Vietnam Flashcards

1
Q

When were elections planned in Vietnam?

A

1956

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1
Q

What was planned for 1956 in Vietnam?

A

Elections to reunify the country.

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2
Q

When was the NLF set up?

A

1960

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3
Q

What did the Americans call the NLF?

A

Vietcong

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4
Q

What was Diem’s government made up of?

A

Rich, Christian landowners

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5
Q

When did the French rule of Indochina come to an end?

A

1954

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6
Q

When did Diem refuse the election?

A

August 1955

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7
Q

What did the military do in 1956 in North Vietnam?

A

Put down a revolt, about 6000 killed.

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8
Q

How many fled from North Vietnam in 1956?

A

1 million

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9
Q

Who advised Ho Chi Minh on his collectivisation programme?

A

China

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10
Q

John Foster Dulles admission about Diem

A

Supported him because “we knew of no one better”

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11
Q

Diem nepotism

A

His brother was prime minister.
Many family members government positions.
Large amounts of US aid for agriculture was given to family + officials.

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12
Q

When did Diem visit USA?

A

1957

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13
Q

What did Eisenhower term Diem?

A

The miracle man of Asia

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14
Q

When was NLF established?

A

1960

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15
Q

What does NLF stand for?

A

National Liberation Front

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16
Q

What did Diem replace?

A

Councils with powerful officials (mostly Catholic)

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17
Q

What were the two groups in the NLF?

A

Communists
Nationalists - also wanted to be rid of imperialists

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18
Q

Who led the NLF?

A

Tho

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19
Q

Where was the NLF in 1960 when established?

A

South Vietnam, to liberate.

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20
Q

Benefit of Ho Chi Minh using the NLF instead of an army in 1960?

A

Presented as resistance movement - did not contravene Geneva Conference agreement that North couldn’t place forces in South.

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21
Q

What is to note about the NLF manifesto?

A

Mostly nationalist instead of ideological.

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22
Q

How much did USA give to French from 1950?

A

$1 billion a year

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23
Q

By 1953-54 what % of French war effort were the USA paying for?

A

80%

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24
Q

Where was the French catastrophic defeat in 1954?

A

Dien Bien Phu

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25
Q

What religious group did Diem persecute?

A

Buddhists

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26
Q

When was the Buddhist crisis?

A

1963

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27
Q

When were the Geneva Peace Accords?

A

1954

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28
Q

What % of the country did Eisenhower think would vote communist in 1956?

A

80

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29
Q

What did Eisenhower send to Vietnam?

A

‘Advisors’

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30
Q

What % of the country was Buddhist?

A

70

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31
Q

What policy did Kennedy initally implement in Vietnam?

A

Strategic Hamlets

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32
Q

How many troops did Kennedy send to vietnam?

A
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33
Q

What does Ho Chi Minh translate to?

A

Bringer of light

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34
Q

Notable important thing about 1956 prevention of elections

A

It was the US!!!! Especially John Foster Dulles

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35
Q

Evidence for sham election in 1955

A

Diem claimed 605,000 voters in Saigon for him. There were only 450,000 people…

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36
Q

What did the US insist upon in 1961?

A

South Vietnam allowed them to have a share in decision making for more aid.

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37
Q

How many special advisors were deployed in 1961?

A

400

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38
Q

Who visited Vietnam in 1961?

A

Johnson (vice president)

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39
Q

By the end of 1962, how many advisors in South Vietnam?

A

9000

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40
Q

What did the Kennedy administration go to considerable lengths to do?

A

Cover up their involvement

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41
Q

Late 1962, how many NLF members?

A

300,000

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42
Q

Early guerilla warfare victory

A

Battle of Ap Bac - Jan 1963
South Vietnam outnumbered NLF 10-1
NLF decisive victory

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43
Q

When did Mansfield visit Vietnam?

A

1962

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44
Q

Conclusions of Mansfield

A

Very little progress since last visit in 1955

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45
Q

What was McNamara planning in mid-62?

A

Withdrawal of troops once they had trained ARVN

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46
Q

What was the Strategic Hamlet program in reality.

A

Forced relocation

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47
Q

Extent of strategic hamlets

A

3000, with four million people

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48
Q

3 reasons strategic hamlet program failed

A

1 - Vietcong targeted officials, not peasants
2 - Almost impossible to prevent NLF agents entering the hamlets
3 - corrupt officials took supplies

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49
Q

Who became Archbishop of Hue?

A

Thuc, Diem’s brother

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50
Q

Buddhist flag thing

A

Catholics encouraged to display papal flags
Next week buddhists banned from flying flags for Buddha’s birthday
1963

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51
Q

Military treatment of crowd 8th May 1963

A

Fired into crowd to prevent them listening to speech by Buddhist leader - Tri Quang

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52
Q

Famous monk self-immolation

A

Quang Doc

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53
Q

How did Nhu’s wife respond to burnings?

