Foreign Policy

Question 1

why did Johnson continue involvement in Vietnam

Answer 1

1. He believed in containment policy and wanted to continue with this
2. He was anti-communist and believed that they were aggressive and would continue to take advantage
3. He did not want to be accused of having lost vietnam
4. World prestige - if USA ran from Vietnam nobody would trust them
5. Johnson wanted to reform South Vietnam like in the USA with the great society
6. He surrounded himself with yes men and members of Kennedys cabinet such as Dean Rusk and Mcnamara who encouraged the war
7. The kennedy Legacy, he felt obliged to continue to former president’s policies

Question 2

the working group

Answer 2

In 1964, Johnson ordered representatives of the State Department, Defence department and the CIA to study Vietnam and make recommendations
They said an independent anti-communist vietnam was vital to america
enforced the domino theory
said that american national prestige credibility and honour was at stake
stated that escalation was necessary because of a weak Saigon government
Suggested heavier bombing
This suggests that the war was not simply Johnson’s war

Question 3

what gave Johnson a lot of power over vietnam

Answer 3

The tonkin resolution 1964

Question 4

The tonkin resolution 1964

Answer 4

In August 1964, Johnson asked congress for a resolution of support to address reports that two US ships, the Maddox and Turner Joy had been attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin known as the Tonkin incident. Congress used the incident to gain support for increased involvment in vietnam, though no one is quite certain of the incident was as LBJ claimed it was, after all the Maddox was there on an ‘intelligence collection mission’ The tonkin resolution was passed in Aug 7th 1964 which gave the president ultimate authority over foreign matters.

Question 5

why has tonkin been criticised

Answer 5

Johnson sought the resolution because he was planning escalation. He deceived congress and the people about the espionage missions and the attacks. Barry Goldwater accused Johnson of being soft so he had to appear tough on communism

Question 6

developments in the vietnam war

Answer 6

Operation Rolling Thunder 1965
Operation Ground Troops 1965
Vietcong fighting back
The Tet Offensive 1968
Khe Sahn Base

Question 7

operation rolling thunder 1965

Answer 7

Johnson took his first escalatory step in early 1965 when he began the large-scale and continuous bombing of Vietnam. In response to concerns about the security of US bomber bases and personnel. For example, in Fev 1965, the Vietcong attacked an American base near Pleiku, killing 8 Americans and wounding 100. Johnson retaliated by approving the large-scale bombing of NV which became known as operation rolling thunder, where 800,000 tonnes of bombs were dropped. Polls revealed that 67% of Americans approved of his actions. The aims of rolling thunder were to decrease NV infiltration and secure the American position in SV. Johnson refused to declare war as he was worried about the Soviets and Chinese getting involved, he also feared that a declaration of war would cause Congress to cut funding for his great society

Question 8

operation ground troops 1965

Answer 8

In spring 1965 Johnson sent in American ground troops to protect US bomber bases in Danang in response to General Westmoreland’s request. In a speech in 1965, Johnson summed up the reasons for escalation -
The United States needed to fight if it wanted to live securely in a free world, NV had aggressively attacked SV and should be opposed as it is a puppet of expansionist communist powers. The majority of the country was behind increased involvement. 47% wanted to send more troops, and 80% believed in the Domino theory.

Question 9

rate of troop increase

Answer 9

March 1965 - 3500 troops by Dec 1968 - 535,000 troops

Question 10

who was in command of the military operation in vietnam

Answer 10

William Westmoreland

Question 11

William Westmoreland

Answer 11

Appointed to command military operations in Vietnam even before fighting had started. He was convinced that his war of attrition was producing positive indicators.

Question 12

William Westmoreland tactic

Answer 12

War of Atrrition

Question 13

War of Attrition

Answer 13

the process of reducing someone’s strength through sustained attack or pressure

Question 14

further escalation - Vietcong fighting back

Answer 14

The Vietcong used guerilla warfare - they used the advantage of being accustomed to the thick jungle to ambush US troops. They dug intricate defence tunnel systems which allowed them to withstand air strikes, launch surprise attacks and hide. One tactic they used was to disarm US bombs and used them to set bobby traps. They would have children carry hay with grenades hidden in them which would go off killing American soldiers and the child. The bobby traps were on the territory of US soldiers, the US clearly underestimated the Vietcong. They hid from American airstrikes in the jungle, which highlighted the failure of the war of attrition and operation rolling thunder.

