HIST 2112 1ST Edition Lecture 20 Outline of Last Lecture I. “Iron Curtain”: Churchill 1946 SpeechII. 1947, Greek CrisisIII. 1948, Marshall PlanIV. Division of GermanyV. 1949, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)VI. Fall of ChinaVII. Korea is DividedOutline of Current Lecture VIII. The Fear of CommunismIX. Dulles “Massive Retaliation”X. 1954, Vietnam XI. Geneva AccordsXII. 1955, SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization)XIII. 1963, President DiemXIV. Military Advisors in VietnamXV. 1968, Tet OffensiveXVI. 1968, L.B.J. WithdrawsXVII. Nixon is ElectedXVIII. April 1970, First Troop WithdrawalsXIX. 1973, January, Peace Treaty SignedCurrent LectureThe Vietnam War  The Fear of Communism:- Korean war opened the eyes of Americans—“fighting against a 3rd rate country”- This brought upon a rationalization: maybe our own people are undermining us? These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.- Panic spreads and in 1947 the HUAC (House of Un-American Activities Committee) formed to look at the possibility of subversive activity (particularly “out of the ordinary” political activity)- Young congressman, Richard Nixon, apart of a famous hearing for espionage for Alger Hiss (1948) was found guilty of purgery, not espionage Incident reinforced communist scare- Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, an “almost complete failure in the senate” Needed something to “boost” himself Tackles communist espionage as his cause “57 card carrying communist” He redubbed himself “Tail Gunner Joe”  People panicked from his dramatic act- 1950, McCarran Act was passed making it illegal to belong to any organization planning to overthrow the government. It also required one to reveal their status by telling the government if they belonged to the party. This directed violated the fifth amendment- 1953, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted and executed for giving atomic secrets to Russia Dulles “Massive Retaliation”:- Eisenhower appoints John Foster Dulles as Secretary of State. He creates a plan of “Massive Retaliation,” to deal with communism, which did not exclude the use ofnuclear weapons. Dulles was extremely anti-communist and his plan often was referred to as “brinksmanship,” as his ideas would bring the brink of a nuclear war.- Affects the way policies were made Dulles policy is a reflection of the desire to hold down military spending He showed that it would be cheaper to build up a massive nuclear stockpile, than sustain a massive army of soldiers (food, insurance, etc. would cost more than the weapons)- Military-Industrial Complex Eisenhower expressed concern at the end of his presidential concern Military-Industrial Complex: any set of relationships between military policy and industrial production - No one wanted to employ Dulles policy because every confrontation would bring brink of nuclear war- 1956, in the Hungarian Uprising the US was expected to support Hungary’s internal conflict to overthrow communism Soviets crushed the uprising and US never generated support This was an example of the inactability of “massive retaliation” 1954, Vietnam:- Vietnam was a French colony taken by Japan in WWII, then returned to French after the war- Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh was fighting within the country. When French regained Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh corralled the French at Dien Bien Phu in a bowl shaped area surround by Minh’s army. - Ho Chi Minh was friendly with the Russians and China, thus the US was called upon by the French because of their policy with fighting communism in other nations. - Eisenhower didn’t want to employ massive retaliation- Instead US gets involved in negotiating a settlement in Geneva Geneva Accords:- 17th parallel divides North and South Vietnam- In 2 years, 1956, free elections would be held and the country would reunite 1955, SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organization):- US organizes SEATO on same premise as NATO—to constrain communism- Also to prevent the “Domino theory”; as soon as one nation fell to communism, adjoining nations would fall likewise 1963, President Diem:- Ruler from French takeover- Roman Catholic leader over mainly Buddhist people- He was tyrannical and brutal and caused a wave of terror in Vietnam Order of Buddhist monks would lite themselves on fire in public places to protest against Diem- US still tried to support Diem to uphold their policy against communism- Diem is killed Military Advisors in Vietnam:- Meanwhile Eisenhower sent a limited number of military advisors to Vietnam- No election was held because of fear of Ho Chi Minh winning- US vessel was attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin- In retaliation, Johnson goes to Congress and gets the “Gulf of Tonkin Resolution” in 1964, which allows him to do what ever was necessary to protect armed forces and further the cause for America Shortly after the campaign of bombing started- 2,000 advisors were in Vietnam when JFK (John F. Kennedy) took office- 16,000 advisors were in Vietnam when JFK was assassinated- The message projected to Americans: “We are kicking ass” 1968, Tet Offensive:- During Tet, a Vietnam holiday, there was assumed to be a cease fire- Early in the morning, North Vietnamese troops and Viet Cong forces attacked 100 major towns and cities in South Vietnam, breaking the cease fire- The size and ferocity of the attack surprised both the Americans and the South Vietnamese- Though U.S. and South Vietnamese forces managed to hold off the Communist attacks, news coverage of the offensive (including the lengthy Battle of Hue) shocked and dismayed the American public and further eroded support for the war effort - This lead to massive escalation at home for anti-war protests, specifically on college campuses, due to young men being drafted- Despite heavy casualties, North Vietnam achieved a strategic victory with the Tet Offensive, as the attacks marked a turning point in the Vietnam War and the beginning of the slow, painful American withdrawal from the region- Animosity develops and there is stimulation to conflict by bombs and troops 1968, L.B.J. Withdraws:- Johnson withdraws from reelection as president- Humphrey, the vice president, had to support Johnson’s policy However,