Vietnam War Notes
- South Vietnam was led by a Catholic named Ngo Dinh Diem
- The mainly Buddhist south had opposition in the form of the National Liberation Front (NLF) and the Viet Cong (a guerrilla force)
- The North (Ho Chi Minh) supported both of these groups
- The north never accepted the Geneva agreement of 1954
- U.S. saw this as another situation in which containment was necessary (SEATO)
- The U.S. had supported the French (military advisors)
- Kennedy increased troops in 1962 from 500-10,000
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, 1964
- A fabricated incident was set up; an American destroyer (USS Maddox) was torpedoed
- Led President Johnson to install the Tonkin Gulf Resolution
- Lead to the commitment of regular ground troops and air support
- 200,000 troops in 1965 - 600,000 in 1968
The Tet Offensive, 1968
- Offensive launched by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) in 1968
- Surprises Americans
- Is played up as a major victory for the North although very little is achieved
- Public relations victory
- Anti-war demonstrations increase as a result
Effects of the Vietnam War
- Costs the U.S. 150 billion dollars
- 57, 939 men killed
- Loss of a country to Communism
- Limitations brought in on the President’s powers to wage war (Vietnam never declared a war)
- Made the U.S. look bad worldwide
- Conscription was ended in U.S.