Download REVIEW SLIDES: Lessons 34-45

Lessons 34 - 45
Review Slides
Lesson 34
Cold War: Berlin & Korea
The Cold War
Cold War:
A bipolar world, stabilized by a nuclear
balance between two superpowers
"The post-post Cold War"
Thomas Friedman
New York Times, May 10, 2006
The Cold War
Class Definition
A prolonged armed confrontation between
East

Communism
West

Democracy


Totalitarian Socialism
Free Market Capitalism
characterized by intense competition:
Military
Economic
Scientific
Cultural
Diplomatic
with local wars fought by proxies
Yalta Conference
4-11 February 1945
Each leader had their priorities:
Roosevelt: Gain Soviet assistance in war with Japan
Obtain Soviet participation in United Nations
Churchill: Restore democratic institutions to Eastern Europe
Stalin: Extend sphere of influence to Eastern Europe as buffer
Yalta Conference
4-11 February 1945
Results: Defined the post-war world
• Pursue unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany
• Germany to be divided into four occupation zones
• Berlin to be subject to four-power occupation
• Germany to be demilitarized and purged of Nazis
• Reparations to USSR (forced labor & industrial capacity)
• Recognition of provisional government and elections in Poland
• Poland would cede territory to USSR but gain from Germany
• USSR would join UN provided it had veto in Security Council
• USSR to declare war on Japan within 90 days of German defeat
Yalta Conference
4-11 February 1945
Concerns:
• Soviets would take Berlin
• Four Power Partition of Germany, Berlin
• Soviets would get parts of Poland
• Soviets would receive Japanese territory
• Korea divided at 38th parallel
Considered by many the beginning of the Cold War
Potsdam Agreement
August 1, 1945
Key Points:
Political: Democratization, Disarmament, Demilitarization,
Elimination of all Nazi influence.
Economic: Destruction of all war-making industry
Focus of economy to be agriculture and light industry
Reparations to USSR from Soviet zone plus 10% of industrial
capability from Western zone
Dispersal of German navy and merchant marine
War crimes: Established mechanism for Nuremberg Trials
Provisions for governments of Austria and Poland
Provisions for peace treaties and admission to United Nations
Transfer of populations
Source: PBS
Roots of the Cold War
The Three Conferences
Tehran Conference
November 28 - 1 December 1, 1943
First meeting of “Big 3”
Allies agree to coordinate war activities
Yalta Conference
Defined
post-war
4-11 February
1945 world
Defined post-war world
Potsdam Conference
July 17 - August 2, 1945
Discussed issues in transition from war to peace
Root of the Cold War
Yalta Conference
4-11 February 1945
Cold War Timeline
4-11 Feb 45
Yalta Conference
12 Apr 45
FDR dies, succeeded by Harry Truman
8 May 45
VE Day
17 Jul - 2 Aug 45
6, 9 Aug 45
Potsdam Conference
Atomic bombings of Japan
8 Aug 45
USSR declares war on Japan
15 Aug 45
VJ Day
11 Jan 46
Communist regime declared in Albania
22 Feb 46
George Kennan “Long Telegram” from Moscow
Mar 46
Civil war erupts in Greece - Communists vs. conservatives
Truman Doctrine
March 12, 1947
US foreign policy designed to stop spread of Communism
Pledged to provide economic and military aid to Greece and Turkey
US foreign policy transitioned from détent to containment
Some sources cite this as the beginning of the Cold War
Marshall Plan
April 3, 1948
Foreign Assistance Act of 1948
(Also referred to as the Economic Cooperation Act and
the European Recovery Act)
• Grew from realization that slow recovery from war devastation in Western
Europe would leave the region weak and subject to Communist incursion
• US leadership did not want a repeat of post- World War One conditions
that contributed to the Great Depression and rise of Fascism.
