u.s. involvement and escalation in vietnam, 1965-68

CHAPTER 30, SECTION 2

U.S. INVOLVEMENT AND ESCALATION IN VIETNAM,

1965-68

VOCABULARY

ROBERT McNAMARA DEAN RUSK WILLIAM WESTMORELAND M.A.C.V. NAPALM AGENT ORANGE SEARCH-AND-DESTROY MISSION CREDIBILITY GAP

AMERICA ESCALATES IN VIETNAM

1964 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION:– DEMOCRATS: LBJ– REPUBLICAN: SEN. BARRY GOLDWATER (AZ)– GOLDWATER: VIEWED BY SOME AS TOO

CONSERVATIVE EX: SOME BELIEVED HE WANTED WAR W/ USSR LBJ CAMPAIGN PORTRAYS HIM AS “WAR

HAWK”(DEFINE) EX: LBJ CAMPIAGN TV ADS

– LBJ CLAIMS HE OPPOSES SENDING COMBAT TROOPS TO V-NAM ; SEE QUOTE, P. 890

– LBJ WINS ELECTION

ESCALATION

1964: CONGRESS PASSES TONKIN GULF RESOLUTION– LBJ STILL DOESN’T WANT TO SEND U.S. GROUND FORCES

INTO V-NAM– SEE QUOTE, TOP P. 890

MARCH, ’65: – LBJ ORDERS U.S. GROUND FORCES TO V-NAM– BY END OF YEAR, 180,000 COMBAT FORCES IN V-NAM– WHY?

FEAR OF COMMUNIST EXPANSION IN 3rd WORLD NATIONS CONTAINMENT / DOMINO THEORY

QUESTION: WAS LBJ’s DECISION TO SEND U.S. FORCES TO V-NAM ANY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT PREVIOUS PRESIDENTS HAD DONE?

WHAT DID AMERICANS THINK?– 1965 SURVEY / POLL:

61% SUPPORT LBJ’S V-NAM POLICY 24% OPPOSED TO LBJ’S V-NAM POLICY

– CONFLICTING VIEWS: UNDERSEC. OF STATE GEORGE BALL: OPPOSED TO SENDING

TROOPS SEC. OF STATE DEAN RUSK: SUPPORTS SENDING TROOPS

(SEE QUOTE, P. 890)

ROBERT McNAMARA Secretary of Defense, 1961- 67

ESCALATION (CONT’D.)

GEN. WILLIAM WESTMORELAND– 1964: TAKES COMMAND OF M.A.C.V.

(COMMAND OF U.S. FORCES IN V-NAM)– M.A.C.V.: Military Assistance Command, Vietnam– 1965: REQUESTS MORE TROOPS– LATE ’65: 180,000 TROOPS DEPLOYED TO V-

NAM– WESTMORELAND REQUESTS MORE TROOPS– WHY? SEE QUOTE, P. 890– 1967: U.S. TROOP #s REACH 500,000

U.S. TROOPS #s EVENTUALLY REACH 540,000 IN MID-1969

Gen. William Westmoreland, Gen. Vo Ngyuen Giap,

Commander, U.S. Forces Commander, NVA / VC

The Ho Chi Minh

Trail

NVA Trucks on the

Ho Chi Minh Trail

NVA soldiers helping

supply trucks

COMBAT IN VIETNAM

U.S. APPROACH TO WAR:– SUPERIOR WEAPONRY / TECHNOLOGY WOULD WIN

WAR– COMMUNIST FORCES WERE NOT WELL ENOUGH

EQUIPPED OR TRAINED TO WIN– V-NAMESE HAD NEVER FOUGHT AS POWERFUL A

NATION LIKE THE U.S. QUESTION: WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM WITH

AMERICAN BIAS GOING INTO THE WAR? COMMUNIST APPROACH TO WAR:

– USE KNOWLEDGE OF TERRAIN TO ADVANTAGE– USE SUPPORT OF CITIZENS TO ADVANTAGE– CASUALITES / BODY COUNT MEAN NOTHING– USE GUERRILLA TACTICS TO WEAR DOWN U.S.– ADAPT / IMPROVISE WEAPONRY, METHODS TO

OVERCOME TECHNOLOGY DISADVANTAGE– SEE VC TUNNEL MAP, P. 891– SEE QUOTE, P. 891

VIETNAM WAR INFANTRY U.S. Army Infantry N.V.A. Infantry V.C. Infantry

U.S. INFANTRY LEADER, VIETNAM1967

OLIVER STONE,U.S. ARMY,VIETNAM,1968

AK – 47 ASSAULT RIFLE

ROCKET-PROPELLED GRENADE (RPG)

A WAR OF ATTRITION DEFINE: “ WAR OF ATTRITION” WHY WAS VIETNAM A “WAR OF ATTRITION”? WESTMORELAND’S VIEW OF THE WAR:

– AS THE BODY COUNT INCREASES, SURRENDER WILL BE MORE LIKELY

– SEARCH-AND-DESTROY MISSIONS COULD INCREASE THE BODY COUNT

– U.S. FORCES HAD TO WIN THE “HEARTS AND MINDS” OF THE CIVILIAN POPULATION

PROBLEMS:– VC GUERILLA WARFARE IS DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH– U.S. SEARCH-AND-DESTROY MISSIONS OFTEN ALIENATE

CIVILIANS EX.: NAPALM ATTACKS, AGENT ORANGE, VILLAGE ATTACKS

– HIGH NUMBERS OF WAR REFUGEES (AT LEAST 3 MIL.)– U.S. TROOP MORALE DETERIORATES: WHY?

