Johnson (Foreign Policy) Flashcards
Gulf of Tonkin incident
USS Maddox exchanged shots with North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf. 2 later the Maddox reported once again coming under fire.
Although these attacks never actually occurred, it set for immediate increase of the war
Golf on Tonkin resolution- Congress gave Johnson the power to take all necessary steps to help south Vietnam.
By 1965, 180,000 American troops were on the ground with more on the way.
Criticism of the gulf of Tonkin resolution
-Believed Johnson had sought resolution because he was planning escalation
-Claim he deceived Congress about the attacks
-1964 presidential election declared Johnson soft and communism so Johnson has appear tough
-When he bombed for the first time in summer 1964, his approval ratings rocketed from 42% to 72%
Operation Rolling Thunder
Started in 1965 and bombings lasted until 1968. Despite the fact it wasn’t meant to be more than an 8 week campaign.
Aim to decrease communist inflation north Vietnam and encourage the south Vietnamese government.
Failure of operation thunder to undermine the government of Ho Chi Minh led to a change in strategy.
Financial costs were huge and estimated damage to North Vietnam was $300 million however cost to US was $900 million.
By the end of 1965 bombing raids were used against the supply lines that north into south.
Vietcong forces attacked US air bases in South Vietnam.
General Westmoreland claimed that unless he received more troop the vietcong would overrun these air bases as a result Johnson sent more troops to South Vietnam.
Napalm
Napalm/Agent orange:
US used substances known as napalm which burns up to 10 minutes.
The effects of Napalm are unbearably painful and cause death among its victims.
-Napalm was first used in flamethrowers for US ground troops as they banned down sections of the forest, eliminating any geurilla fighters.
B-52 bombers began dropping napalm bombs
Throughout the duration of the war 8 million tons of bombs were dropped over Vietnam
Agent Orange
Toxic chemical herbicide intended to deprive Vietnamese farmers and gorilla fighters of clean food and water in hopes they would relocate to the areas more heavily controlled by the US.
20 million gallons of Herbicides were sprayed over Forest and Fields.
It’s intensity destroyed or plants in the area which not only had devastating effects on agriculture, but also on people and humans.
-800,000 deaths recorded and 400,000 children born with birth defects.
Guerrilla warfare
-Setting of booby traps and landmines.
(Punji sticks) which injured troops and -costly to care
-slows down troops to rescue
-occupies soldiers as they spend time in hospitals so can’t fight.
-Mingled with peasants wearing ordinary clothes -so they couldn’t be identified
-Used Ho chi Minh trail to supply their armies. Americans couldn’t attack their supply routes without escalating the war.
-Staying so close to American troops so they could use artillery or risked killing their own men
-Extensive tunnels
Search and destroy
Troops went through villages dragging villages out and blowing up the huts because they had underground bunkers which were vietcong hiding places.
With their homes wrecked and rice confiscated villages were turned to support the Vietcong.
Success was measured on enemy body counts. The bodies meant more promotions and medals
Johnson’s Reasons for escalation
-The US needed to fight if it wanted to live securely in a free world
-North Vietnam had aggressively attacked south Vietnam
-north Vietnam was a puppet of expansionist communist powers (USSR and China)
-Eisenhower and Kennedy helped defend south Vietnam abandon it would be dishonourable and cause US allies to doubt America’s word and credibility
-Appeasement could lead to World War III
The Tet offensive
Drawing the traditional 10th holiday truce while Americans and South Vietnamese were preoccupied with the festival the North Vietnamese attacked cities and military bases in the south.
-American ambassador had to free embassy in Saigon in his pyjamas
-it took 11,000 American trip is 3 weeks to clear Saigon of communist forces
-Attacks the US embassy and dramatic scenes were headline news in America
-This event cost a great many lives and incredible damage
Significance of the Tet offensive
-Largest city of battles fought in the South
-communist suffered great losses
-South Vietnamese had not written to help communists which damaged Vietcong claim to be liberation force
-US officials had failed to notice warnings and their confidence was shaken
-It damaged Americans faith in their side as the good guys
-Unforgettable phrase ‘ we had to destroy the town to save it’ repeated in News and Americans questioned what was being done in Vietnam
-Administration had been claiming that America was winning the war TV pages suggested US failure
-Increase the credibility gap between Johnson administration explanation and events in Vietnam
-US reporters presented a uniformly hostile and negative picture of the tet offensive which led to Americans feeling of great defeat
-Johnson performed badly at the press conference following Tet
-After Tet Johnson’s approval ratings plummeted.
-It was Johnson to withdraw from the 1968 presidential race
-Johnson rejected the man that 200,000 more US troops be sent to Vietnam
-Johnson said he would concentrate on pursuit of peace
Battle of Khe Sanh
Fought at the same time as Tet.
It was the biggest and bloodiest battle of the war
10,000 communists and 500 Americans died.
Was Tet American defeat or victory
Victory:
-Took North Vietnamese several years to get over it
-Contrary to vietcong hopes the south Vietnamese had not risen up to help communists
-American and South Vietnamese forces regained control of south Vietnamese cities
-US stopped the overthrow of the Saigon government
Defeat:
-Communist position in rural areas with strengthen because of their performance in Tet.
-Media images made it seem like they have been defeated
-American viewers saw Communist forces in the grounds of the American embassy
-The media turned the public against the war
-LBJ quote after Cronkite speech if I’ve lost Walter, I’ve lost America.
End of escalation
-After Tet Johnson rejected JCS request for more treats
-Knowing the war could not be one McNamara resigned
-Clifford the successor doubted the domino theory and wisdom of US involvement which was confirmed by Tet.
-The United States had to begin withdrawal from Vietnam.
Relations between US and Western Allies
-Vietnam war damage relations between US and western Allies.
-Vietnam war did more damage to America’s image abroad than any previous event
President Charles de Gaulle was the greatest effective
-President Charles in France gave a speech to 100,000 people in the capital of Cambodia denouncing US policy in Vietnam and urging Johnson to pull troops out of south east Asia.
-Repeatedly told representatives of other nations that the US would not be counted on if so that invaded Europe As America became increasingly occupied with Vietnam.
-He criticised the bombing of very small people by a large one as in just
-He took advantages of American preoccupation with Vietnam to assume leadership of western Europe and promoted the influence of France and undermined the US.
-He established economic and cultural ties with the eastern block despite US opposition
-Withdrew from NATO in 1966 and the removal of NATO headquarters and 26,000 American troops from France.
-South Korea and Thailand had to be bribed to send troops.
-Japan criticise the escalation and sold supplies to both sides.
The war exposed the weakness of SEATO and the international isolation of the USA
