3 US Involvement in the Vietnam War, 1954 - 75 Flashcards
<p>What was <b>French Indochina</b>?</p>
<p>French Indochina was countries in South-East Asia controlled by France before World War 2. This includes countries such as Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam</p>
<p>What percentage of money was the US paying in 1954 for France's military costs against Vietnam?</p>
<p>The US were paying for 80% of France's military supplies and advisors</p>
<p>What was the battle of Dien Bien Phu?</p>
<p>The battle of Dien Bien Phu was a major defeat for the French in Vietnam</p>
<p>The French were surrounded by Vietnamese troops and fought for 55 days before being defeated</p>
<p>Who were the <b>Viet Minh</b>?</p>
<p>The Viet Minh were a group of Vietnamese nationalists, believing in independence from any foreign power, led by Ho Chi Minh</p>
<p>What were the agreements about Vietnam in the <b>Geneva Accords</b>?</p>
<ul><li>Vietnam was temporarily split in two along the 17th parallel, with a demilitarised zone in the middle</li><ul><li>Ho Chi Minh would control a small area of the North</li><li>Bao Dai would run the South, but was soon replaced by Ngo Dinh Diem - a strong anti-communist</li><li>Elections would be held in 1956 to decide who would rule the whole of Vietnam, but no clear system was agreed</li><li>No foreign military forces could set up military bases anywhere in Vietnam</li><li>Nobody could move into the other half of the country for 300 days</li></ul></ul>
<p>Who refused to accept the Geneva Accords?</p>
<p>The US and South Vietnam refused to agree with the damands</p>
<p>North Vietnam was forced to agree with the demands by China although, they believed that they were given a smaller area than they had previously in 1945</p>
<p>What was Eisenhower's <b>Domino Theory</b>?</p>
<p>Eisenhower's domino theory claimed that if one country in Asia became communist, Vietnam, the rest, including Laos, India and Cambodia, would follow</p>
<p>Why was Diem disliked by the South Vietnamese population?</p>
<ul><li>Diem was <b>corrupt</b> - he gave top jobs to his family and Catholics</li><li>Diem was Catholic - he persecuted the Buddist majority in South Vietnam</li><li>Diem didn't respect the peasants in the Villages</li></ul>
<p>Who were the <b>Vietcong</b>?</p>
<p>The Vietcong were a collection of communist groups that opposed Diem</p>
<p>What was the <b>Ho Chi Minh Trail</b>?</p>
<p>The Ho Chi Minh trail was a series of dirt trails running from North Vietnam to South Vietnam through Laos which provided the Vietcong with supplies</p>
<p>Who were the ARVN?</p>
<p> ARVN stood for the <b>Army of the Republic of Vietnam<b>, South Vietnamese, US-backed toops</b></b></p>
<p>How much advisors did Kennedy give to South Vietnam to train the ARVN?</p>
<p>Kennedy gave 16,000 advisors to train the ARVN</p>
<p>What was the aim of the <b>Strategic Hamlets Program</b>?</p>
<p>The Strategic Hamlets program aimed at stopping the Vietcong from recruiting villagers or getting supplies to them</p>
<p>How many new villages were made from the Strategic Hamlets Program?</p>
<p>5,000 villages</p>
<p>Why did the Strategic Hamlets Program fail?</p>
<p>Diem failed to provide the villagers with enough food so faced starvation</p>
<p>Many villagers were relocated far from their ancestral homes so were unnaproving of the program</p>
<p>This made Diem even more unpopular</p>
<p>In which year did the USA publicly announce they no longer supported Diem’s government?</p>
<p>1963</p>
<p>Who supported the Vietcong and how?</p>
<ul><li>China supported the Vietcong by sending $100 million dollars of aid into South Vietnam through the Ho Chi Minh trail</li><li>The locals supported the Vietcong by hiding the Vietcong in the villages and giving them food</li></ul>
<p>How did President Johnson escalate the conflict in Vietnam?</p>
<p>President Johnson increased the number of advisors in South Vietnam to 200,000</p>
<p>What were the problems of the ARVN?</p>
<p>The ARVN spent more time arguing who should be leader rather than working to defeat the Vietcong, despite having 5 times as much troops</p>
<p>When was the <b>Gulf of Tonkin Incident</b>?</p>
<p>The Gulf of Tonkin Incident was on the 2nd August 1964</p>
<p>What was the Gulf of Tonkin Incident?</p>
<p>Three torpedo boats from the North fired on the USS Madox, which then retaliated</p>
<p>What was the Gulf of Tonkin resolution?</p>
<p>On 7th August 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave President Johnson the ability to stop any further attacks without the need of congress or declaring war.</p>
<p>What were the tactics used by the Vietcong?</p>
<ul><li>Guerilla Warfare</li><li>Ho Chi Minh Trail</li><li>Tunnels</li><li>Tunnels</li><li>Booby Traps</li></ul>
<p>What is <b>Guerilla Warfare</b>?</p>
<p>Guerilla Warfare is when fighters avoid open battles and instead ambush the enemy</p>
What was the Ho Chi Minh Trail?
