History Lecture 4 2 15 Vietnam 1945 1975 NOT A WAR TECHNICALLY Key Terms Ho Chi Minh Vietminh vs Vietcong My Lai Kent State I Why Vietnam A France and Japan 1 France a Vietnam was originally imperialized by the French in the 1870s 1880s 1 Cambodia and Laos were also imperialized at this time 2 Called these three mushed together areas French Indo China b Set up their own government in collaboration with the Vietnamese c Brought new religions food languages architecture ideologies d Beginning in the early 1900s the Vietnamese were already forming nationalist movements in efforts to gain independence from France e French deny Vietnamese independence after WWI 2 Japan a Japanese occupy Vietnam during WWII b Vietnamese nationalists fight Japanese 1 U S joins forces with Vietnam a Supply guns money troops b Guerilla Warfare c 1945 WWII ends 1 Japanese are out 2 Vietnamese nationalists declare independence a Copy our Declaration of Independence b Appeals to United Nations who decline to recognize them B Ho Chi Minh 1 In his early twenties he had money saved by working for the French a Goes to Paris to get education b Learns about nationalism and revolutions 1 People running their own country 2 Appeals to the Treaty of Versailles in order to become a Democratic Capitalist Nation a Declined 3 Travels to Soviet Union for support 4 Two Parts to his mission independence b Spy on the French a Learns about communism and socialism then travels back to Vietnam a Spread Communism to the Vietnamese people in order to achieve 5 We send our supplies to Ho Chi Minh to fight Japanese though he is spreading communism C Geneva Accords 1 France and Vietnam are at war over who is going to be in charge 1945 1954 a 80 of the money for France s fight comes from the United State 2 After 9 years France quits a Dien Bien Phu 1 The French are Massacred b Sues Vietnam for peace 3 Treaty written by the United States for peace between France and Vietnam a Creates 2 independent Vietnamese countries 1 North Vietnam a Communist b Led by Ho Chi Minh 2 South Vietnam a Democratic Capitalist b Leader chosen by United States b After 2 years South Vietnam will be independent and will be able to hold their own elections II Civil War A Ngo Dinh Diem 1 Becomes president of South Vietnam in 1954 2 Catholic 10 of Vietnam 3 Served for French government during French Vietnam War a We know he is not a communist 4 Has two years to get country set up into a Democratic Capitalist routine 5 When people disagree he arrests tortures and kills them 6 United States cancels the 1956 election a The country isn t quite stable yet B Vietminh vs Vietcong 1 Vietminh 2 Vietcong C JFK and Vietnam 1 Buddhist Monks a Ho Chi Minh supporters b North Vietnamese communists who are going to start attacking South Vietnam in order to reunite North and South Vietnam a South Vietnamese communists b By 1954 we are supplying a lot to South Vietnam not troops yet a Become very violent in their protests b Diem begins shutting down Monasteries and kicking monks out c Saigon Capitol City 1 Monks wage very violent protests 2 November 1963 a Collection of South Vietnamese army generals capture and execute Diem b Those generals are now in charge c Two weeks later JFK is assassinated D Gulf of Tonkin Resolution 1 Lyndon B Johnson a August 1964 1 Navy was running training exercises here next to North Vietnam 2 Vietnamese fishing boat armed with torpedoes rams into one of our and China vessels b Report of second attack not verified 1 Johnson tells Congress not to declare war just needed authorization to use military force to protect military personnel in Vietnam 2 Congress agreed 2 Gives President the power to do whatever he deems necessary to protect military personnel in Vietnam a Approximately 40 to 50 000 military personnel b Johnson increase that to 250 000 in one year 3 United States becomes South Vietnamese army to fight against Vietminh and Vietcong III A Different Kind of War A Guerilla Warfare 1 Homefield advantage 2 Vietminh and Vietcong dig hundreds of miles of tunnels B Napalm and Agent Orange 1 Napalm Jello d gasoline a b Dropped out of airplanes c Lands on children soldiers 2 Agent Orange a Acid burns the jungle away 1 Vietminh and Vietcong join forces 2 Vietnamese New Year Tet C Tet Offensive a Viet spread rumor that there will be a gathering of bad guys outside of Saigon 1 Americans leave and the Viet come in 3 Month long battle US troops reclaim Saigon a 2 000 American deaths 20 000 Viet deaths 5 10 000 civilian deaths b This battle was aired every night on TV D My Lai 1 March 1968 a Americans are given information that in My Lai at a certain time the village will be full of Vietcong and no civilians would be there b When they arrived no Vietcong are there and it is solely the elderly women and children 1 Rape torture and execution of 500 villagers Soldiers who participated go on with their routine c 2 Photographer took pictures and hid personal picture a 2 years later sold images of My Lai for 40 000 b 20 people are arrested and put on trial 1 8 convicted 2 2 year sentence c Support for war drops Lyndon B Johnson does not run 3 a Robert Kennedy tries but is shot b Richard Nixon takes the presidency IV Peace with Honor A Cambodia and Laos 1 2 separate independent countries who are not communist 2 Do not stop the supplies that are coming from North into South Vietnam 3 Richard Nixon authorizes the bombing of Cambodia and Laos in order to get out of a Cambodia becomes so destabilized it allows gangsters to take over Khmer Vietnam Rouge 1 Wipe out 2 Million Cambodians because they are in the way 4 Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge decide to run Cambodia in the name of Communism because the US is against it and is bombing their country B Kent State March 4th 1970 Ohio 1 Holds protest against bombing in Cambodia and Laos 2 Governor of Ohio believes in the war and if you disagree you are un American a Sends in National Guard who shoot at the protesters b At the end of the day 4 are dead 1 2 were regular students who were innocent bystanders C Vietnamization 1 1972 Nixon opens up negotiations with North Vietnam to end the war which we 2 We are going to train the South Vietnamese to do the fighting so that the were not in Americans can go home 3 By 1973 a peace treaty between North Vietnam and the U S is signed a U S has 2 years to get everyone out of South Vietnam b In that time the North would leave the South alone D 1975 American Embassy 1 The last American