• Marshall publicly presented idea in Harvard commencement address
(June 5, 1947)
• Provided $12 B in recovery aid (Value in 2005 $: $555 B per GDP share)
• Major factor in Western European resistance to Communism
Cold War Timeline
5 Mar 46
Churchill “Iron Curtain” speech
8 Sep 46
Bulgaria deposes king, establishes People’s Republic
19 Jan 47
Referendum in Poland brings Communist government
12 Mar 47
Truman Doctrine announced
5 Jun 47
25 Feb 48
3 Apr 48
Sec State George Marshall outlines European aid plan
Communist Party takes control of Czechoslovakia
Truman signs Foreign Assistance Act (Marshall Plan)
10 May 48
Republic of Korea proclaimed, Syngman Rhee president
24 Jun 48
Stalin orders blockade of Berlin; allies respond with airlift
Berlin Blockade
Soviets wanted Western Allies out of Berlin
June 24, 1948:
Blocked all ground access to Berlin
Ground access rights never formally guaranteed
Berlin Airlift
June 24, 1948 - May 11, 1949
Western response: supply city by air
Air corridors guaranteed by Four
Power agreement on Berlin
First significant confrontation of the Cold War
North Atlantic Treaty
April 4, 1949
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Formed
• Military alliance to protect Western Europe
• Original members: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France,
Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway,
Portugal, United Kingdom, United States
• Greece, Turkey joined in 1952
• West Germany joined following ratification of Paris Peace Treaties
(May 1955)
USSR responded with Warsaw Pact (May 14, 1955)
• Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary,
Poland, Rumania, Soviet Union
Soviet A-bomb
Soviet Nuclear Test (US code name “Joe 1”)
August 29, 1949
NSC-68
April 14, 1950
Classified National Security Council document
Full analysis of US-USSR relationship
Defined initial US Cold War strategy:
Containment
Implemented the Truman Doctrine
Cold War: Living on the Brink
Nuclear Targeting Theories
Counterforce : target warfighting capability
Countervalue : target cities and industry
Nuclear Targeting Strategies
Truman: Countervalue
• US had nuclear monopoly, then preeminence
• Believed nuclear weapons most valuable against cities
Eisenhower: Counterforce
• Soviet nuclear weapons became a concern
• Massive retaliation was public doctrine
Kennedy/Johnson: Flexible Response
• Public face: assured destruction (countervalue)
• Counterforce (war fighting) retained as an option
Colonel John Osgood, USA, Retired
United States Nuclear Strategy 1945-1995
Nuclear Targeting Strategies
Nixon: Counterforce
• Publicly promoted position
• Developed warfighting weapons (MIRV, ABM)
Carter: Counterforce
• Pursued decapitation strategy (targeted C3, leadership)
Regan/Bush: Counterforce
• Combined counterforce and strategic defense
• Blended arms negotiations (SALT) with SDI
Colonel John Osgood, USA, Retired
United States Nuclear Strategy 1945-1995
Nuclear Triad
Manned Bombers
Can launch on warning
Accurate
Flexible
ICBM
Quick response
Invulnerable inflight
Accurate
Economical
Vulnerable to first strike
Vulnerable inflight
Slow
SLBM
Survivable
Quick response
Invulnerable inflight
Unpredictable
Expensive
system
Defense Options
Deter the Threat:
Defeat the Threat:
Mitigate the Threat:
Effective, secure nuclear forces
Active Defenses (aircraft, missiles)
Passive Defenses (civil defense,
dispersal, continuity of government)
Cold War: Cuban Missile Crisis
Cold War Timeline
Nuclear War Branch
31 Jan 50
Truman announces US intent to develop hydrogen bomb
14 Apr 50
NSC-68: Blueprint for containment strategy
1 Nov 52
First thermonuclear device detonated, Enewetak Atoll,
Marshall Islands
4 Oct 57
USSR launches first artificial earth satellite, Sputnik
• Sparks space race  US effort in scientific research & education
Oct 62
Cuban Missile Crisis
Causes of the Cuban Crisis
Soviet Union threaten by US strategic missiles in Europe
• Felt they were falling behind in arms race
Castro feared an invasion of Cuba by U.S.
• Approved deployment of Soviet missiles to Cuba as a safeguard
Crisis Resolution
October 28, 1962
After exchange of messages, Kennedy & Khrushchev
reached a confidential agreement:
• US will remove IRBMs from Turkey, Italy
• USSR will remove missiles from Cuba
• US pledged not to invade Cuba
• USSR agreed not to publicly reveal removal of IRBMs
Significance of Cuban Crisis
Kennedy gained prestige for having defused the crisis
but widen trans-Atlantic gulf for not consulting with
NATO allies
USSR lost some stature in Third World to China
Superpowers learned valuable crisis management lessons
Nuclear disarmament received increased emphasis
US Flexible Response doctrine validated
Vietnam: Into the Abyss (to 1963)
First Indochina War
1945 - 1954
vs.
