Download John`s vietnam

Intro
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Was known as Second Indochina War
Was a cold war
In Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia
November 1, 1955-april 30, 1975 when
Saigon fell
Between communist North and anti
communist south (Us and other
anticommunist nations)
Background
The
treaty of Hue concluded -1884 form basis
French rule (Vietnam next seven decades)
Cambodia and Vietnam - French Indochina
(Laos added later)
Vietnamese opposition – Viet Nam Quoc Dan
Dang
Viet Minh common front only successful
(communist Party of Vietnam)
 funded by Us and Chinese Nationalist fight
Japanese occupation
Map of Vietnam
French and Germans
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World War 2, French defeated by
Germans
Colonial authorizes became Vichy French
(allies of German-Italian axis powers)
French continued to run affairs in the
colony, ultimate power resided in hands
of Japs
The Situation Continued…
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until German forces were expelled from
France
Indochina colonial authorities held secret
talks with the Free French (French person
fought against Axis forces)
Japanese interned them all on March 9,
1945
Japanese Defeated
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August 1945, Japanese defeated
(surrendered unconditionally)
French Indochina created power vacuum
French were still interned Japanese forces
stood down.
The Viet Minh entered, took power across
Vietnam – August Revolution
Fortune Son
By: Credence Clearwater Revival
Some folks are born made to wave the flag,
ooh, they're red, white and blue.
And when the band plays "Hail To The Chief",
oh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,
It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no senator's son,
It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no fortunate one, no,
Some folks are born silver spoon in hand,
Lord, don't they help themselves? oh.
But when the taxman come to the door,
Lord, the house look a like a rummage sale, yes,
It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no millionaire's son, no, no.
It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no fortunate one, no.
Yeah, some folks inherit star spangled eyes,
ooh, they send you down to war, Lord,
And when you ask them, how much should we
give,
oh, they only answer, more, more, more, oh,
It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no military son, SON, NO
It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no fortunate one, NO NO
It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no fortunate one, no no no,
It ain't me, it ain't me,
I ain't no fortunate son, son son so
North Vietnam flag
South Vietnam Flag
Viet Minh Declares Independence
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September 2, 1945 Ho Chi Minh (leader of
Viet Minh)
declared the Independence Democratic
Republic of Vietnam
before a crowd of 500,000 in Hanoi
But the United States, Britain, France and
the Soviet Union all agree that the area
belongs to the French
Following the Party Line
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French were slowly gaining their control
Viet Minh won elections -central and
north Vietnam
French landed in Hanoi – march 1946
Ousted Viet minh from city
Viet Minh began guerrilla war against
French union began first Indochina war
Exit of The French 1950
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January 1950 communist nations (people’s
republic of china) Viet Minh's democratic
republic of Vietnam
The Korean war convinced policymakers –
war in Indochina example of communist
expansionism
People’s republic of china
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Military advisors began assisting Viet Minh
Guerrilla force to regular army
U.S. created military assistance and
advisory group to aid French
Nuclear weapons
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French and U.S. thought of 3 nuclear
weapons
Operation vulture – send 60 B-29’s to
bomb viet minh
Soviet union
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Gave support to Viet minh and PRC
PRC’s support in border of campaign
allowed supplies to come to Vietnam
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
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Marked end of French involvement in
Indochina
1954, French union garrison surrendered
Independence was granted to Cambodia
Laos and Vietnam
Transition Period
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Vietnam was temporality partitioned at the
17th parallel
Civilians could freely move between both
states
Catholic fled the south
130,000 “Revolutionary Regroupees” went
north (return to south 2 years)
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The PRC completed their withdrawal from
north
Viet minh began a land reform
8,00 class enemies killed
Restored a lot of land to its original
owners
In south Bao Dai’s state of Vietnam
operated with Ngô Đình Diệm(minister)
announced that elections would not be
held
South rejected the agreement
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Diem cleared the decks of any political
opposition in south launching military
operations
In a referendum on the future of the state
of Vietnam diem rigged the poll (credited
98.2% of the vote)
Diem viewed it as a test of authority
Outober 1955 diem decleared the new
Republic of vietnam himself as president
Diem Era, 1955-1963
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Domino theory proposed by Eisenhower
administration
John F. Kennedy, said ,Friends of Vietnam
whose security would be threatened if the
Red Tide of Communism overflowed into
Vietnam."
