Vietnam Chapter 2 Flashcards
What was support for the war like before 1965?
There was broad support.
What happened to public support when Johnson escalated the war?
People became more concerned
When did MLK publicly start protesting against the Vietnam war?
1967
Who gave the only speech against the Gulf of Tonkin resolution?
Wayne Morse, Senator for Oregon
How could public opinion be measured?
- Opinion polls
- Politicians
- Demonstrations
What were opinion polls?
Polls that were run regularly and covered a variety of questions a out Vietnam. Some questions were asked often, showing the movement of public feeling on a specific issue.
How did politicians indicate public opinion?
They tend to react when an issue is significant enought to affect votes.
How can demonstrations show public opinion?
Their size, who took part in them, and the specific issues they targeted showed the opinion of the public towards the war. Counte-demonstrations could also show public opinion
Why did student protests capture attention?
They were usually white and middle class
When was Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) set up?
1960
How many members did SDS have by 1965?
3,000 members and groups on over 80 US college campuses.
Why did SDS and other radical groups anger people?
They not only were against the war but they also supported the North Vietnamese
Why did the draft create opposition to the war?
Many people felt it was unfair and people argued that they were too young and not well enough trained so their chances of being killed were higher.
When was the draft system changed to a lottery system?
1969
Of the 2.6 million who served in Vietnam how many were draftees?
650,000. Another million draftees were in the military but didn’t go to Vietnam.
How did people avoid the draft? (4 reasons)
- College students could delay until they graduated.
- Clergymen were exempt
- Workers in vital industry
- Those who could prove their joining up would be a hardship for their families.
How did people avoid the draft (5 reasons)
- The only son of a family
- The physically and mentally unfit
- Conscientious objectors could avoid fighting but had to do other war work.
- Studying or working abroad
- leaving illegally or hiding
How many people applied as COs and how many were exempted?
300,000 applied. 170,000 were exempted
How many people went into hiding in the USA?
It’s estimated to be 40-50,000
How many people avoided the draft?
About 15 million
How did television change people?
People saw the war in uncomfortable detail. It became clea that the government were keeping info from them.
What is an example of the media, contradicting the government?
The government claimed the Tet offensive as a success. But Walter Cronkite came back from Vietnam and told the public that Tet was, at best, a stalemate and the war looked unwinnable.
When was the My Lai massacre?
16 March 1968
What happened immediately after the massacre?
The military announced a successful mission:
- My Lai VC base destroyed and 128 VC killed.
- Soldiers and a helicopter pilot who were there report the massacre.
- Chiefs from nearby villages also report the massacre
The army organised a cover up
When did Ron Rindenhour send evidence to key US politicians to expose the cover-up?
April 1969
What did the new enquiry around My Lai report?
The army had covered up what had really happened.
When did the new enquiry about My Lai report the findings?
15 July 1970
When was Lieutenant Calley charged with murder?
5 September 1970
When did newspapers report the massacre and how many?
On 13 November 1970, 35 different newspapers reported the massacre.
What did the Criminal Investigation divisions find?
347 civilians were killed and 35 members of Charlie Company should be prosecuted.
What did The Peers Enquiry find?
That Calley, while ordering the massacre, was following the orders of his superiors and that the massacre was known about and covered up at a high level, including generals
What was Calley convicted of?
Killing 22 civilians and he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
What did people think of Calley’s trial?
Many people thought it was unfair that he was the only one who stood trial. They felt he was acting under orders amd taking the blame for more senior officers. Others felt acting under orders was not a reasonable excuse.
What happened when Calley’s case was reviewed by President Nixon?
He ruled that, while Calley’s appeal was heard, Calley should be confined at his US military base, not in prison. On appeal his sentence was reduced to 20 years. He was released after 3 and half years under house arrest.
What were the results of a poll of 1,600 people in April 1971?
65% disagreed with Calley’s life sentence
77% felt that the soldiers were only following orders
77% felt that Calley was being used to take the blame
58% felt that Nixon’s reaction was reasonable
When were the Kent State shootings?
4 May 1970
What was the trigger for the protests at Kent State?
Nixon’s announcement of US troops being sent into Cambodia
What happened in the 1st of May at Kent state?
Protesters buried a copy of the US constitution.
That evening there was fighting between pro-war and anti-war groups
What happened on the 2nd of May at Kent state?
- There were several demonstrations
- The Officer Training Corps building was burned down.
- The mayor declared an emergency and 900 members of the national guard arrived.
