The Ending of Conflict in Vietnam

Question 1

What did Nixon promise when elected POTUS?

Answer 1

The Vietnam War would continue until “peace and honour” could be achieved.

Question 2

What did the USA and NV want at the peace talks?

Answer 2

USA: Not agree to a reunited Vietnam
NV: Wanted a reunited Vietnam

Question 3

What was Nixon’s policy of Vietnamisation?

Answer 3

-US troops would gradually leave Vietnam with the ARVN taking more responsibility for the fighting.
-US government would continue to support the SV government financially.

Question 4

Why was Vietnamisation bound to fail?

Answer 4

-ARVN was no match for the NVA as the VC were receiving support from China and USSR.

Question 5

Why was SV president. Nguyen Van Thieu suspicious of Vietnamisation?

Answer 5

-In September 1969, the US began peace talks with the North.
-Thieu was left out of the peace talks
-Nixon gradually withdrew troops from Vietnam

Question 6

By the end of 1971, how many US troops were in Vietnam?

Answer 6

140K

Question 7

Who was Nixon’s secretary of state?

Answer 7

Henry Kissinger

Question 8

What did Detente mean?

Answer 8

Differences were not forgotten but constructive discussions could take place over disagreements. This was between USA and USSR.

Question 9

What made it easier for the USA to negotiate a ceasefire?

Answer 9

Relations between China and the USSR were worse.

Question 10

What did Nixon do to try and put more pressure on NV to negotiate

Answer 10

Invaded Cambodia in 1970.

Question 11

How did the NV government respond to the invasion of Cambodia?

Answer 11

Boycotted all talks until the US withdrew

Question 12

Who did the SV invade in 1971?

Answer 12

Laos

Question 13

Why did SV invade Laos?

Answer 13

-To block HCM trail.
-USA provided bombing raids as backup

Question 14

Why was the invasion of Laos a failure?

Answer 14

-Troops withdrew after 6 weeks
-Half of them were killed or wounded

Question 15

Why was Nixon’s Vietnamisation tactic clearly not working?

Answer 15

Increased support for communists in Cambodia and Laos

Question 16

Why was Operation Linebacker enforced and what was it?

Answer 16

-Bombing campaign of NV
-Called because NV invaded the south in 1972 led by 100 soviet tanks.
-Linebacker destroyed roads, bridges, lorries, tanks, railway lines, storage depots and the port of Haipong.

Question 17

What were smart bombs used for?

Answer 17

Precision bombing

Question 18

How else did Nixon try to get the North to give up its invasion of SV?

Answer 18

Cutting off its fuel supply

Question 19

How was the bombing campaign greeted in the USA?

Answer 19

-Very badly, storm of protest nationwide.

Question 20

What was different about the Vietnam War than any other before it?

Answer 20

It was the most covered by America and world media.

Question 21

Why was the US relations with the media good at the start of the war?

Answer 21

-Newspapers, radio and TV journalists followed the official line of policy.
-US created MACV to liaise with journalists.
-Journalists accredited with liaise were given transport to war areas, interviews and briefings with commanders.
-Between 1963 and 68, only 3 journalists had their accreditation removed.

Question 22

What is an example of newspaper editors not wanting to publish bad stories about Vietnam?

Answer 22

Seymour Harsh, who broke the My Lai massacre, had to try several newspapers before he could find one willing to break the story.

Question 23

Why did TV networks not want to show violent and destructive scenes during peak times?

Answer 23

Viewers might switch channels

Question 24

What was the moment that changed the way the US media reported on Vietnam?

Answer 24

The execution by SV police chief Colonel Nguyen Ngoc Loan of a VC suspect was broadcast to millions of Americans during the Tet Offensive.

Question 25

What significant source of information was taking over during the late 1960s?

Answer 25

TV

Question 26

Which famous and respected CBS reporter claimed Vietnam was 'Unwinnable'

Answer 26

Walter Cronkite.