Major United States Air Force Bases
Rule
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Roman catholic, diem was fervently anticommunist ,nationalist and socially
conservative
1955, he launched the "Denounce the
Communists" campaign
communists and other anti-government
elements were arrested, imprisoned,
tortured, or executed
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Opponents were labeled Viet Cong
("Vietnamese communist")
In May, Diem undertook a ten-day state
visit to the United States. President
Eisenhower pledged his continued support
Insurgency in the South,
1956–1960
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The Sino-Soviet split led to a reduction in
the influence of the PRC
Diem's Denunciation of Communists
campaign, local Viet Minh cadres and
supporters had been executed or sent to
concentration camps
Lê Duẩn
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a communist leader returned to Hanoi to
accept the position of acting first secretary
He urged a military line and advocated
increased assistance to the insurgency
Four hundred government officials were
assassinated in 1957 alone, (violence
increased)
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1959, the North's Central Committee
issued a secret resolution authorizing an
armed struggle
the increasing unpopularity of the Diem
regime Hanoi authorized the National
Liberation Front controlled by communist
party in the South
During John F. Kennedy's
administration, 1961–1963
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Kennedy took over
John F. Kennedy bitterly disagreed with
Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev when
they met in Vienna over key U.S.-Soviet
issues. The Legacy of the Korean War
created the idea of a limited war
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The Kennedy administration remained
essentially committed to the Cold War
foreign policy inherited from Truman and
Eisenhower
the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Berlin Wall,
and a negotiated settlement between of
Laos and the Pathet Lao communist
movement
Coup and assassinations
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Diem's policies exploded following the Hue
Vesak shootings
Buddhists who were protesting against the
ban on the Buddhist flag on Vesak
(Buddha's birthday)
Ngo Dinh Nhu, raided pagodas across
Vietnam, causing widespread damage and
destruction
A Buddhist committing a suicide
ritual
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The U.S. Department of State was in favor
of encouraging a coup
the Defense Department favored Diem
removal of Diem's younger brother
controlled the secret police and special
forces (man behind the Buddhist
repression)
Diem’s Death
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CIA planned to remove Diem
President Diem was overthrown and
executed
Along with his brother
Lyndon B. Johnson expands
the war, 1963–1969
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Lyndon B. Johnson took over the
presidency after the death of Kennedy
did not consider Vietnam a priority
was more concerned with his "Great
Society"
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Johnson had reversed Kennedy's
disengagement policy from Vietnam
withdrawing 1,000 troops by the end of
1963
August 1964, the USS Maddox on
intelligence mission along North Vietnam's
coast fired and damaged torpedo boats
been stalking it in the Gulf of Tonkin
A second attack was reported two days
later
Escalation and ground war
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U.S. Air Force bases needed more
protection
The South Vietnamese military were
incapable of providing security
U.S. Marines were dispatched to South
Vietnam
This marked the beginning of the
American ground war
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The Marines' were defensive
The deployment of 3,500 in March was
increased to nearly 200,000 by December
In December, Army of the Republic of
Vietnam forces had heavy losses at the
Battle of Binh Gia
communist forces had use hit-and-run
guerrilla tactics
at Binh Gia they had successfully defeated
a strong ARVN force in conventional
warfare
Tet Offensive
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former capital city of Huế the combined
NLF and NVA troops captured the Imperial
Citadel (led to the Battle of Hue)
the battle was the fiercest
Most firepower
the communist insurgent forces massacred
several thousand Hue civilians
Vietnamization, 1969–1972
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communist losses during Tet Offensive
allowed President Richard Nixon to begin
troop withdrawals
His plan called the Nixon Doctrine (build
up the ARVN)
they could take over the defense of South
Vietnam
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The policy became known as
"Vietnamization“ (much in common with
the policies of the Kennedy
administration)
One important difference remained
Kennedy insisted that the South
Vietnamese fight the war themselves
U.S. weapons during the war
North Vietnamese Weapons
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The anti-war movement was gaining
strength
Nixon appealed to the "silent majority" of
Americans to support the war
But revelations of the My Lai Massacre
U.S. Army platoon went on a rampage and
raped and killed civilians