How many demonstrators were there on the 2nd May at Kent state?
Over 1,000
What happened on the 3rd of May at Kent state?
There were several demonstrations that were broken up by the national guard with tear gas
What happened on the 4th of May at Kent State?
Officials banned a demonstration planned for 12am. 2,000 people ignored the ban. The national guard fired into the crowd and 4 people were killed and 9 injured.
Why was cost a reason for political opposition to the war?
The war cost $167 billion
Why was pacifism a reason for political opposition?
A few politicians were opposed to all war.
What were typical arguments for opposition against the war?
- The North Vietnamese know we’ll go and they’ll still be there
- Limited war may prevent the war escalating but it won’t win the war.
- We can’t tell our enemies from our allies
- We’re struggling to fight against guerrilla warfare
Why was the war a wider political problem?
- There was a possibility of starting a war with the USSR or China.
- There was growing criticism from other nations
How did Johnson lie to congress about the cost of the war?
He told congress that if the war lasted until the summer of 1967 it would cost $10 billion. The real estimate was $20 billion.
What did congress do after the Paris Peace Accords?
Congress refused to give as much funding to South Vietnamese government as Nixon had promised. Thsi quickened the collapse
How did many people worldwide see the USA?
They saw them as supporting a corrupt regime and fighting a war with a shockingly high civilian death toll.
How did patriotism drive support for the war?
They didn’t want the USA to look like it was giving in to a communist country and they didn’t want the USA to be seen as not powerful.
When did the ‘hard hats’ attack protesters?
8 May 1970
What happened at the hard hat riots?
- Construction workers charged out during their lunch break and beat up protesters.
- They broke through a police line. The police did little to stop them.
- They moved to city hall and protested against the Mayor
Who was the leader of the ‘hard hats’?
Peter J. Brennan
When did Nixon give his ‘silent majority’ speech?
3 November 1969
Who were the ‘silent majority’?
Americans who mainly supported his policies, but did not actively campaign either for or against the war.
How many people supported Nixons policy in Vietnam in a poll carried out after the ‘silent majority’ speech?
77% of people
How many telegrams and letters of support flowed into the white house after the ‘silent majority’ speech?
50,000 telegrams and 30,000 letters
What showed the level of public approval for the ‘Silent majority’ speech?
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed resolutions approving of Nixon’s conduct of the war
What was the importance of the ‘Silent majority’ in negotiations with North Vietnam?
He could tell the North that he support in the public and congress.
Why was political support and opposition complicated?
They wanted different things at the same time. They wanted to end the war, they wanted to do what would make them popular and they didn’t want the USA to lose face.
Why did Congress keep funding the war despite being less favourable to it?
- The military kept assuring the government that victory was close.
- They didn’t want the USA to be beaten by North Vietnam
What shifted opinion in Congress?
Speeches and public opinion
What did the USA want from negotiations?
They wanted South Vietnam to be independent and non-communist
What did North Vietnam want from negotiations?
They wanted Vietnam to be reunified as one country and they expected a communist government to be elected
What were the barriers to agreement?
- Whether to unite Vietnam
- How to unite Vietnam
- Who governed South Vietnam
- Troop withdrawls from South Vietnam on both sides.
Why did the North Vietnamese agree to secret talks in 1970?
Nixon held talks with China and the USSR and they feared an end to the aid from them.
How did Nixon keep pressure on North Vietnam to agree to peace from 1970?
By:
- Continuing officials negotiations
- Continuing secret negotiations
- Continuing the process of Vietnamisation
- Continuing fighting
- Negotiating an end to the Cold War with China and the USSR.
Why did the North Vietnamese agree to peace negotiations?
- Continued bombing of North Vietnam
- Casulties of the war
- Possible loss of aid
- Cost
Why did the USA agree to peace negotiations?
- Cost
- Casualties
- Reduced funding by congress
- Growing anti-war feeling in the US and worldwide
Why did Thieu refuse to sign the agreement at the Paris peace talks?
He was furious that an agreement he had no part in making was being forced on him.
What did the North accuse the US of during the Paris peace talks?
They accused the US of using South Vietnam’s refusal to back out of the agreement.
How did the Paris peace talks break up?
The agreement unsigned and an increased
lack of trust on both sides.
What did Nixon do to try and get the talks to restart?
- Resumed heavy bombing of North Vietnam
- Persuaded President Thieu to come to the talks by promising an immediate delivery of supplies as well as yearly supplies.
