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Vietnam2.Notebook 1 November 12, 2008 vietnam2.notebook November 12, 2008 By 1967 US troop levels reached 600 000 men and in january ­68 (pres.election The Vietnam war made Johnson into a one term president. He never understood in US) the North Vietnamese TET­offensive began. Americans at home were now that this was a revolutionary war ­ revolution and anti­revolution (colonialism) able to see that despite all the efforts the enemy was still able to mount were the real issues, not communism and anti­communism. Because he believed offensives. In march ­68 Johnson was forced to announce a bombing halt and he couldn't loose, Johnson continued dropping bombs and sending in more men. withdraw from the presidential race. Gradually, the means became so horrible that it became increasingly difficult to justify the ends. okt 21­15:01 okt 21­15:05 KENT UNIVERSITY MASSACRE My Lai okt 21­15:07 okt 21­15:08 Ho Chi Minh was very different from Johnson. He enjoyed the veneration (vördnad) throughout the 3:rd World ­ Ho Chi Minh had defeated a powerful western nation (France). He was incorrupt and close to the peasants ­ never Johnson's failure separated from the people. By remaining Vietnamese, a peasant, he became the • blurred objectives ­ 1967 ½ of the only leader with the title to the revolution ­ no Stalinistic purges (in a way like americans didn't know what the war Gandhi). While Ho had less and less to lose by continuing to fight, the war was about. costed more and more for USA. • methods; US troops from advisers The Johnson administration calculated from the American experience and knew to participants ­ didn't bring victory. nothing about the south­east Asian mentality. • US 'democracy' the objective in Vietnam but the concept meaningless to the vietnamese. • No democratic tradition, a western idea. • Strongest political tradition ­ hatred of foreigners, intruuders. • The aid given to the north not as visible as US aid in the south okt 21­15:09 okt 24­07:46 1 vietnam2.notebook November 12, 2008 • US never understood Ho Chi Minh • The impopularity of the Saigon and his motives. • Wrong methods in the fight against government. • The division among the military the north ­ increased vietnamese determination and fighting morale. leaders in US. • • Massive bombing and the use of The loss of McNamara • chemicals alienated both the The TET offensive 1968 vietnamese and the americans. • The military emphasis dominated in • General Westmoreland ­ the use of wartime 'Grab them by the balls, and nuclear weapons. their hearts and minds will follow'. • The costs ­ raising taxes, inflation. • US international image. • Student protests • 'The living­room war' ­ media coverage, from support to opposition. okt 24­07:56 okt 24­08:06 Act five: Nixon The Nixon administration: "Peace with honour" ­ the war would gradually be • bad support, 'the green berets'. turned over to the vietnamese as the americans withdrew their troops. • Black resistance: black casualties The withdrawal began in June ­69 but this caused problems while FNL and solidarity with the poor, non­white intenzified their attacks on the South.Vietnamese regime. Nixon's response to Vietnamese. this was; 1) the destruction of Communist sanctuaries (tillflyktsorter) by ground attacks into Laos and Cambodia 2) increasing heavy airforce bombardment. Nixon tried to limit own deathcasualties which explains the ferocity (grymhet) of the air war. okt 24­08:13 okt 21­15:12 • Nixon had become famous because of his • extreme anti­communism in the McArthy The TET chocked Nixon ­ a turning point. • years. 'Vietnamisation' of the war. No more talks • Eisenhower's vice president. Would have about a escalation of the war. • prefered more radical involvment at Dien The objective shifted from'victrious' to Bien Phu 1954. 'honorable' peace. • • Political withdrewal when Kennedy Abandoned the theory of a communist defeated him 1960 but became more active World conpiracy­diplomatic isolation and during Johnson's presidency urging him to pressure on North Vietnam through detenté increase tghe American efforts. with USSR and China. • • From 1964 aimed at the elections of 1968. 'Divide and rule' ­ the Sino Soviet split raised Nixon's hopes of weakening the former allies by cooperating with both. okt 28­20:13 okt 28­20:19 2 vietnam2.notebook November 12, 2008 • Henry Kissinger ­ Nixon's closest adviser, • 'Madman Theory' ­ by acting as a warloving blinded by personal influence 'power is the lunatic Nixon hoped to scare the ultimate aphrodisiac'. Vietnamese into a treaty ­ massive bombing • Foreign policy should be carried out in of North Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos secret (too complex for ordinary people to understand) ­ problems as popular support • American soldiers were pulled out but the wasn't received. bombing escalated. • Morality wasn't a big issue (Machiavellian ­ Nixon)­ divided USA. Donald Rumsfeld, Henry Kissinger and Richard Nixon "I call it the Madman Theory, Bob. I want the North Vietnamese to believe I've reached the point where I might do anything to stop the war. We'll just slip the word to them that, 'for God's sake, you know Nixon is obsessed about Communism. We can't restrain him when he's angry ­­ and he has his hand on the nuclear button' ­­ and Ho Chi Minh <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh> himself will be in Paris <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris> in two days begging for peace." okt 28­20:27 okt 28­20:34 In July: peace negotiations in Paris and the announcement of the "Nixon doctrine" : in the future the USA would avoid entanglements like Vietnam by In march ­72 massive Vietcong offensive (fear of being isolated from China ­ SU ­ limiting its support to economic and military aid rather than active combat american foregn policy>better relations with these two). participation. The protest movement in the USA grew rapidly. During the same spring Nixon ordered new heavy bombardments of North In January ­70 USA renewed bombing of the North­Vietcong increased Vietnam and the mining of North Vietnamese harbours (to cut off the armstrade) infiltration on the ground. Nixon started with bomb raids over Cambodia and which resulted in rising tension between US­SU but SU now placed a higher Laos as well. Bomb halt in July ­70. priority on its own vital interests (growing detenté). North Vietnam was The peace negotiations continued but so did the war in South Vietnam. By the abandoned by its own allies. end of ­71 200 000 americans remained in Vietnam. okt 21­15:15 okt 21­15:18 • Both American Massive bombing • The objective was to get out before the campaigns and great Noth Vietnamese presidential election of 1972 and install a offensive finally forced both partners to pro­american government in Saigon. agree. • US males over 20 were not longer • Running out of time, money, resources and threatened by the draft to war ­ this order support. did calm down the protests in US. • Nixon re­elected but two years later forced • My Lai massacre and Kent State massacre. out of office due to paranoid behaviour • Nixon became increasingly paranoid. coused by the war The Watergate scandal. • Kissinger ­ the Nobel Peace Price okt 28­20:47 okt 28­20:53 3 vietnam2.notebook November 12, 2008 January 23, 1973 a cease­fire was finally reached. What was achieved was Vietnam's reversion to it's status at the time of the Geneva accords 1954. The hope, after the withdrawal of American troops, was that South Vietnam CONCLUSIONS • would be able to defend itself with military and financial assistance of the USA. cold war perspective In 1975 the communists (Khmer Rouge) in Cambodia seized the power and at • never understood the vietnamese the same time South Vietnam collapsed. In April Saigon surrendered (President • the impopularity of the Saigon regime Gerald Ford favoured continued military aid to both Cambodia and South • Who is to blame? Vietnam but didn't gain the Congress approval). • What were the effects of the Vietnam War? Vietnam is destryed for generations. 55 000 americans died and the economy • Casualties bloated with war inflation. The war also divided USA. • Economy The irony is that in 1978 Vietnam invaded Cambodia (Pol Pot receiving the • Social problems support of China). The genocide ofthe Khmer Rouge was ended. After the American withdrawal the wars in South­East Asia were fought by communists against other communists. okt 21­15:20 okt 28­20:58 4.
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