Ch. 24 The War

American involvement in Vietnam began during the early years of the . The entered the to defeat Communist forces threatening .

I. The War Unfolds A. The principle that Eisenhower referred as the “” guided the US into involvement in Vietnam. The theory directs the US to help prop up any country that is being pressured to be Communist. This is why the US supported Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diems government. B. The Nationalist leader that led Vietnam against the French was . C. The US feared that Communist would take over if they did not get involved with Vietnam. D. President Kennedy increased the number of American military advisors to support Vietnam. E. US leadership believed that they could stop the spread of . 1. Before the Vietnam War, the US believed they could stop Communism anywhere in the world with superior weapons, finance and technology. 2. These assets did not help if the government that the US was backing was unpopular. 3. After the war the US realized that there were many more elements that were needed to stop the spread of communism. F. The Resolution, passed by Congress, gave President Johnson the authority to escalate the war in Vietnam. G. The Gulf of Tonkin incident, attacks on US Naval forces, later was confirmed to have not actually occurred. This along with Nixon’s secret bombing of Cambodia damaged the relationship between Congress and the President. Congress attempted to limit the Presidents power to act unilaterally.

The violence and brutality of the Vietnam War affected civilians as well as soldiers. Nearly three million Americans served in the Vietnam War under conditions that they were not prepared to endure.

II. Fighting the War A. US troops fighting in the Vietnam War had to cope with tropical infections and booby traps. B. Civilians in both North and South Vietnam had to suffer the effects of US efforts to destroy roads and bridges through the military tactic of saturation bombing. C. The is considered the turning point of the Vietnam War. 1. In the Ted Offensive, the North Vietnamese launched a massive attack on targets all over South Vietnam. 2. Before the Tet Offensive, Americans believed they were defeating the Communist. 3. After the Tet Offensive, many Americans were discouraged and began to openly express doubts about US involvement in the Vietnam War. D. More than 400 Vietnamese civilians are killed in the . E. The officer in charge of US troops at the My Lai Massacre is Lieutenant William L. Calley. F. The death toll might have even been greater, at My Lai, if it were not for the heroic efforts of an American helicopter crew that intervened to stop the massacre.

The Vietnam War created deep divisions in the Democratic Party and in the nation as a whole. Many thought that increasing the effort in Vietnam would bring about a victory; others thought that the US should pull out of Vietnam altogether.

III. Political Divisions A. People who were opposed to fighting in the war on moral or religious grounds are known as conscientious objectors. B. Some Americans questioned the fairness of the draft because college students could easily avoid the draft. C. In the US, television was instrumental in bringing the brutality of the war into people’s living rooms. D. In 1968 the issues that divided the country also caused a split the Democratic Party.

The end of the Vietnam War involved slow-moving peace negotiations. The gradual withdrawal of US troops led to the fall of South Vietnam.

IV. The End of the War A. In 1970, President Nixon announced that the US would invade the neighboring country of Cambodia. B. After the last US troops left South Vietnam, the North Vietnamese completed their conquest of South Vietnam. C. President Nixon resumed bombing raids as American troops were being withdrawn from Vietnam. D. The Vietnam War finally ended in 1975 when had control of all of Vietnam. E. The creation of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was to help heal the wounds created by the war.