Viet Minh
France
Democratic Republic of Vietnam declared
September 2, 1945
Viet Minh began a long, bitter war with French
Ho Chi Minh
1890 - 1969
• US supported France
• Chinese Communists, USSR supported Viet Minh
Was fought as a guerilla war …
A war of national liberation
Viet Minh Strategy
Strategy of Revolutionary War
Objective: The seizure of power in a nation-state …
… by any means possible
Characteristics:
• Integrated military conflict and political conflict
• War on multiple fronts
• Geographical
• Programmatic
Strategy of Revolutionary War
Phase I: Targeted state stronger militarily
• Revolutionaries avoid combat
• Guerrilla war: raids, ambushes, sabotage, terrorism
• Political conflict predominant
Phase II: Rough military parity
• Combined guerrilla and conventional war
• Military and political conflict equally important
Phase III: Revolution stronger than targeted state
• Revolutionary forces go to totally conventional war
• “General Offensive” linked to political “Great Uprising”
Truman Doctrine
March 12, 1947
 (2:30)
US foreign policy designed to stop spread of Communism
Pledged to provide economic and military aid to Greece and Turkey
US foreign policy transitioned from détent to
containment
Domino Theory
Term coined by President Dwight D. Eisenhower
(April 7, 1954)
Described how, if one country in Asia fell to
Communism, others would follow in succession.
Roots of U.S. Strategic Mindset
For Vietnam War
• Munich
• Truman Doctrine (Containment)
• Chinese Intervention in Korea
• Domino Theory
• Cuban Missile Crisis
Why Vietnam?
What were the U.S. objectives in Vietnam?
Stated: Preserve a non-Communist government in South Vietnam
Understood:
Containment
U.S. Attitude Toward Vietnam
Eisenhower (1954-1961): US Military Assistance
• Trained ARVN to resist cross-border invasion
Kennedy (1961-1963): Counterinsurgency
• Resisted by US military leaders
Johnson (1963-1969): Limited War
• Attempted to force North Vietnam to negotiate
Nixon (1969-1973): Vietnamization
• Increased pressure on North Vietnam to negotiate
Timeline
1960
NVA troops begin moving into South Vietnam
1961
Kennedy ordered 2,530 more advisors to South Vietnam
11 Dec 61
US Army helicopters arrived in South Vietnam
Mar 62
USAF personnel began “training” ops in VNAF aircraft
Mar 62
RVN initiated Strategic Hamlet Relocation Program
May 62
VC began battalion-sized operations (Central Highlands)
1 Aug 62
Kennedy signed Foreign Assistance Act of 1962
• Provided assistance to countries under Communist attack
3 Jan 63
Battle of Ap Bac: VC inflicted major defeat on RVN force
• Significant setback for US faith in Diem government
Timeline
May- Aug 63
Aug-Oct 63
1 Nov 63
Buddhist unrest, repression in South Vietnam
Kennedy Administration discusses options for Diem
CIA-supported ARVN coup overthrows Diem
• Diem and this brother killed by ARVN
22 Nov 63
President Kennedy assassinated in Dallas
US Locked In
General William C. Westmoreland, who seven months after
Diem's assassination replaced General Paul Harkins as
commander of MACV, summed up the consequences of
President Kennedy's involvement. “In his zeal, the young
president made a grievous mistake in assenting to the
overthrow of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem
in 1963,” Westmoreland said. “In my view that action morally
locked us in Vietnam. If it had not been for our involvement in
the overthrow of President Diem, we could perhaps have
gracefully withdrawn our support when South Vietnam's lack of
unity and leadership became apparent.”
Why It Was Impossible for the U.S. to Stay Uninvolved
Col. William Wilson, USA (Retired)
Vietnam Magazine, April 1997
Vietnam: Into the Abyss
(The Johnson Years)
Timeline
Mar 64
Secret CIA bombing of Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos began
• Civilian pilots (Air America) flying old U.S. aircraft
May 64
LBJ staff begins drafting Congressional support resolution
• Temporarily shelved due to lack of support in Senate
Summer 64
Guerilla warfare spreading throughout South Vietnam
• Now supported by NVA regulars
2-4 Aug 64
7 Aug 64
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed by Congress
• Authorizes president to use force to protect U.S. forces
• President orders retaliatory strikes against North Vietnam
14 Dec 64
US military begins secret bombing of HCMT in Laos
Tonkin Gulf Incident
August 2-4, 1964
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Key Passages
Joint Resolution
To promote the maintenance of international peace and security in southeast
Asia
…
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of
America in Congress assembled. That the Congress approves and supports
the determination of the President, as Commander in Chief, to take all
necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the
United States and to prevent further aggression.
