America and Vietnam - A Short History

Vietnam's Early History

Earliest history 208 BCE ---111 BCE China controls --- 939 AD Vietnam independent

Rural oriented life - government is local centered on the village

Village is the economic, cultural, political, and religious center

Elite are educated and in the government

1840's French imperialism begins

Westernized elite isolated from village population

Vietnamese rulers are symbolic and ceremonial - decisions made by French

Elite Vietnamese are French educated, Christians who live in major cities

Peasants (90% of pop.) don't share in benefits in economics or education

WWI and WWII: Nationalism and self-determination

Ho Chi Minh - appeals to Wilson and the West - turned down

Nationalist (Vietnam for the Vietnamese!) - turns to communism

Moves to resist French Imperialism and promote independence

1930 Indochinese Communist Party founded by Ho - Vietminh

WWII –Japan invades 1940 after French fall to Nazis and pull out

Ho and Vietminh resist Japanese occupation, gain experience

France then Japan is out of Indochina --- expectations

Ho has US support and announces Vietnamese independence – Democratic Republic of Vietnam

Problems in Europe - US needs France - France wants U.S.

First Indochinese War 1946-1954

France installs Bao Dai as chief of state

France controls South Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh controls North Vietnam - resists French

U.S. provides 78% of F. military budget in Vietnam, Vietminh receive Chinese weapons/advisors

France defeated at Battle of Dienbienphu - 1954, Frenchleave Vietnam

*US position? Geneva Conference 1954 - Vietnam divided between North and South

Elections to be held in 1956 to unify all of Vietnam

Wolf by the ears - Early U.S involvement in Vietnam under President Dwight D. Eisenhower 1954-1960

US appoints (elects?) Ngo Dinh Diem as premier of South Vietnam

Provides aid, money, and advisors to South Vietnam

*Domino theory – The fear at the time that if one country falls to communism, then all countries near it will also fall

Elections cancelled - Why? Who's upset?

Who's who in Vietnam

Vietminh - North Vietnamese communists/nationalists

NVA - North Vietnamese Army

Vietcong - South Vietnamese communists

NLF- National Liberation Front - political union of Vietminh & Vietcong – established 1960

All groups begin to resist Diem and U.S

Diem policies alienate the peasants

Hamlet and agroville program

ARVN - Army of the Republic of Vietnam, South Vietnamese Army

A Limited Partnership - JFK and Vietnam 1961-1963

*John F. Kennedy (JFK) and Cold War - Flexible response - must meet and stop communism

Bay of Pigs, Berlin, Cuban Missile Crisis - where can we show our toughness?

Vietnam and Diem are problematic

A middle road - more aid and advisors -

1960 (900 advisors), 1961 (3,200), 1962 (9,000), 1963 (16,000)

Problems controlling the countryside, misuse of statistics

Buddhist protests begin, 1963, South Vietnam growing unstable

Diem replaced/killed in Nov.1963 in a coup by the South Vietnamese military

Enough but not Too Much: President Lyndon Baines Johnson and Vietnam 1963-1968

LBJ continues JFK's policies - aid and advisors 1964 (23,000)

Problems with ARVN- won't fight, who will?

*Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (was US ship attacked by North Vietnam?) August 1964

“all necessary measures to repel any armed attacks against the forces of the US and to prevent any further aggression”

Election of 1964

U.S bombs North Vietnam - problems in the south with VC, who's who in guerrilla warfare?

U.S troops sent to defend and protect U.S bases in South Vietnam - March 1965

By end of the year 185,000 troops, $700 million budget, lots of bombs

U.S is fighting both NVA and Vietcong

1966 - 450,000 troops and more bombs

problems with negotiations - what does everyone want?

Westmoreland and military optimism - December 1967

*Tet Offensive - Jan/Feb 1968 - attacks over 100 cities and villages all over South Viet. –It was not supposed to happen because it was a holiday, and because the VC and NVA weren’t supposed to be able to do such a thing

March 16th 1968 – Mai Lai massacre of over 500 civilians

July 1968 – Westmoreland replaced by Abrams

Increase in American publics opposition to the war and draft

Dec. 1968 – Troop strength at 540,000

LBJ initiates peace talks and declines to run for reelection

A War for Peace: Nixon and Vietnam 1969-1975 & the end

Nixon runs on program with a “secret” plan to end the war

Kissinger (National Security Advisor/ Secretary Of State) is main advisor to Nixon

No real plan- expands war, secretly bombs and sends troops to Cambodia

Vietnamization - get ARVN to fight the war, lesson the number of U.S troops

Sept. 3rd 1969 – Ho Chi Minh dies

1970 – Cambodia invasion, Kent State protest/shooting

*Pentagon Papers February 1971 - shows truth of U.S role in Vietnam 1945-1967

U.S to meet with China February, 1972 and Russia May 1972 - Detente

U.S mines Haiphong Harbor in North Vietnam May 1972 - as a message to Russia and China

March 72 – Easter Offensive, ARVN collapse, only pushed back with U.S. airpower

Christmas bombing 1972 – last bombing of North

Peace Agreement January 1973 - war over. U.S. Troops pull out, but NVA get to stay in south

March 1975 – North Vietnam launches a massive assault all on South

April 30th1975– the capital of Saigon falls and is later renamed Ho Chi Minh City

May 1975 - Vietnam unified under the communists

July 2, 1976 – Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Nov 13th 1982 – Vietnam Veterans Memorial in D.C. dedicated

November, 2000 – President Clinton lifts trade embargoes and reestablishes diplomatic relations