A

“Let them burn, and we shall clap our hands”

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54
Q

What did Khrushchev give a speech about in January 1961?

A

His support for wars of national liberation

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55
Q

When did CIA start arming tribes in Laos?

A

1961 - No public knowledge!

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56
Q

How did the US pressure Diem?

A

Cut off funds to Nhu’s special forces.
Suspended commodity export program.

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57
Q

When was the fake coup that turned into a real coup?

A

1st November 1963

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58
Q

What happened to Diem and Nhu?

A

Brutally murdered

59
Q

What had the CIA done throughout the coup?

A

Kept contact with plotting generals

60
Q

What did Lodge (ambassador to SV) admit about coup?

A

Vietnam affair
Could not have been initiated without USA

61
Q

How could Kennedy’s involvement be analysed?

A

Middle ground, flexible response, had not defeated the NLF but emboldened them. The situation was more dangerous than in 1961.

62
Q

What did Johnson initally view Vietnam through the lens of?

A

1964 election

63
Q

What did Johnson initially want when he became president (vietnam)?

A

Win war fast but without it becoming Americanised

64
Q

How much military in Vietnam when Kennedy dies?

A

16,000

65
Q

Johnson approach until Gulf of Tonkin

A

Continued counterinsurgency
OPLAN 34A - “progressively increasing pressure”
Increased advisors to 23,000
Did not seek any negotiations

66
Q

When was Gulf of Tonkin?

A

August 1964

67
Q

What did South Vietnamese ships do 30th July 1964?

A

UNDER USA DIRECTION
Shelled 2 north vietnamese islands

68
Q

What US ship was in gulf of tonkin?

A

USS Maddox

69
Q

What happened 2nd August 1964?

A

North vietnamese ships fired torpedoes at USS Maddox in Gulf of Tonkin. US planes destroyed one ship and damaged 2 more.

70
Q

What did Johnson order on 4th August 1964?

A

Bombing of NV naval bases

71
Q

What was the law that gave LBJ full control?

A

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

72
Q

What did Gulf of Tonkin resolution do?

A

Gave LBJ the power to take any action in Vietnam without consulting Congress.

73
Q

What did NV do following GOFR?

A

Drastically increased efforts

74
Q

Why was ARVN in a bad state in 1964?

A

Poor training, wages, and leadership.

75
Q

Communist support for NV in 1964

A

China agreed to provide military supplies.
USSR set up diplomatic links with NLF

76
Q

When did first PAVN forces move down Ho Chi Minh trail?

A

Late 1964

77
Q

What was the PAVN?

A

People’s Army of Vietnam

78
Q

Failure of naval base bombing campaign

A

Bolstered Anti-American sentiment

79
Q

Possibility of 1964 negotiations

A

UN offered to arrange talks
Canada offered to arrange talks
NV sent subtle indications of willingness
US firmly rejected

80
Q

Post GofTR plan of US

A

Armed recon + graduated military response

81
Q

2 examples of 1964 VC aggression to US

A

November - attack on US airbase kills 4
Christmas Eve - plant bomb in US bar

82
Q

What caused Johnson to initiate Rolling Thunder?

A

VC attack on Pleiku helicopter base in February 1965

83
Q

When does Rolling Thunder begin?

A

March 1965

84
Q

When does Rolling Thunder end?

A

October 1968

85
Q

What marked start of Americanisation?

A

Rolling Thunder in March 1965

86
Q

In 1966 what was bombing expanded to?

A

NV’s oil storage facilities

87
Q

What % of NV’s oil storage was destroyed by rolling thunder?

A

70%

88
Q

2 failures of rolling thunder

A

NV agricultural landscape
Northern infiltration increased (one of the main aims was to prevent this)

89
Q

1965-67 difference in northern infiltration

A

1965 - 35,000
1967 - 90,000

90
Q

When were first US ground troops deployed?

A

March 1965

91
Q

How many US ground troops by end of 1965?

A

180,000

92
Q

How many ground troops by 1968?

A

536,000

93
Q

What did Johnson escalation cause?

A

Resolve of North Vietnamese to strengthen against imperialist invaders - nationalism

94
Q

Who was commander of North Vietnamese forces?

A

Giap

95
Q

By 1967, how much supplies arriving to SV?

A

1 million tonnes a month

96
Q

Why were helicopters used so much?

A

Allowed troops to be delivered to exact locations without ambush.

97
Q

What was Westmoreland’s approach?

A

War of attrition - essentially pound at enemy however they could until victory won.