…
The United States regards as vital to its national interest and to world peace
the maintenance of international peace and security in Southeast Asia.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
What was the significance of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?
Attacks on US Airfields
I Nov 64
VC attack Bien Hoa Air Base near Saigom
• First attack on Americans; five Gis killed
6 Feb 65
VC attack US base at Pleiku (central Highlands)
• Eight Americans killed, ten aircraft destroyed
7 Feb 65
President orders air strikes against North Vietnam
• Operation Flaming Dart continues to 24 Feb 65
7 Mar 65
President authorizes Operation Rolling Thunder
8 Mar 65
Marines land to protect air base at Da Nang
LBJ’s Dilemma
“In later years [Johnson] lamented:
'I knew from the start that I was bound to be crucified
either way I moved.
If I left the woman I really loved, the Great Society, in order to get involved
in that bitch of a war on the other side of the world, I would lose everything
at home. All my programs.
... But if I left that war and let the communists take over South
Vietnam, then I would be seen as a coward and my nation would
be seen as an appeaser, and we would both find it impossible to
accomplish anything for anybody anywhere on the entire globe.’”
Joshua Zeitz
"1964 - The Year the Sixties Began"
American Heritage, October 2006
Source
LBJ’s Dilemma
“In later years [Johnson] lamented: 'I knew from the start that I
was bound to be crucified either way I moved. If I left the
woman I really loved, the Great Society, in order to get involved in
that bitch of a war on the other side of the world, I would lose
everything at home. All my programs. ... But if I left that war and
let the communists take over South Vietnam, then I would be seen
as a coward and my nation would be seen as an appeaser, and
we would both find it impossible to accomplish anything for
anybody anywhere on the entire globe.'"
Joshua Zeitz
"1964 - The Year the Sixties Began"
American Heritage, October 2006
Source
Vietnam: Great Society to Great Quagmire
Review
Strategy of Revolutionary War
Phase I: Targeted state stronger militarily
• Revolutionaries avoid combat
• Guerrilla war: raids, ambushes, sabotage, terrorism
• Political conflict predominant
Phase II: Rough military parity
• Combined guerrilla and conventional war
• Military and political conflict equally important
Phase III: Revolution stronger than targeted state
• Revolutionary forces go to totally conventional war
• “General Offensive” linked to political “Great Uprising”
Review
Timeline
Mar 64
Secret CIA bombing of Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos began
• Civilian pilots (Air America) flying old U.S. aircraft
May 64
LBJ staff begins drafting Congressional support resolution
• Temporarily shelved due to lack of support in Senate
Summer 64
Guerilla warfare spreading throughout South Vietnam
• Now supported by NVA regulars
2-4 Aug 64
7 Aug 64
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed by Congress
• Authorizes president to use force to protect U.S. forces
• President orders retaliatory strikes against North Vietnam
Attacks on US Airfields
I Nov 64
VC attack Bien Hoa Air Base near Saigom
• First direct attack on Americans; five Gis killed
6 Feb 65
VC attack US base at Pleiku (central Highlands)
• Eight Americans killed, ten aircraft destroyed
7 Feb 65
President orders air strikes against North Vietnam
• Operation Flaming Dart continues to 24 Feb 65
7 Mar 65
President authorizes Operation Rolling Thunder
• Progressively escalating air attack against North Vietnam
• Dual military and political objectives => “send a message”
• Ran until 2 Nov 68
8 Mar 65
At LBJ’s order, Marines land at Da Nang
• To protect airfield
Marines land at Da Nang
March 8, 1965
Buildup In Vietnam
Why was our buildup in Vietnam so slow?
Vietnam: 1964 - 1968 (536,100 troops)
Gulf War: Aug 1990 - Jan-Mar 1991 (533,600 troops)
Gradual escalation?
Fear of Soviet or Chinese intervention?
Lack of infrastructure?
Probably a little of each!