U.S. TACTICS DON’T APPEAR TO BE WINNING CORRUPTION OF ARVN / S.V-NAM GOV’T. “FRAGGING” INCIDENTS OCCUR AVAILABILITY OF ILLEGAL DRUGS ( MARIJUANA, HEROIN,

ETC.) CAUSES PROBLEMS

THE FULLBRIGHT HEARINGS

WHEN? 1966 WHO? SEN. J. WILLIAM FULLBRIGHT, D., ARK. WHAT? TELEVISED SENATE HEARRINGS SUBJECT?

– U.S. INVOLVEMENT IN VIETNAM– WAS LBJ’s ADMINISTRATION BEING HONEST W/ THE

AMERICAN PEOPLE ABOUT THE SITUATION IN VIETNAM?

– DID LBJ’s ADMINISTRATION DECEIVE CONGRESS ABOUT THE TONKIN GULF INCIDENT?

RESULT? – FULLBRIGHT ACCUSES LBJ w/ A “LACK OF CANDOR”

ABOUT THE WAR– “CREDIBILITY GAP” FOR LBJ WORSENS

BIG QUESTION: IS THE GOV’T . LYING TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE WAR?

SENATORJ. WILLIAM FULLBRIGHTDEMOCRAT, ARKANSAS

CHAIRMAN,SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE

U.S. ARMY

INFANTRY ON PATROL,

VIETNAM - 1967

STANDARD INFANTRY WEAPONS, VIETNAM U.S. ARMY / U.S. MARINES M-16 A1 Service Rifle M-16 A1 with

M203 Grenade Launcher

M-60 Machine Gun M79 Grenade Launcher

TRAINING &

MAINTENANCE

MANUAL, 1969

M-16 A1 RIFLE

MIKHAIL KALASHNIKOV, USSR

AK – 47

Automata Kalashnikova,1947

VIETNAM TUNNELS TODAY

HUEYs IN ACTION,

VIETNAM, U.S. ARMY

U.S. “HUEY” HELICOPTER

U.S. “COBRA” ATTACK HELICOPTER

U.S.A.F. B-52 BOMBER

DAMAGE TO THE GREAT SOCIETY

WAR ESCALATION BROUGHT INCREASED COSTS U.S. ECONOMY SUFFERED – INFLATION GROWS 1967: LBJ ASKS CONGRESS FOR TAX INCREASE TO

CONTROL INFLATION BUT…CONGRESS WON’T APPROVE TAX INCREASE

W/OUT $6 BILLION REDUCTION IN GREAT SOCIETY PROGRAMS

LBJ SUFFERS “CREDIBILITY GAP”:– WAR IS A “LIVING ROOM WAR”- NIGHTLY MEDIA COVERAGE

EXPOSES PROBLEMS IN WAR– GREAT SOCIETY PROMISES ARE NOT BEING MET– 1965 – 66: 16,000 U.S. KIA

“THE PROMISES OF THE GREAT SOCEITY HAVE BEEN SHOT DOWN ON THE BATTLEFIELDS OF VIETNAM”

-MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

VIETNAM ERA QUOTES “I AM NOT ABOUT TO SEND AMERICAN BOYS 9

OR 10,000 MILES AWAY FROM HOME TO DO WHAT ASIAN BOYS OUGHT TO BE DOING FOR THEMSELVES” – LBJ, 1964

“THE ARVN CANNOT STAND UP TO THIS PRESSURE WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL U.S. COMBAT SUPPORT ON THE GROUND. THE ONLY POSSIBLE RESPONSE IS THE AGGRESSIVE DEPLOYMENT OF U.S. TROOPS” - GEN. WESTMORELAND, 1965

“ THE MORE THE AMERICANS TRIED TO DRIVE US AWAY FROM OUR LAND, THE MORE WE BURROWED INTO IT” - MAJOR NGUYEN QUOT, VC

“YOU CAN KILL TEN OF MY MEN FOR EVERY ONE I KILL OF YOURS, BUT EVEN AT THOSE ODDS, YOU WILL LOSE AND I WILL WIN” – HO CHI MINH

VIETNAM ERA QUOTES “IF I HAD THOUGHT THEY WOULD TAKE THIS

PUNISHMENT AND FIGHT THIS WELL, I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT DIFFERENTLY AT THE START” – ROBERT McNAMARA, 1967

“THE COMMUNISTS WERE PREPARED TO GO ON AND ON, AND THEY HAD FACTORED THEIR HUMAN COSTS INTO THE EQUATION” – STANLEY KARNOW

“JUST REMEMBER THIS: COMMUNIST GUERRILLAS HIDE AMONG THE PEOPLE. IF YOU WIN THE PEOPLE OVER TO YOUR SIDE, THE COMMUNIST GUERILLAS HAVE NO PLACE TO HIDE.” - EDWARD LANDSDALE, U.S. ARMY SPECIAL FORCES

“WE HAD TO DESTROY THE VILLAGE IN ORDER TO SAVE IT” – U.S. ARMY OFFICER, BEN TRE, 1968

VIETNAM ERA QUOTES

“WE’RE FIGHTING TO SAVE THESE PEOPLE, AND THEY’RE FIGHTING EACH OTHER” – U.S. GOV’T. OFFICIAL, 1966

“VICTORY LIES WITHIN OUR GRASP – THE ENEMY’S HOPES ARE FADING” – GEN. WESTMORELAND, 1967

“WE CAN SEE THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL” – ROBERT McNAMARA, 1967

“I WANT TO GET OUT, BUT I DON’T WANT TO GIVE IN” – AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE

LBJ CARTOON -

LBJ SHOWING THE

SCAR VIETNAM HAS

LEFT ON HIM