- Encouraged the USSR and China to press the North
What was agreed about the reunification of Vietnam at the Paris Peace Accords?
All countries to accept Vietnam as a single country. Reunification to be by negotiation and agreement, with no outside interference. New government to be elected with international supervision
What did the Paris Peace Accords agree about fighting?
An immediate ceasfire to begin. Kept by everyone
What did the Paris Peace Accords agree about prisoners?
Prisoners of war and captured equipment to be exchanged within 60 days.
What did the Paris Peace Accords agree about the USA?
- Us troops, equipment and advisers to be withdrawn and military bases to be dismantled within 60 days.
- The US government could not interfere in Vietnamese politics, militarily or otherwise.
- The USA to give aid for reconstruction
What did the Paris Peace Accords agree about South Vietnamese armies?
The armies of both South Vietnam
‘governments’ to remain, but no more US aid to ARVN.
What was the significance of the Paris Peace Accords for the USA?
10,000 military personnel had become civilian advisers. Congress cut military funding and aid sent to South Vietnam was well below what Nixon had promised. This left the ARVN badly supplied.
How did the Paris Peace Accords impact North and South Vietnam?
They saw it as a brief ceasefire while the USA withdrew
What did Thieu do after the Americans left?
He didn’t make the government more democratic or replace corruot officials in the Villages. The VC were soon strong again. His policy was not to negotiate or work with communists
When did the North launch a new attack?
December 1974
When did Saigon fall?
30 April 1975
How much did the USA spend on the war?
$167 billion
How many Americans were killed in Vietnam?
58,220
How many survivors had a severe psychological problem?
850,000
How many Americans were injured in Vietnam?
303,704 were wounded. 75,000 were severely disabled.
How did the war hit the USA?
- Americans saw themselves differently
- Growing lack of trust between americans and their government.
- Sharp reactions divided society
How were returning soldiers treated?
- Few large parades welcoming them home
- Hostility
- No understanding of PTSD
What was the suicide rate for veterans immediately after the war?
Almost twice that of men of a similar age who hadn’t fought.
How did the war impact the USA in an international context?
- It had lost face abroad
- Many politicians felt the USA shouldn’t get involved in other countries.
- The US government was less respected
What were the political reasons for American failure in Vietnam?
- South Viet government unpopular and corrupt
- Vietnamese wanted a united and independent country
- VC good at winning support
- Anti-war feeling in the USA
What were the military reasons for failure in Vietnam?
- Guerrilla tactics
- Committed enemy
- Poor ARVN training
- Failure of US tactics
- Inexperienced troops
- Low morale
What were the geographical reasons for American failure in Vietnam?
Lack of understanding of:
- The landscape
- The climate
- The animals
What were the cutural reasons for American failure?
- Little understanding of the agricultural society and locals
- US backed government was Catholic and alienated the large Buddhist population
- Couldn’t speak the language
What were the economic reasons for American failure?
- Huge cost was unpopular
- Restricted funding by congress
- Aid to the North from the USSR and China
What were the geographical and cultural strengths of the North Vietnamese?
- They understood the landscape
- They understood the language and culture
- Those who had fought the French knew tunnel systems
- Many were South Vietnamese who had left after the 1954 Geneva Accords
What were the political and economic strengths of North Vietnam?
- The government was committed to a unified Vietnam.
- The VC were established in the South and were well organised
- Ho Chi Minh trail in Cambodia and Laos
- Financial help
What was the role of the North Vietnamese army?
- After the Tet offensive they did most of the fighting
- They won the war by invading South Vietnam
What were the geographical and cultural weaknesses of the USA?
- Had little grasp on what the country was like
- Used interpreters
- They didn’t understand villagers didn’t want to leave the place their ancestors are buried
- Many couldn’t read so dropping leaflets was pointless
What were the political and economic weaknesses of the USA?
- Said they were there to fight for democracy but they were seen as just like the french.
- US-backed government was unpopular and corrupt
- Significant opposition at home
What was the effect of the draft on the effectiveness of troops?
They were young an inexperienced and as soon as they gained some experience they were sent home because their tour was over.
What was the effect of troop withdrawls on US troops?
Many tried to avoid combat because they knew they would soon be going home. ‘Fragging’ and drug abuse became a problem
What were the military weaknesses of the USA?
- Inexperienced troops
- Didn’t understand counter-insurgency
- Measured success in VC deaths