Timeline
Early 1960’s
NVA troops begin moving into South Vietnam
7 Aug 64
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
2 Mar 65
Operation Rolling Thunder (bombing of North) begins
8 Mar 65
Marines land at Da Nang
14-18 Nov 65
1967
Battle of the Ia Drang Valley
North Vietnamese Army (NVA) increases pressure on South
Spring 67
Siege of Khe Sanh Begins
31 Jan 68
Tet Offensive begins
Battle of Ia Drang Valley
November 14–18, 1965
Battlefield Mobility
Significance of Ia Drang
November 14–18, 1965
First employment of Airmobile concept
First major combat between US and NVA units
Communist shift from Phase I to Phase II in
Strategy of Revolutionary War
Strategy of Revolutionary War
Timeline
1954-1965: Phase I (guerilla warfare)
• 1961-1965: Heated Politburo debate on transition
1965-1967: Phase II (combined guerilla & conventional warfare)
• Increased large unit actions (Ia Drang, Khe Sanh)
Significance of Ia Drang
November 14–18, 1965
First employment of Airmobile concept
First major combat between US and NVA units
Communist shift from Phase I to Phase II in
Strategy of Revolutionary War
US adopts Search & Destroy strategy
(attrition warfare)
Timeline
Early 1960’s
NVA troops begin moving into South Vietnam
7 Aug 64
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
2 Mar 65
Operation Rolling Thunder (bombing of North) begins
8 Mar 65
Marines land at Da Nang
14-18 Nov 65
1966-67
Spring 67
Battle of the Ia Drang Valley
North Vietnamese Army (NVA) increases pressure on South
Siege of Khe Sanh Begins
Siege of Khe Sanh
Spring 1967 - March 1968
Timeline
Early 1960’s
NVA troops begin moving into South Vietnam
7 Aug 64
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
2 Mar 65
Operation Rolling Thunder (bombing of North) begins
8 Mar 65
Marines land at Da Nang
1967
14-18 Nov 65
North Vietnamese Army (NVA) increases pressure on South
Battle of the Ia Drang Valley
Spring 67
Siege of Khe Sanh Begins
31 Jan 68
Tet Offensive begins
Strategy of Revolutionary War
Timeline
1954-1965: Phase I (guerilla warfare)
• 1961-1965: Heated Politburo debate on transition
1965-1967: Phase II (combined guerilla & conventional warfare)
• Increased large unit actions (Ia Drang, Khe Sanh)
1968 (early): Phase III (Tet Offensive) (conventional warfare)
Tet Offensive 1968
Began January 31, 1968
Country-wide combined VC & NVA offensive intended to inspire popular uprising
Attack on Khe Sanh began earlier as a diversion
Vietnam: The Home Front
Post-Tet
Walter Cronkite
Upon his return to the US, Cronkite delivered an unprecedented
editorial comment on this trip (February 27, 1968)
“To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only
realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion.”
LBJ’s reply on hearing this: “If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost middle America.”
On March 31, 1968, President Johnson announced he would not seek re-election.
Source
Kent State Shooting
May 4, 1970
The Draft
One of the most contentious issues
in a contentious war
Could we have fought the war without a draft?
The Draft
The draft ended in 1973
The registration requirement was suspended in 1975
but was reinstated in 1980 in response to the Soviet
invasion of Afghanistan
Lesson 44
Vietnam: Peace With Honor
Vietnamization
During 1968 presidential campaign, Nixon pledged to have
a secret plan for ending the Vietnam War
Initiated a plan to increase the size and effectiveness of
South Vietnamese forces while drawing down size of US
military role in that country.
Transfer the war to the South Vietnamese
Cambodian Incursion
29 April - 22 July 1970
Cambodian Incursion
29 April - 22 July 1970
Results:
Casualties:
US: 338 KIA
ARVN: 809 KIA
NVA: 12,000+ KIA (estimated)
Huge stocks of NVA weapons, ammo, food captured
US Domestic:
Widespread protest in US, particularly on college campuses
Congress took first action to limit US involvement in SEA
• Cooper-Church Amendment
Congress and the War
Use of Budget to Restrict Operations in SEA
Cooper-Church Amendment (1970)
• Sponsored by Sen. John Cooper (R-KY) & Sen. Frank Church (S-ID)
• Reaction to US-led invasion of Cambodia (April 1970)
• Prohibited use of US troops in Cambodia after June 30, 1970
• Approved by Senate 58-37 on June 30, 1970, after troops US withdrew
• House approved watered-down version December 1970
Significance:
First time Congress had restricted the deployment of US troops in wartime
Easter (Spring) Offensive
March 30 - October 22, 1972
Major conventional invasion on three fronts:
• Across DMZ
• Central Highlands
• West of Saigon
ARVN performed reasonably well with US air support
DRV gained valuable space inside RVN for future offensives
• Also gained bargaining chip in negotiations
Nixon initiated Operation Linebacker (May 9 - October 23, 1972)
• Bombing of North Vietnamese logistics targets
• Delay in starting due to need to return airpower to SEA
Nixon began planning for Linebacker II
• Sustained bombing of North Vietnamese strategic targets
Congress and the War
Use of Budget to Restrict Operations in SEA
Case-Church Amendment (1973)
• After Paris Peace Accords (Jan 1973), Nixon hinted at US intervention
if North Vietnam attacked South
• Introduced by Senators Clifford Case (R‐NJ) & Frank Church (D‐ID)
• Prohibited U.S. military activity in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia after
August 15, 1973 without Congressional approval.
