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12.01 Notes Outline
“The Conflict Begins”
Complete12.01 Notes Outline as you review lesson 12.01.
Explore #1:
Describe your initial reaction to this photograph.
Explain the circumstances you think surround the event taking place (who, where, why).
I. Vietnam’s Background
Vietnam has a history of , a devotion to national interests, unity, and independence, yet has spent a majority of its time fighting occupations by other nations.
The Vietnamese have resisted attempts by the French and Chinese to control their small country throughout their history. The French controlled most of Indochina, including Vietnam from the late 1800s until World War II. The Cold War that started in the aftermath of World War II spread to Vietnam during the 1950s.
France Battles to Maintain Control
In 1945, began fighting an independence movement by the , a group organized to win Vietnamese independence during WWII, led by Ho Chi Minh. Even with major financial assistance from the U.S., France was unable to retake Vietnam.
The French were forced to surrender in May 1954 after a dreadful defeat at the Battle of . Shortly after, they began withdrawal from Vietnam.
Creation of North and South Vietnam
In 1954, several countries met in Switzerland at the to complete a peace agreement. Under the terms, Vietnam was divided into a temporary partition at the , with the Communists controlling North Vietnam and the anticommunists controlling South Vietnam.
At the Geneva Conference, plans were also made for future reunification after an election that was to be held in 1956. The United States, however, was not pleased with the terms of the treaty. Under the leadership of President Eisenhower, preparations began for South Vietnamese assistance to prevent yet another “domino” from falling to the threat of communism.
Ngo Dinh Diem leads South Vietnam
The strongly anticommunist leader of South Vietnam, , was Catholic in a mainly Buddhist country. Despite U.S. efforts, the unpopular Diem never achieved widespread popularity, making U.S. officials fearful of a communist victory in the . As a result, the mandated elections were never held, further angering communists in the region.
Ho Chi Minh leads North Vietnam
The Communist leader of North Vietnam, , recognized that reunification would not be achieved by political means, but by military might. He started the. So in 1959, Ho Chi Minh ordered guerilla attacks against the South Vietnamese government. In response, the U.S. supplied even more military advisers. By 1963, the U.S. was deeply committed to the region and a war that would not end for more than a decade.
II. Early U.S. Involvement
The origins of the Vietnam War can be traced to United States’ financial aid in the French Indochina War in the early 1950s. The U.S. became involved in the conflict that lasted from 1955 to 1975 against Communist control.
U.S. entry into Vietnam was a slow and steady process. In 1955, President Eisenhower deployed 675 military advisors to assist South Vietnam and to prevent yet another "domino" from falling to the threat of communism.
Kennedy’s Vietnam Policy
President Kennedy was also determined to prevent the spread of communism. He gradually increased the number of advisors in Vietnam to roughly 16,000 by 1963. Kennedy’s Secretary of Defense and closest advisor on Vietnam was . He pushed for direct U.S. involvement and helped shape the policies that drew the U.S. deeper into the war.
Initially, U.S. assistance consisted of support for Ngo Dinh Diem, military advisers, and CIA intelligence. Diem lacked support in his own country due to corruption.
In June 1963, it became clear to Kennedy that Diem would never reform when a Buddhist monk burned himself to death in protest against the Diem regime. Diem was overthrown and assassinated November 2, 1963.
Johnson Escalates the War
The fighting that occurred in the early 1960s was predominantly guerilla warfare against South Vietnamese targets initiated by the (VC), or Communist guerillas in the South. American troops did not actively or officially engage in combat until the second phase of the war which began under President . Ho Chi Minh and the (NVA)aided the Viet Cong throughout the struggle.
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Despite President Johnson’s policy of containment to stop the spread of communism, the Viet Cong continued to gain support in the South. In 1964, after nearly a decade of minimal involvement in Vietnam, the U.S. officially became involved in the fighting following a North Vietnamese attack on U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin known as the . The details about the attacks were sketchy, but LBJ used the attacks to deepen American involvement in Vietnam.
President Johnson asked Congress for a resolution that would show the world the U.S. was determined to "support and protect peace in Southeast Asia." Despite the cloud of doubt surrounding the attack, Congress, almost unanimously, passed the which granted LBJ the authority "to take all necessary steps, including the use of armed forces" to assist South Vietnam. The resolution gave the President a blank check or nearly complete control over combat without a declaration of war.
Further Escalation
In the months following the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, President Johnson started a gradual military , or expansion of the war. American involvement in the Vietnam War went from a level of mere "advising" to fighting with widespread bombing campaigns and U.S. combat troop deployment.
By 1965, the Viet Cong were steadily expanding in South Vietnam. They received support and supplies from the NVA via the , a support route that passed through Laos and into South Vietnam.
The Communist appeared to be close to victory. In February 1965, the United States started a bombing campaign after the Viet Cong killed 8 Americans and wounded 126. Subsequently, , commander of U.S. forces, requested more troops.
Despite the large U.S. presence in South Vietnam, Communists forces only intensified their jungle warfare efforts. The U.S. had 25,000 soldiers in Vietnam in 1965; however, by the end of 1968, we had 536,000 soldiers there.