Greater Involvement Under Kennedy

Question 1

What year did Kennedy become president?

Answer 1

1961

Question 2

What two things did Kennedy agree with that Eisenhower also did?

Answer 2

Domino theory and limited war

Question 3

Why did Kennedy say normal fighting tactics were failing in Vietnam?

Answer 3

There were 1200 VC guerillas in South (communist control)

Question 4

What did Kennedy tell his advisors to do to isolate VC?

Answer 4

use counterinsurgency tactics

Question 5

What did Kennedy want instead of luring VC into battle?

Answer 5

A policy of pacification: for troops and S. Vietnamese government to win villagers’ support

Question 6

Why was it hard for ARVN to win villager support?

Answer 6

They were seen as part of the corrupt government

Question 7

What did the US ‘Green berets’ do?

Answer 7

Trained villagers to protect from VC

Question 8

How did VC avoid the Green Beret?

Answer 8

Visited villages at night when the Green Beret weren’t there

Question 9

Why was it hard for foreign soldiers?

Answer 9

Vietnamese didn’t trust them

Question 10

US advisers supported strategic hamlets. What are they?

Answer 10

Large villages with schools and clinics to stop VC from recruiting villagers or getting supplies. People were supposed to move from smaller villages and would feel safer and cared for by the government

Question 11

What happened with the Hamlets in Jan 1962?

Answer 11

800 Green Berets helped set up 5000 hamlets by September

Question 12

How was it clear building Strategic Hamlets wasn’t enough?

Answer 12

. US advisers and Diem’s government ignored the fact villagers didn’t want to leave homes
. Diem’s government failed to provide enough food, so villagers went hungry and even starved
. Unlikely to get support now

Question 13

What did US advisers tell Kennedy at the start of 1963?

Answer 13

That the VC were being defeated

Question 14

What happened on 2nd January 1963?

Answer 14

ARVN lost battle of Ap Bac even though they outnumbered the VC and had better weapons

Question 15

What were the losses from the battle of Ap Bac?

Answer 15

5 helicopters and 3 US advisers

Question 16

What did US military try to do about the Battle of Ap Bac?

Answer 16

Make it look like a victory, but media reported otherwise

Question 17

What happened on 6th May 1963?

Answer 17

Government troops fired on Buddhist procession, killing 9

Question 18

How were Buddhists treated badly in June 1963?

Answer 18

Banned from flying flags for Buddha’s birthday

Question 19

How did Quang Duc (Buddhist monk) cause worldwide publicity?

Answer 19

Set himself on fire and died

Question 20

How did Kennedy react to death of Quang Duc?

Answer 20

Shocked by the images, especially after dealing with similar situation of police violence in Birmingham. Kennedy told Diem to be peaceful to Buddhists but Diem continued to raid Buddhist temples and kill more

Question 21

Why did US clearly state they didn’t support Diem after everything with the Buddhists?

Answer 21

As Kennedy knew Diem was too unpopular to survive

Question 22

When was Diem overthrown?

Answer 22

By ARVN generals on 1st November. USA knew of the attack but deliberately didn’t warn Diem

Question 23

What did Kennedy want to do with new South Vietnam government?

Answer 23

Wanted to help but stressed his aims were to:
. Influence democracy in the government
. Influence government to be popular
. Withdraw US advisers as soon as possible

Question 24

When was Kennedy assassinated and who replaced him?

Answer 24

22nd November 1963, replaced by Johnson

Question 25

What did Johnson have to do straight away?

Answer 25

Work with General Minh’s unstable government and hoped to get USA out of Vietnam but wanted to make sure it wa safe from communism first