The Ho Chi Minh trail was a trail going through Laos and Cambodia which provided supplies to the Vietcong in the South
What percentage of US casulties were caused by traps?
19% of US casulties were caused by traps
What was Operation Rolling Thunder?
Operation Rolling Thunder was a military plan set out by President Johnson, who wanted North Vietnam to surrender by bombings, rather than sending troops in
What were the targets of Operation Rolling Thunder?
Operation Rolling Thunder targetted the Ho Chi Minh trail and the little industry in North Vietnam
How many people were killed by Operation Rolling Thunder?
90,000 people were killed
What was the cost of Operation Rolling Thunder?
Operation Rolling Thunder cost the USA $4 billion
Why did Operation Rolling Thunder fail?
- However it failed because the VC used tunnels under the Ho Chi Minh trail to avoid the bombings, so supplies continued
- The USSR and China sent military supplies into the North, so the destruction of industry didn’t matter too much
- The USSR sent $505 million in aid in 1967
- Also, the high civilian death rates made the USA even more unpopular
What was Search and Destroy?
Search and Destroy was a US tactic where small units of US troops would hunt down and destroy Vietcong villages using bombs or chemicals
What was Agent Orange?
Agent Orange was a chemical that was sprayed to destroy jungle and farmland in order to find Vietcong bases
What was Operation Ranch Hand?
Operation Ranch Hand was a military operation lasting, from 1964 to 1971, where 3,000 Vietcong villages were sprayed with chemicals
What percentage of South Vietnam was sprayed with chemicals?
24% of South Vietnam was sprayed by chemicals
What were the consequences of Agent Orange?
- Destroyed Jungle and Farmland
- Poisoned water supplies
- Caused serious health problems and death
What was the Tet Offensive?
The Tet Offensive was a suprise attack led by North Vietnam and the Vietcong on 26 South Vietnamese cities during the 1968 New Year's Tet Festival
How many Communists were killed during the Tet Offensive?
45,000 communists were killed during the Tet Offensive
What did the Tet Offensive lead to in the US?
The Tet Offensive led to huge anti-war protests withover 150,000 people participating. It led to peace talks in 1968
What was Vietnamisation?
Vietnamisation was a policy led by President Nixon which aimed at reducing US influence in Vietnam whilst not letting South Vietnam become communist
How much troops did President Nixon withdraw from Vietnam by July 1969?
Nixon withrew 25,000 troops in Vietnam
What did Nixon order to do to Cambodia in March 1969?
Nixon ordered there to be secret bombings on the Ho Chi Minh trail in Cambodia
What were the various reasons why Vietnamisation failed?
- Drug Use
- Lack of experienced ARVN soldiers
- ARVN troops deserted
- Corruption and Theft
- Unpopularity of the South Vietnamese government
- Lack of funding given by Congress
Which year did the My Lai Massacre take place?
The My Lai Massacre took place in 1968
What was the My Lai Massacre?
The My Lai Massacre was an incident where the US army killed innocent civilians in the village of My Lai.
Why was there outcry over the My Lai Massacre?
There was public outcry as the army initially covered up the incident, announcing that 128 VC were killed
An enquiry was found that 347 civilians were massacred and the army helped to cover it up. Lieutenant Calley was charged with murder of 22 civilians and sentenced to jail but