98
Q

Fact about extent of bombing

A

More bombs fell on Vietnam than bombs used in entirety of WW2

99
Q

Explain the replacement problem

A

Whatever resources NV lost, they were just replaced by China and USSR

100
Q

Operation Ranch Hand

A

Kennedy policy from 1962
Spraying chemicals

101
Q

Agent orange

A

Destroyed trees, caused terrible deformities in children

102
Q

Agent blue

A

Sprayed over crops to starve into submission. Alienated vietnamese peasants

103
Q

Pineapple Bombs

A

Sent thousands of pellets flying everywhere. Harmed many civilians

104
Q

Napalm

A

Indiscriminate air attack. Gel set on fire. Famous example is Kim Phuc

105
Q

Effect of US chemical weapons attacks

A

Reinforced idea of US as an evil enemy. Alienated the peasants.

106
Q

What was the US destroy tactic

A

Search and destory

107
Q

Negative effects of seach and destroy

A

Success measure in body count.
Food supplies and civilians murdered.

108
Q

What was commendable about the Vietcong?

A

Modelled on Mao’s forces.
Aimed to not destroy land/crops and treat peasants well - won support and recruits.

109
Q

What did the failure for the people to rise during Tet offensive show?

A

South Vietnamese peasant support was not guaranteed

110
Q

When was the Tet Offensive?

A

January-February 1968

111
Q

South Vietnamese leader in 1968

A

Thieu

112
Q

Issue with Tet communication

A

36 hours
South Vietnamese failed to communicate this effectively, thought it would end later

113
Q

NLF diversionary tactic before Tet

A

Attacked US base Khe Sanh
10,000 NV died. 500 americans.
US diverted resources including 6000 troops
Westmoreland wanted to use nukes
US believed this was the anticipated offensive

114
Q

What day did Tet offensive start?

A

30th January 1968

115
Q

Was Tet a success or failure?

A

Failure
25,000 VC killed
Failed to cause an uprising

116
Q

What significant location was attacked in Tet?

A

US embassy
Falsely reported for a short while in US that it had been taken

117
Q

What did VC capture from Hue?

A

Significant amount of ARVN weapons?

118
Q

Who gave a famous broadcast following Tet?

A

Walter Cronkite

119
Q

Message of Walter Cronkite in 1968

A

US not facing defeat but it was a stalemate. They should get out.
Johnson announces not running 33 days later

120
Q

What kind of defeat was Tet for USA?

A

Psychological

121
Q

Johnson’s new Secretary of Defense in 1968

A

Clark Clifford, advised de-escalation post Tet

122
Q

Post-Tet, what % of US thought getting involved was a mistake?

A

49%

123
Q

What psychological policy failed?

A

Winning hearts and minds

124
Q

October 1967 protest

A

Washington DC
100,000. MLK gave a speech

125
Q

What did Johnson’s tactics fail to adapt to?

A

Guerilla warfare, just persisted with attrition

126
Q

When did first preliminary peace talks begin?

A

May 1968, went badly

127
Q

When does Nixon become president?

A

January 1969 after 1968 election

128
Q

What phrase did Nixon use?

A

Peace with honour

129
Q

What did Nixon seriously consider when he entered office in 1969?

A

Ramping up the war

130
Q

2 reasons Nixon did not ramp up war when he entered office

A

1 - domestic opposition
2 - desire for rapproachment with USSR/China

131
Q

Madman Theory

A

Something Nixon admin actually promoted.
Nixon was impulsive and hardline enough that he could actually use nukes.

132
Q

What theory did Nixon administration promote?

A

Madman Theory

133
Q

Name for Nixon’s Vietnam policy

A

Vietnamisation

134
Q

Dual steps of Vietnamisation

A

1 - US withdrawal
2 - Strengthening of SV military machine

135
Q

Increase in ARVN size 1968-1970

A

1968 - 820,000
1970 - 1 million

136
Q

When were the Chicago 7 prosecuted?

A

1969

137
Q

What threat did Nixon send to Ho Chi Minh personally?

A

If progress wasn’t made by 1st November 1969, then he would resort to force.

138
Q

1969 NSC plans

A

Duck Hook
Massive bombing of cities and tactical nukes

139
Q

What were the 1969 NSC plans called?

A

Duck Hook

140
Q

What plan did Nixon abandon in late 1969 and why?

A

Duck Hook
Hanoi stood firm.

141
Q

When did Vietnamisation start?

A

Late 1969, speech in November

142
Q

How many students went on strike?

A

4 million

143
Q

How can we say Nixon failed at honour?

A

Actions internationally condemned

144
Q

Change in US deaths pre and post vietnamisation

A

17,000 in 1968
2500 in 1971
750 in 1972

145
Q

What likelihood fell due to Vietnamisation?

A

A US soldier became less likely to die, because US soldiers put on front line less