops were
representatives of NATO.
Republic of china (Taiwan)
• Since Nov. 1967 Taiwan secretly operated
a cargo transport detachment to assist the
US and the ROV.
Aftermath events in south Asia
• Phnom Penh, the Capital of Cambodia, fell
to followers of the Communist Party of
Kampuchea.
• After repeated border clashes Vietnam
invaded Cambodia which started the
Cambodian Vietnamese war.
• In response china invaded Vietnam in
1979. Which started the Sino-Vietnamese
war.
• More than 3 million people fled from
Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos many as
“boat people”
Effect on the United States
• In the post war Americans struggled to
absorb the lessons of the military
intervention.
• Some have suggested that the
responsibility for the ultimate failure of this
policy lies not with men who fought but
with those in congress.
• The inability to bomb Hanoi to the
bargaining table also illustrated another
U.S. miscalculation.
• Between 1965-1975 The U.S. spent 111
billion dollars on the war.
• More than 3 million Americans served in
Vietnam. By the end 58,193 had died.
Chemical Defoliation
• One of the most controversial aspects of
the U.S. military effort in southeast Asia
was the widespread use of chemical
defoliants.
• The defoliants included Rainbow
Herbicides, Agent Pink, Agent Green,
Agent Purple, Agent Blue, Agent White,
and the most famous Agent Orange.
• There were over 4,000,000 victims of
agent orange’s gas.
• In 1995, The Vietnamese Government
found 1.1million were dead and 600,000
were wounded during the conflict with the
U.S..
Credits
• I would like to thank Google for my project.