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1945-1964

first to France, then S Vietnam

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Reason why Truman got involved in the conflict in Vietnam.

1949 - American view of Vietnam changed with USSR  westward expansion

"labelled the Viet Minh a communist regime taking orders from Moscow"

realisation that "nowhere in the world was safe from communism" (not even Asia)

What was the nature of the involvement?

Truman Administration gave France $40 million in economic + military assistance

1950-54 - US gave France $2.6 billion + paid for half the war

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Reason why Eisenhower got involved in the conflict in Vietnam. Under his “domino theory,” he theorized that more Asian countries would fall if Vietnam became communist.

What was the nature of the involvement? He refused to sign the Geneva Accords, and he made sure that the border was at the 17th parallel. He also sent advisors and CIA agents for training/infiltration.

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Reason why Kennedy got involved in the conflict in Vietnam.

Kennedy’s foreign policy was that he said he would rather act than react. After the building of the Berlin wall, Bay of Pigs fiasco, and reprimand from Soviet leader Khrushchev in Vienna, Kennedy appeared weak in  his involvement. Kennedy became involved in order to keep the support of the U.S. public.

What was the nature of the involvement?

The nature of U.S. involvement was the overthrow and murder of the corrupt, authoritarian leader of the south, Diem. Kennedy had no other choice but support the south due to their anti-communist nature.

What was his motivation? Was it different than Eisenhower?

The motivation for Kennedy’s involvement was a bit forced, it was different from Eisenhower as he wanted to prevent the spread / take over of communism.

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1964-1968

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What changes under Johnson?

Johnson passed a resolution that allowed the President to assist any member of the “Asia Collective Defense Treaty”, which includes Vietnam.

Identify the Gulf of Tonkin incident

The Gulf of Tonkin incident was when the USS Maddox was supposedly attacked by the North Vietnamese. It fired on radar contacts but never made any visual contacts.

How would you describe the fighting in this stage?

The fighting at this stage was bloody and escalated war. It was generally attempts to clear out Vietcong from the jungles of Vietnam

What tactic does the US use to burn off plants and tree coverings to be able to see the Vietcong?

they use chemicals and pesticides such as agent orange to deny the enemy use of the jungle foliage

Identify the Tet Offensive.  This is often referred to as the turning point in the war, why?

Despite being repulsed by the us and being a technical victory, it shows that the Vietcong had the capability to attack all of south Vietnam. it also destroyed the US propaganda image of the Vietcong being on the run.

January 1968 - North Vietnamese soldiers infiltrated and briefly captured major South Vietnam cities

“Tet” = Vietnamese New Year - typically a mutual ceasefire is observed

Battle footage was televised uncensored in America, and footage caused Americans to question their country’s involvement even more strongly (although short-lived, lots of footage that seemed like N Vietnam was winning)

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1968-1973

Richard Nixon's attempt to withdraw from Vietnam and achieve "peace with honour"'

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Define Vietnamization It was the gradual increase of influence from the South Vietnamese forces as the US pulled out. It involved more advisors and fewer front-line troops and additional funding for the South Vietnamese.

What does Nixon pledge to do in Vietnam when he is campaigning for President? He pledged to end the war.

What's going on in the US that forces Nixon to remove troops? Nationwide protests against the war swayed public opinion in such a way that the only politically viable option was to remove troops.

When does the US finally withdrawal troops? There were several withdrawings from 1969-1972.

What is the final outcome for Vietnam? In 1975, the North invaded again, crushing the South and uniting the country under the communist flag.