Question 27

What did the US generals claim the media did to the war effort?

Answer 27

Undermined it

Question 28

How could it be argued the media weren't at fault for undermining the war effort?

Answer 28

-The media reflected the changing views of the American people. -Casualties and weariness were the reasons for not supporting the war. -Between 1965-70, only 76/2300 TV reports shooed heavy fighting -Research shows that in a sample of 800 broadcasts, only 16% of criticism came from journalists.

Question 29

Why was 1968 such a significant year for Americans?

Answer 29

It was a year of protests for a wide range of issues including: -Right for free speech in universities -Civil rights for African Americans -Condition for the poorest people in America

Question 30

What did LBJ mean when he promised to create a "Great society" when he was elected in 1964?

Answer 30

Better living standards, health care and other benefits for all Americans.

Question 31

What did the American people say the cost of the Vietnam War did to LBJs plan for a "great society"?

Answer 31

Undermined it so the issue of the Vietnam War became linked to the issue of poverty and welfare.

Question 32

How did the Vietnam War effect African Americans compared to white Americans?

Answer 32

-30% of AA were drafted compared to 19% of WA. -22% of total casualties were AA while they only made up 11% of total forces.

Question 33

What was the effect of Muhammed Ali refusing the draft due to his Muslim faith?

Answer 33

-Stripped of his world title -Passport taken

Question 34

Why did students protest against the Vietnam War?

Answer 34

-Did not want to be drafted for a war they didn't believe in. -Morally wrong

Question 35

What chant did students taunt LBJ with?

Answer 35

"Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?"

Question 36

What did the students do at protests in early 1968?

Answer 36

burnt the American flag which was a crime.

Question 37

What happened at Kent State University in 1970?

Answer 37

-Students protested against the invasion of Cambodia. -National Guard panicked and opened fire. -Four were killed and 11 injured

Question 38

As a result of what happened at Kent State University, how did the American public react?

Answer 38

-400 colleges closed -2 million students went on strike

Question 39

What was the Watergate scandal?

Answer 39

-Five men tried to bug the Democratic Party headquarters. -They were republicans. -Nixon said he knew nothing and won election with a landslide. -It emerged Nixon had been secretly recording tapes in the Oval Office. -He had to hand the tapes to the Supreme Court but some were missing. -Nixon was faced with impeachment and resigned in August 1974.

Question 40

What was agreed at Paris 1973?

Answer 40

-An immediate ceasefire -Release of all prisoners -Withdrawal of US forces -Self determination for SV

Question 41

What made the Paris agreement meaningless?

Answer 41

2 years later SV fell to the communists.

Question 42

Nixon promised aid to SV after the agreement. Why could this not be given?

Answer 42

Congress refused it as there was evidence the SV government was corrupt

Question 43

When did Saigon fall?

Answer 43

April 1975.

Question 44

What was one of the bleakest symbols of failure in Vietnam?

Answer 44

-In April 1975, American helicopters took off from the US embassy as Vietnamese men , woman and children desperately tried to clamber aboard.

Question 45

What was the human cost in Vietnam?

Answer 45

-1 million Vietnamese soldiers killed -2 million wounded -2 million civilians killed, 5 injured -11 million refugees -100K babies born had American fathers and were shunned by society

Question 46

What was the human and financial cost to the USA?

Answer 46

-58K Americans killed -300K wounded -$170 billion spent -Similar amount paid to widows and wounded soldiers -PTSD

Question 47

What was the environmental and health cost in Vietnam?

Answer 47

-Agent Orange destroyed millions of acres of forest and animals that lived there -Agent blue destroyed 300K hectares of farmland. -Chemicals caused cancer for Vietnamese people for 30+ years -Unexploded bombs caused death and injury years after the war. -Rivers and streams were poisoned

Question 48

What political and economic problems were caused for Vietnam after the war?

Answer 48

-USA refuses to let them join the UN -USA imposes trade ban on Vietnam -1 million tried to escape in 1975.