The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War

1. Origins of the War (Page 100-101)

   • Vietnam was ruled by the French before WW2
     • During the War Vietnam was conquered by the Japanese
       • Ruled brutally
         • Anti-Japanese movement
           • Communist Ho Chi Minh created a Indochinese Communist party: Viet Minh
             • After WW2 controlled North of Vietnam
               • 1945- Viet Minh entered Hanoi and declared Vietnamese independence
   • 1945: French wanted to rule Vietnam again.
     • Nine years of war between the French and the Viet Minh
       • China became Communist state in 1949 under Mao Zedong who supported Ho
         • Americans poured $500 million a year into the French war effort.
           • French pulled out of Vietnam in 1954
             • Vietnam split into North and South in 1954
   • In 1954 the USA prevented elections from taking place in Vietnam because of the fear Communists would win
     • 1955- Americans helped Ngo Dinh Diem to set up the Republic of South Vietnam.
       • Strongly anti-Communist rule
         • Huge US support of $1.6 billion in the 1950s
           • Diem overthrown by army leaders in 1963
             • Anti-communist government increased opposition to South Vietnam government among ordinary people and influential Buddhist priests.
               • Increased support among peasants for the Communist-led National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam set up in 1960.
                 • Viet Cong started guerilla war
                   • One March 1965, 3,500 US marines and combat troops came ashore at the Da Nang- war had started
                   • 1964- North Vietnamese patrol boats opened fire on US ships so Tonkin Gulf Resolution was passed.

2. Why did the USA get involved? (Page 102-103)

   • The military-industrial complex
     • Powerful groups within the USA wanted war
       • The government gave huge budgets to military commanders
         • Spent on weapons contracts going to huge corporations
           • Both military and big business gained from the conflict
   • Containment
     • Stopping the advance of Communism wherever itt looked like it was gaining ground
       • America never wanted Communism to take over
   • American Politics
     • Political issues played a role particularly at election time
       • In the 1950s and 60 for all candidates it was a sure vote winner to talk tough about Communism.
         • It was a sure vote loser to look weak on Communism
   • Domino Theory
     • President Eisenhower and his Secretary of State JF Dulles thought that China and the USSR were spreading Communism throughout Asia
       • If Vietnam fell to Communism, then Laos, Cambodia, Burma, Thailand, and possibly even India might also fail
         • Americans determined to resist the spread of Communism in Vietnam seen as the first domino
     • Similar to containment policy

3. U.S troops tactics versus Viet Cong tactics (Page104-109)

   • Viet Cong
     • Guerrilla Warfare
   • USA
     • Bombing
       • 1965- Operation Rolling Thunder
         • Extensive bombing raids on military and industrial targets in North Vietnam
           • What is effective?
             • Yes
               • Damaged North Vietnam's war effort
               • Disrupted supply lines
               • Enabled USA to strike a Communist forces
               • Bombing campaigns in Hanoi and the port of Haiphong forced North Vietnamese to the negotiating table
             • No
               • US air power could not defeat Communists
               • Viet Cong still operated supply lines
               • Communists still able to launch a major assault on the south
               • Cost of the air war was horrendous
     • Chemical weaponry
       • Napalm
         • Destroyed jungles where guerrillas might hide
         • Burnt through skin to the bone
       • Agent Orange
         • Highly toxic 'weed killer'
         • Destroyed the jungle where the Viet Cong hid
       • Many civilians and soldiers killed
     • Search and Destroy
       • Helicopter raids would descend on villages and destroy any Viet Cong forces found.
       • Problems
         • Raids often based on inadequate information
         • Inexperienced US troops often walked into traps
         • Innocent villages mistaken for Viet Cong strongholds
         • Civilian casualties high
         • Made US and South Vietnamese forces unpopular among peasants
           • So they supported Viet Cong

4. U.S problems (Page 110-113)

   • Low morale and inexperience
     • After 1967 an increasing number of troops in Vietnam had been drafted
       • Many were young men who had never been in the military before
         • The soldiers knew very little about the country they were fighting for
           • Cared little for democracy or communism
     • The majority of combat troops were from poor and immigrant backgrounds
       • as those privileged went to university to delay the draft
     • Tensions between officers and troops
       • Many officers were professional soldiers
         • who wanted to gain promotion
           • by killing as many as possible
       • Most soldiers just wanted to stay alive
       • Caused 'fragging' troops killing own officers (3% of deaths)
     • Many soldiers turned to drugs when they were not fighting
     • 500,000 incidents of desertion
     • 18% of US casualties caused by factors other than combat
     • Solutions?
       • General Westmoreland
         • policy of giving troops a one-year term of service
           • to help morale
             • However...
               • as soon as soldiers gained experience they were sent home
   • Vietnam's neighbours
     • Sympathetic to Viet Cong
       • Political considerations meant that the USA could not send their forces into
         • North Vietnam
         • Neighbouring countries
           • Cambodia
           • Laos
       • Viet Cong able to retreat into these countries
         • able to reinforce losses
           • get new equipment and ammunition
   • 'Hearts and minds'
     • US tactics
       • attrition- killing large numbers of the enemy
         • large civilian casualties
           • Vietnamese supported the Viet Cong
   • The My Lai Massacre
     • 1968 Charlie company (us soldiers)start search and destroy mission in Quang Ngai region of South Vietnam
       • 200 Viet Cong guerrillas here
       • 300-400 civilians killed
       • no Viet Cong
       • Women, children and old men
         • while working, in homes
       • 3 weapons recovered
       • kill everyone in sight
       • civilians supposed to be at market as it was Sat
       • treated as success
       • 12 months later
         • a letter arrived from Ronald Ridenhour, soldier
           • something 'dark and bloody'
       • Lieutenant willian calley charged for murdering 109 people
         • 10 other members also charged
         • sentenced for 22 cvilians
           • August 1971 twenty years hard labour
             • released in nov 1974
         • blamed
     • evidence that war had gone wrong
       • shocked

