1965 – 1968

PleikuIa Drang

Review Stuff

Part I. Escalation

Prolonged Guerrilla Warfare

After Ia Drang, Vietminh/Vietcong decided to stretch the war out– No conventional battles– Hit and run guerrilla tactics

They only need to not lose, right? – U.S. will eventually tire of the fight

LBJ Felt Forced to Fight a Limited War

• goal prop up South Vietnam, not topple North Vietnam

• Why? – U.S. public won’t stand for high casualties

– Soviet Union and China might not stand for an invasion of the north

– Vietnam War sold as a defensive war we are there to ‘help’

• Thus, no invasion of North Vietnam • No bombing of Haiphong Harbor

– We might hit Soviet or Chinese ships

Escalation of U.S. Troops

Part II. U.S. Strategy

War of Attrition

This strategy says that the U.S. will win when we have killed such a large percentage of the enemy that they are unable to field a fighting force

Why was this the necessary strategy?– Seizing land is irrelevant; the guerrilla ‘fish’ simply

swim to other parts of the ‘ocean’ and then return when the U.S. troops are gone

Crossover Point? - ____________________

Search and Destroy Missions- – Find VC and kill them

Destroy Vietcong friendly villages- – “ dry the sea the enemy swims in”… – free fire zones...

Bombing campaign- destroy North Vietnam’s ability to wage war…

– a major target here was the Ho Chi Minh trail. – Quote: “We’ll bomb them back to the stone age.” (U.S.

general). Problem? __________________– Later estimated that it cost $10 to destroy every $1 of

NVA or VC materiel

To accomplish attrition U.S. Used a Three-Pronged Strategy

How to measure success in the war of attrition?

Body count

Robert McNamara Personified War

Secretary of Defense under JFK and LBJ He had been the president of the Ford motor

company and had been a huge success because of his reliance on meticulous review of statistics to improve his business

Body counts, war of attrition, etc. It is running the war from numbers on paper

Part III. Down Sides of U.S. Strategy

War of Attrition Conflicts with Battle for Hearts and Minds

What does this phrase ‘Hearts and Minds’ mean? _____________________________ ___________________________________

Attrition says: – demolish villages– Use defoliants like agent orange

A little more about Defoliants

Room in American War Crimes Museum Destroy cover and food for guerilla fighters. Bad for the U.S. because… world outrage, loss of villager support, and

riots at home. It is against the law to use weaponize poison ever since mustard gas was

used in WWI. U.S. argues that it is using poison against plants in areas where no one lives.

The problem is… poisons, most notably the most famous (Agent Orange) doesn’t just evaporate after it kills plants. It ends up killing people too. There were other agent colors in Vietnam.

It is extremely difficult to test a person for Dioxin poisoning, which is what you can get from Agent Orange. For example it was used on Victor Yashenko in the Ukrainian election campaign. It costs about $1500 - $2000 dollars even today to test one person for Dioxin exposure. U.S. never has to admit what it has done. Still debated…

What is the Impact the U.S. strategy on the U.S. soldier?

-Mere Gook Rule …brutality is OK Inflated body count (for promotion) makes it impossible for the U.S. gov to tell how well it is actually doing -Killing is anesthetized

- … poem…

Gilded Baskets Poem

“Eight Six Foxtrot- Eight Six Foxtrot.

This is One One Zulu. Over.

The woman in blueCarried the weight swiftly, with grace,

Her face hidden by her Conical rice straw hat

One One Zulu- this is Eight Six Foxtrot. Go.

Roger Eight Six. I have Fire Mission.

Dink in the open, Grid: Bravo Sierra

Five Six Niner, Four Six Five, Range:

Three thousand, Proximity; Eight hundred, Over.

The two heavy baskets

balanced on tips

of the springing Chogi stick

Glided close to the hard smooth path

Read back, One One Zulu.

Roger Copy, Eight Six.

Shot on the way, wait.

Shot out, Eight Six.

A sighing 105 mm round slides through its parabola. Then the explosive tearing at the steel which surrounds it, And the shrapnel catches the gliding baskets, And they crumple with the woman in blue “

VS

U.S. Morale Begins to Drop

• “You don’t fight this enemy rifle to rifle” (translation) “infantry are bait”

• ‘search and avoid’ tactic • ‘fragging’

Hmmm… No VC here

either…

Part IV. The U.S. Public is Lied To

The Math Doesn’t Work!

One study showed that, if one assumed a kill rate that matched that of the highest 6 month period between 1965 the end of 1968 and assuming that U.S. wasn’t fibbing its #s about body counts, which it was, that it would take 15 ½ years to sap the communists’ ability to wage significant resistance

Why a problem? – TOO LONG!!!

Despite Evidence to the Contrary, Administration Gave Rosy Reports

Westmoreland tells congress in 1967- “ We can see the light at the end of the tunnel”

In private, there is a much gloomier outlook…– McNamara later admitted that he knew the war

would not be won years before he shared this opinion publicly

Part V. As the War Stretched On, Problems for the U.S. Grew Rapidly

The Changing Makeup of the U.S. Forces

In 1965, most of the troops were volunteers…– Gung Ho attitude– Soldiers want to be there

But as the war stretched on and American troop strength grew and volunteers finished their year-long-tour…– more and more of the men

were draftees – Why does this matter?

