JOHNSON: FOREIGN POLICY

Question 1

Reasons for continued involvement in Vietnam

Answer 1

• Cold War convictions: belief in the domino theory continued. Johnson did not want to be accused of losing Vietnam
• Kennedy legacy: the assassination of Diem morally locked them in, Johnson felt obligated the continue Kennedy’s policies and retained his advisors, which meant there were no new ideas, just repetition of existing policies - made up the Working Group who made recommendations to continue US involvement
• Failings of the Saigon government: Minh’s regime were no more capable than Diem, unpopular and unwilling to reform

Question 2

Quagmire theory

Answer 2

• Suggests that American leaders had unintentionally and mistakenly led to the country into the Vietnam war and could not extract themselves easily

Question 3

Gulf of Tonkin incident, August 1964

Answer 3

• The Maddox, a US destroyer, exchanged shots with North Vietnamese torpedo boats, and again two days later, though this is believed to not have happened
• Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, giving Johnson the power to ‘take all necessary steps’ to help South Vietnam
• Johnson had been criticised for searching for a pretext
• His approval rating went from 42% to 72%

Question 4

Aims of Operation Rolling Thunder

Answer 4

• To demoralise the North Vietnamese and their government
• To secure American postions in South Vietnam
• To win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people

Question 5

Success of Operation Rolling Thunder

Answer 5

• Restricted out of fear for provoking a Soviet/Chinese response
• Failed to undermine Ho Chi Minh’s government in its first few weeks; began to be used against supply lines
• Lost 900 US aircrafts and cost $900 million compared to $300 million damages to North Vietnam
• 67% of Americans approved his actions
• Beginning in March 1065, it was meant to last 8 weeks, but lasted 3 years

Question 6

Napalm

Answer 6

• A jelly-like incendiary substance
• Had unbearably painful affects and almost always caused death
• Air raides became more devastatong
• 1965-1973: 8 million tons of bombs
• First TV war - images entered people’s living rooms

Question 7

Agent Orange

Answer 7

• Toxic chemical herbicide used from 1965-1970
• Intended to deprive Vietnamese farmers and guerrilla fighters of clean food and water so they would relocate to areas more heavily under US control - can’t hide in jungle
• 4.8 million deaths and 400,000 birth defects due to exposure – entered the water supply
• Violated the Geneva Contract

Question 8

First ground troops

Answer 8

• Vietcong forces attacked a US air base near Pleiku, killing 8 Americans and wounding 100
• In spring 1965, the first official troops of 3500 Marines were sent in
• Won Johnson great popularity: 80% favoured sending in troops, 47% wanted to send even more
• By December 1967, there were 535,000 troops in Vietnam
• US patrols only ever had a 1% engagement rate with the enemy; therefore, large increases in numbers still don’t result in positive outcomes militarily

Question 9

Search and Destroy

Answer 9

• US troop tactic used to seek out secret Viet Cong hidning places and destroy the villages that they stayed in
• Alienated the South Vietnamese population
• Promotions, medals, rations for higher body count - lack of care for humanity, ‘if it’s dead, it’s VC.’
• One marine said ‘if they weren’t pro-Vietcong before we got there, they sure as hell were by the time we left,’

Question 10

Aims of the Tet Offensive

Answer 10

• To liberate the south before Ho Chi Ming died
• To cause the collapse of the Saigon government
• To demonstrate the strength to America

Question 11

Events of the Tet Offensive

Answer 11

• Broke the traditional Tet holiday truce
• American ambassador had to flee as they breached the embassy
• Took 11,000 American and ARVN troops three weeks to clear Saigon of communist forces
• The battle of Khe Sanh was fought at the same time to distract the Americans: 100,000 communists and 500 Americans dead.