• Passed by Senate 64-26, House 278-124 (June 1973)
Significance:
Essentially ended US military activity in Southeast Asia
US Evacuation of Saigon
Contingency plans always existed for evacuation of US citizens
• Also included “At risk” Vietnamese citizens
• • “At Risk” = US employees and agents
Early plans had identified:
• 8,000 US and third country citizens for evacuation
• Number of potential South Vietnamese evacuees never determined
• • Estimate: 17,000 US employee + 6 family members = > ~120,000 evacuees
• • Later estimates went as high as 200,000!
Late March 1975: Evacuations by commercial aircraft began
• Last fixed-wing transport (C-130) left Tan San Nhut airport 29 April
Major Issues
What was Vietnamization?
What was the impact of the Cambodian Incursion on the US
domestic situation?
• Specifically, how did Congress react to the Cambodian incursion?
What was Lam Son 719?
• How did Lam Son 719 reflect on the Vietnamization effort?
What were the results of the Easter (Spring) Offensive of 1972?
What action did the US take as a result of the Easter (Spring)
Offensive of 1972?
What was Linebacker II and what was its objective?
Vietnam War in Retrospect
Strategy of Revolutionary War
1954-1965: Phase I (guerrilla warfare)
• 1961-1965: Heated Politburo debate on transition
1965-1967: Phase II (guerrilla & conventional warfare)
• Increased large unit actions (Ia Drang, Khe Sanh)
1968 (early): Phase III (Tet Offensive) (conventional warfare)
• Military disaster (VC destroyed)
• “General Uprising” did not occur
• Strategic victory for the Communists none the less
Tet 68 for U.S
1954-1965: Phase I (guerrilla warfare)
• 1961-1965: Heated Politburo debate on transition
1965-1967: Phase II (guerrilla & conventional warfare)
• Increased large unit actions (Ia Drang, Khe Sanh)
1968 (early): Phase III (Tet Offensive) (conventional warfare)
• Military disaster (VC destroyed)
• “General Uprising” did not occur
• Strategic victory for the Communists none the less
Tactical Victory , Strategic Defeat
What Went Wrong?
US had no clear strategy in Vietnam
• Never mobilized the American people
• Never committed sufficient force to win
• Never defined what “win” meant
Tactical Victory, Strategic Defeat
What Went Wrong?
After Tet offensive, LBJ “removed” McNamara
• February 29, 1968; became president of World Bank
Clark Clifford new SecDef
• Interviewed senior officials, military and civilian:
• none of them could tell him what constituted victory in Vietnam
• found that US had no military plan to win war
Summers
Weinberger Doctrine
• The United States should not commit forces to combat overseas
unless the particular engagement or occasion is deemed vital to our
national interest or that of our allies . . . .
• If we decide it is necessary to put combat troops into a given
situation, we should do so wholeheartedly and with the clear
intention of winning . . . .
• If we do decide to commit forces to combat overseas, we should
have clearly defined political and military objectives . . . .
• The relationship between our objectives and the forces we have
committed -- their size, composition, and disposition -- must be
continually reassessed and adjusted if necessary . . . .
• Before the United States commits combat forces abroad, there
must be some reasonable assurance we will have the support of the
American people and their elected representatives in Congress . . . .
• The commitment of US forces to combat should be a last resort.
What Would Weinberger Do?
How would US decision to fight in Vietnam have
stood up against the test of the Weinberger Doctrine?
Vital to our national interest?
Clear intent to win?
Clearly defined political & military objectives?
Objectives, forces committed continuously reassessed?
Support of the American people?
Last resort?