Question 15

what did America need to do if they wanted to win the war

Answer 15

If the US was to win the war they needed to eliminate the effectiveness of the Vietcong’s guerilla warfare, limit their supplies and their use of the jungle as an hideout. The US used herbicides and chemicals to destroy jungle cover, expose enemy positions and kill the Vietcong hiding there. They used agent orange and Napalm by 1971, 21M gallons of poison were sprayed from the air, it killed civilians and gave US veterans cancer, another tactic they used to counter the Vietcong was search and destroy tactics - my lai - villages were searched, raided and destroyed

Question 16

tet offensive 1968

Answer 16

Throughout the escalation Johnson maintained the argument that progress was being made and that the war would soon be over, but in 1968 the NV launched a coordinated attack on dozens of citizens called the Tet Offensive which destroyed the idea that the NV were in disarray. 58,000 communists were killed as well as 4000 troops and 4300 civilians. The US embassy was attacked and four embassy staff were killed. The communists demonstrated that they could move freely and effectively throughout the South, it took three weeks to recapture Saigon. The Vietcong saw it as a failure as they had failed to create a SV communist government, on the other hand it can be seen as an American defeat as tet strengthened communist positions in rural area - turning point in the war

Question 17

role of the media

Answer 17

Media coverage of Tet challenged the government’s position, media images made it seem like they had been defeated. Many people felt that the media turned the public against the war. Before Tet, the media had been generally supportive. Walter Cronkite’s analysis after Tet - Johnson ‘if I’ve lost Cronkite I’ve lost Middle America’ Media images made it seem like the US forces had been defeated. The American public saw communist forces attacking American soldiers and destroying villages, however, the media only showed the reality, The US had supported its South Vietnamese creation since 1955, but even after 3 years of greatly escalated US involvement, SV remained unable to cope with the communist challenge

Question 18

impact on Americans

Answer 18

It was shown through the media that it was clear that America was not winning the war. Opposition to the war started. After Tet, Johnson rejected requests from the JCB for more troops. This led many to conclude that tet and popular reaction to media coverage of it was responsible for the start of the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam. Johnson decided not to run for the 1968 election as a result - they were a lot of public backlash, ‘hey hey LBJ how many kids did you kill today’

Question 19

khe sahn base

Answer 19

Khe Sahn had been a US base since 1962 and lay close to the border of NV, which allowed the US to patrol the Ho Chi Minh trail. On 21st Jan 1968, General Giap surrounded the base with 20,000 men and a 75 day siege began. Johnson agreed to drop 80,000 tons of bombs. Westmoreland was outraged at losing the base and even suggested using nuclear weapons. Westmoreland was replaced by General Creighton Abrams. He convinced Johnson that the base was a liability and they decided to close it down. The retreat was kept from the public for as long as possible. NV used it as propaganda and broadcasted it as a victory. Ho chi Minh trial - NV supply line

Question 20

relations btw the US and allies

Answer 20

Johnson aimed to strengthen alliances through the modernisation of NATO, greater European integration and better relations with the East. However, the Vietnam War damaged relations between the USA and her allies and it allowed the Soviets to take advantage of it as they started building up their nuclear weapons and navy. Out of 40 nations allied to the United States only Australia, New Zealand and Thailand sent troops to Vietnam. South Korea and Thailand had to be bribed to go. Japan criticised the escalation and sold supplies to both sides - highlights a period of international isolationism

Question 21

SEATO involvement

Answer 21

SK - 50,000 troops
Aus - 7770 troops
Thailand - 11570 troops
Phil and NZ - less than 3,000 troops together

Question 22

charles de gaulle

Answer 22

As the Vietnam war became worse, de Gaulle greatly damaged the United States
1. He told reps of other nations that the US could not be counted on if the Soviets invaded Europe as they had failed in the war
2. He criticised the bombings of a very small people by a very large one in an ‘unjust detestable war’
3. He assumed leadership of Western Europe. Promoted the influence of France and undermined that of the United States
4. He tried to get West Germany out of the Western Alliance, and he established ties with the Eastern block despite US opposition
5. France’s withdrawal from Nato in 1966 shows how much the Vietnam War caused a divide

Question 23

Johnson and Vietnam by 1968

Answer 23

Tet led to the slow withdrawal of American troops
Mcnamara resigned as secretary of state in 1967 as he knew the war could not be won by the Americans
Nixon began to lead in opinion polls and Johnson decided to halt the bombing campaigns in a bid to salvage some legacy of peace
Nixon claimed that he had a secret plan to end the war and this swayed the public to believe him
Johnson and the democrats lost the mid-term election badly in 1966 and they barely retained control of the senate and house

Question 24

the Kennedy legacy

Answer 24

Johnson knew a long war would probably lose popular and congressional support and that the Saigon government was weak and unpopular. However, the Kennedy legacy left him little room for manoeuvre for several reasons :
The Kennedy administration had colluded in the assassination of Diem which morally locked the US into Vietnam
Johnson felt obliged to continue the assassinated presidents policies
Johnson retained JFKs cabinet which meant that no new ideas emerged on Vietnam