5. Ending of the War (Page 118-123)

   • Tet offensive
     • 1965-1967 thought war going well
   • 1968: Viet cong attacked over 100 cities and other military targets in Tet new year
     • commando unit tried to capture US embassy in Saigon
     • 4,500 Viet Cong fighters tied down a much larger US and south viet force in Saigon for 2 days
     • Viet Cong lost 10,00 fighters
     • qs in US about war
       • 50,000 troops in Vietnam and $20 billion a year on war
         • Communists able to launch surprise attack
       • us and south viet forces retook towns by used lots of artillery and air power. Many civilians killed, ancient hue city destroyed
       • journalists questioned the amount of effort and money spent on war such as Cronkite
   • President Johnson's move
     • war could not be won militarily
       • reduced bombing campaign
         • negotiate peace with communists
     • 1968: paris peace conference
       • campaigned to end us involvement in war (both republic and democratic)
   • ending the war
     • 1973: le Duc Tho, Nixon and south Viet President signed peace agreement in Paris
       • 1973, last american forces left
   • US strategies
     • peace negotiations with North vietnam
     • 'Vietnamisation' of the war effort
     • Increasing bombing
     • Pressure on USSR and China
     • p 120 source 57
   • South Vietnam fall, 1973-75
     • no US financial and military support (congress)
     • South Viet regime corrupt and lacked population support
     • Nixon water gate scandal- resign in 1974
     • 1974 Dec north vietnamese launched major military offensive against south Vietnam
       • April 1975- Saigon (capital) fell to communist forces
         • after 30 years of constant conflict

6. Media and anti-war protest (Page 114-117)

   • Vietnam war covered extensively by American and world media (more detail than any previous war)
   • Early stages of war
     • Newspaper, radio and TV journalists largely followed the official line of policy
     • On the whole the media supported the government
     • US Army created MACV (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam)
       • in order to liaise with journalists
         • get transport to war areas, interviews an briefings with commanders, and regular reports
           • In return no information that would help the enemy would be revealed
           • Didn't want to undermine war effort
     • Rarely wanted to publish bad news stories in US about war
     • Commercial considerations
       • TV networks reluctant to broadcast violent scenes
         • Worried viewers would switch channels
   • Later stages of the war (1967-8)
     • Content of reporting from Vietnam changed
       • TV taking over newspapers
         • TV: raw account of war
       • Light-weight cameras close to conflict zones: improved technology
       • Viewers did not see American Fighters lighting villages with zippo lighters
         • Tet offensive: South Vietnamese police chief Colonel Nguyen Ngoc Loan executed Viet Cong suspect
           • Shocked American viewers
     • Doubts about war effort intensifying
   • Impact of media coverage
     • crippled and undermined war effort
     • American attitudes turning against Vietnam war by 1967
       • media reflected changes in views
     • Casualties and war weariness caused war support to drop
     • Rarely shocking scenes on TV
     • 76/2,300 TV reports showed heavy fighting
     • 16% criticisms of government policy from journalists
       • majority from officials or the general public
   • 1968 : year of protest
     • for free speech in universities
     • for civil rights for African Americans
     • for improved conditions for poor
     • against Vietnam war
   • Important groups in anti-war movement
     • Students
       • Many did not want to be drafted
       • not believe in war and thought war morally wrong
       • Vietnam: symbol of defeat, confusion and moral corruption
       • taunted American President
       • 1968-70: 100 demonstrations against war
         • involved 40,000 students
       • 1969: 700,000 anti-wr protestors demonstrated in Washington DC
       • burnt American flag
         • criminal offence
           • rejection of US values
       • violent clashes with police
       • 1970: Kent state uni in Ohio, demonstration about Cambodia invasion
         • 4 students killed, 11 injured
       • 400 colleges closed as 2 million students went on strike
     • Civil Rights campaigners
       • e.g
         • Boxer Muhammad Ali
           • Muslim
             • refused to fight
               • passport and title stripped
       • Racial issues
         • Fewer African Americans could escape the draft
           • 30% African Americans drafted
           • Only 19% white Americans drafted
         • Few African Americans in College