Escalation In Vietnam Under Johnson

Question 1

Kennedy in Vietnam

Answer 1

Limited capacity but he’d sent roughly 16,300 military advisors to the south.

Question 2

Sc

Answer 2

Limited scale of weapons and troops sent
Wide pool of actors
Major confrontation
Bomb

Question 3

Jan 1964 OPLN 34 A

Answer 3

Counterinsurgency and navy increased - covert actions to put pressure to inflict increasing punishment upon north Vietnam.
Clear that LBJ was not committed to a negotiated resolution
Increased the number of us military advisors to 23,000

Question 4

Aug 1964*

Answer 4

News reached Washington of an attack on a us naval vessel by a NV force in the The gulf of Tonkin.

After the gulf of Tonkin resolution, LBJ had presidential powers not seen since FDR during ww2. ‘Like grandma’s nightshirt, it covered everything’ gave j absolute freedom to conduct whatever policy he wanted in Vietnam without consulting congress.

In the short term, LBJ solely ordered the increasing bombing raids of certain nv naval bases*watershed moment

Question 5

End of 1964

Answer 5

Situation was deteriorating, paved the way for Americanisation.
China agreed to supply weapons to the north
USSR established firm links with NLF and sent equipment to help the north’s army.
Vietcong had strengthened their position in the south near the Mekong delta.

Question 6

Feb 1965*

Answer 6

The Vietcong attacked an army barracks and a us helicopter base in pleiku.
Acting on the belief that Hanoi would eventually weaken when faced with stepped up bombing raids-forced into submission
Johnson ordered operation rolling thunder- a bombing campaign that would last until 1968= formal Americanisation of the war. Big acceleration in us involvement. Boots on the ground

Question 7

March 1965

Answer 7

The 1st us combat troops arrived near Danang in march 65.
NV offered a 4 point proposal for the us withdrawal, neither north nor south enter into formal military alliances.

BUT Johnson rejected this as he feared the south would crumble to communism.

Question 8

Summer of 1965- after rejection of north’s terms

Answer 8

J ordered 2 marine battalions, air squadron and 20,000 troops to be deployed in Vietnam. By July it would be 75,000 troops

Question 9

Nov 1965*

Answer 9

First sig engagement between the us forces and nv forces took place in the la drang valley.
Conventional battle- served to influence the tactics that became the hallmark of the war
USA suffered 300 dead while the north had 2000-3000 fatalities