VS

Protest against the war Grew between 1965 and 1968

Carleton story LBJ said he was “caught in the middle of the

ocean standing on a piece of cardboard” by the Vietnam War

In 1967, LBJ Took the gloves off…

His real goal/passion was Civil Rights –major Civil Rights Bill in 1964…

However, he was unable to fully fund both of his goals: war and civil rights, so he ended up underfunding both

The Phoenix Program– Mainly run by the U.S. – carried out

by ARVN– Eliminate VC sympathizers… very

bloody, very effective… very questionable, morally (some CIA agents later admitted that many people were killed due to personal vendettas, etc.)

End of Day #1

Hansen Name ___________________Vietnam

1965-1968 Note-taking Guide

Review• Pleiku• Ia DrangPart I Escalation • Prolonged Guerrilla Warfare

– After Ia Drang, Vietminh/Vietcong decided to _________________________________

• No ___________________________• __________________ guerrilla tactics

– They only need to ______________, right? • U.S. will eventually __________________

• LBJ Felt Forced to Fight a Limited War – goal prop up South Vietnam, not __________

____________________________________– Why?

• U.S. public won’t____________________• _____________________________ might

not stand for an invasion of the north• Vietnam War sold as a defensive war we

are __________________________– Thus, no ___________________ North Vietnam – No bombing of ___________________________

• We might hit ___________________ shipsPart II. U.S. Strategy • War of Attrition

– This strategy says that the U.S. will win when we have ____________________________________________ that they are unable to field a fighting force

– Why was this the necessary strategy?• Seizing land is irrelevant; the guerrilla ‘fish’

simply_________________________________ _________return when the U.S. troops are gone

– Crossover Point? - ____________________ ________ _____________________________________________

• To Accomplish Attrition, the U.S. used a 3-Pronged Strategy – Search and Destroy Missions-

• ____________________________– Destroy Vietcong friendly villages-

• “ dry the sea _____________________”… • free fire zones... _________________

________________________________– Bombing campaign- destroy North Vietnam’s ability

to wage war… • a major target here was the_____________

__________________________________. • Quote: “We’ll bomb them back _______

_________________________.” (U.S. general). Problem? __________________

• Later estimated that it cost _____ to destroy every _______ of NVA or VC materiel

• How to measure success in a War of Attrition?– ________________________

• Robert McNamara Personified the War • Secretary of Defense under

______________– He had been the president of the Ford motor

company and had been a huge success because of his reliance on ____________________________ _________________________________________

– Body counts, war of attrition, etc. It is running the war ________________________________

Part III. Down Sides of the U.S. Strategy • War of Attrition Conflicts with Fight for Hearts and Minds

– What does this phrase ‘Hearts and Minds’ mean? _____________________________ ___________________________________

– Attrition says: • __________________________• Use defoliants like ________________

• What is the Impact of this Strategy on the U.S. Soldier?– Mere Gook Rule …________________________ – Inflated body count (_________________ ) makes

it impossible for the U.S. gov to tell__________ ______________________________________

- Killing is _______________________ - … poem…

- U.S. Morale Begins to Drop • “You don’t fight this enemy rifle to rifle”

(translation) ____________________________ _______________________________________

• ‘search and avoid’ tactic - __________________ _______________________________________

• ‘fragging’- _____________________________ _______________________________________

Part IV. The U.S. Public is Lied To • The Math Doesn’t Work

– One study showed that, if one assumed a kill rate that matched that of _____________________ ____________________________ between 1965 the end of 1968 and assuming that U.S. wasn’t fibbing its #s about body counts, ____________, that it would take _______________to sap the communists’ ability to wage significant resistance

– Why a problem? • ____________________________

• Despite Evidence to the Contrary, the Administration Gave Rosy Reports

– Westmoreland tells congress in 1967- “ We can see the ____________________________________ “

– In private, there is a much gloomier outlook…• McNamara later admitted that he knew the

war would ________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________

Part V. As the War Stretched On, Problems for the U.S. Grew Rapidly• The Changing Makeup of the U.S. Forces

– In 1965, most of the troops were ______________…• ____________ attitude• Soldiers _____________________

– But as the war stretched on and American troop strength grew and volunteers finished their ______ __________________________...

• more and more of the men were ________• Why does this matter?

• Protest Against the War Grew – Carleton story – LBJ said he was “caught in the middle of the ocean

standing on a piece of cardboard” by the ________________

• In 1967, LBJ Took the Gloves Off – His real goal/passion was Civil Rights –major _____

_________________________________________… – However, he was unable to fully ____________

_________________________________ : war and civil rights, so he ended up underfunding both

– The Phoenix Program• Mainly run by __________ . – carried out

_________________________• Eliminate _________________… very

bloody, very effective… _____________ _________________________________ (some CIA agents later admitted that many people were killed due to personal vendettas, etc.)

1967 -- Khe Sanh

Where is it? What is the story? What does it remind American

political/military advisors of?

Khe Sanh (continued)

LBJ vows to hold it… he does… 10-15 thousand VC die in the attack compared to 250 Americans…

Westmoreland calls it the biggest victory of the war…

But… he’s wrong…

Tet Offensive

What is Tet? What is the Tet Offensive?