Pages 15-16 of Asia A5 booklet (USA's increasing involvement in Vietnam)

Question 1

What was the first step to the USA’s involvement in Vietnam?

Answer 1

No direct involvement.

Question 2

What was the second step to the USA’s involvement in Vietnam?

Answer 2

1949-1954
Financial involvement (supporting the failing French)

Question 3

What did the Viet Minh want?

Answer 3

The Viet Minh wanted Vietnam to be independent from the French.

Question 4

When did the French go to war against the Viet Minh?

Answer 4

There was a war between the French and the Viet Minh from 1946-1954. When the French lost, the USA gave $500 million per year to help the war effort.

Question 5

What did the Viet Minh do that the French found impossible to beat?

Answer 5

They used guerrilla tactics.

Question 6

How many French soldiers were constantly attacked by the Viet Minh’s soldiers?

Answer 6

190,000 French soldiers were constantly attacked by the Viet Minh’s hit and run raids.

Question 7

What did the French do in retaliation to the Viet Minh’s guerrilla tactics?

Answer 7

The French attempted to control the countryside by raiding peasant villages which simply increased peasant support for the Viet Minh.

Question 8

How many casualties did the raids on villages cause?

Answer 8

The raids caused over 90,000 French casualties.

Question 9

When was the Battle of Dien Bien Phu?

Answer 9

1954

Question 10

What happened at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu?

Answer 10

A large, well armed force of French paratroopers was defeated by the Viet Minh.

Question 11

How many French casualties were there from the Battle of Dien Bien Phu?

Answer 11

Over 3,000 French soldiers died and 8,000 died later in captivity.

Question 12

What else hapened in 1954?

Answer 12

In 1954, a peace conference was held in Geneva which agreed to divide the country into North and South Vietnam until elections could be held to decide its future.

Question 13

What was it about the Viet Minh that allowed them to defeat a strong French army?

Answer 13

• Effective leadership.
• Guerrilla tactics
• Sheer determination (the peasants carried the Viet Minh’s supplies by hand)

Question 14

Who helped the Viet Minh?

Answer 14

Both the USSr and China who were communist helped to provide the Viet Minh with modern weapons which allowed them to attack, and defeat the French.

Question 15

What was the third step to the USA’s involvement in Vietnam?

Answer 15

1955-1962
Political involvement (supporting Ngo Dinh Diem)

Question 16

Why did the USA prevent elections from taking place in Vietnam?

Answer 16

In Vietnam, the USA prevented the elections from taking place due to fear of a communist victory. The Communists already controlled N. Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh was an inspirational figure.

Question 17

What did the USA help to set up in 1955?

Answer 17

The USA helped to set up the anti-communist Republic of South Vietnam under Ngo Dinh Diem.

Question 18

How much money did the USA support Diem with?

Answer 18

The USA gave Diem’s government $1.6 billion in 1950.

Question 19

When was Diem killed by army leaders?

Answer 19

Diem was overthrown and killed by army leaders in 1963.

Question 20

When was the Viet Cong set up?

Answer 20

1960

Question 21

What was the fourth step to the USA’s involvement in Vietnam?

Answer 21

1962-1965

Non combative military advisors.

Question 22

What did President Kennedy do in 1962?

Answer 22

In 1962, President Kennedy sent military ‘advisors’ to fight the Viet Cong and introduced the Strategic HAmlet Relocation Programme which moved peasants from Viet Conh controled areas to areas controlled by the South Vietnamese government.

Question 23

How many military advisors were there in Vietnam in 1962 and 1964?

Answer 23

There were 11,500 military advisors in South Vietnam by 1962 and 23,000 by the end of 1964.

Question 24

When was Kennedy assainated?

Answer 24

1963.

Question 25

Who was Kennedy’s successor?

Answer 25

Lyndon B. Johnson, who was prepared to start a war to prevent the spread of communism.

Question 26

What happens in 1964?

Answer 26

The Gulf of Tonkin incident. The US government passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution which allowed LBJ to “take all necessary measures to prevent further agression and achieve peace and security”.

Question 27

What happened on the 8th March 1965?

Answer 27

3,500 US Marines landed at Da Nang in South Vietnam which started the Vietnam War.

Question 28

What is containment?

Answer 28

Meant stopping the advance of Communism wherever it looked like it was gaining ground.

Question 29

What 2 reasons were there for why the USA supported the French in Vietnam?

Answer 29

• They thought that Vietnam was allied to Communist China.
• They wanted to keep the support of the French against communism in Europe (where the Cold War was also taking place with the Soviet sphere of influence and the Berlin Blockade),

Question 30

What was the Military-Industrial Complex?

Answer 30

Some people controversially believe that powerful groups within the USA wanted a war.
The government gave huge budgets to the military commanders which were spent on contracts on weapons to fight the war, these contracts were with huge corporations in the USA. Both the military and the huge businesses would therefore gain from the conflict.

Question 31

What did Eisenhower do about the Military-Industrial Complex?

Answer 31

While not accusing the corporations of pushing for war, President Eisenhower warned the USA not to let these groups become too powerful.

Question 32

How did American politics play a role in the American involvement in Vietnam?

Answer 32

America elects a new President every 4 years, in the 1950s and 1960s it was a sure vote winner to talk tough on Communism and anyone who didn’t was sure to lose votes.
E.G. In his 1960 election campaign, JFK promised to continue the tough policies of President Eisenhower.

Question 33

Who was Eisenhower’s Secretary of State

Answer 33

JF Dulles

Question 34

What did Eisenhower and his Secretary of State convince themselves?

Answer 34

They were convinced thatChina and the USSR were planning to spread Communism throughout Asia.
Often referred to as the “Domino Theory”

Question 35

Which countries would fall to Communism if Vietnam did?

Answer 35

If Vietnam fell to Communism then Laos, Cambodia, Burma, Thailand and maybe even India might fall as well.

Question 36

Why did the USA supply S. Vietnam with $1.6 billion between 1954-1960?

Answer 36

Vietnam was the first domino in the row and the USA was determined to stop it falling.

Question 37

What did the USA supply for the Strategic Hamlet Relocation Programme?

Answer 37

The Americans supplied the building material, money and food for this but it made them unpopular with the relocated Vietnam.

Question 38

What did the hamlets have to protect the villagers from VC attacks?

Answer 38

The hamlets had stockades to protect the villagers from VC attacks.

Question 39

By the end of 1962, how many hamlets had been located and how many people could they house?

Answer 39

By the end of 1962, 3000 hamlets had been created, housing 4 million peasants.

Question 40

What did JFK realise was key to winning the Vietnamese War?

Answer 40

He realised that gaining public support was key. Most US servicemen were even unaware of how unpopular Diem’s government was, ho they were supporting.

Question 41

What did corrupt officials under Diem use the Strategic Hamlet Relocation programme for?

Answer 41

Corrupt officials under Diem used the programme as a way of making some money for themselves.

Question 42

Why was it impossible to isolate VC members during this programme?

Answer 42

It was impossible to isolate VC members from the hamlets as they were dressed as civilians.