Vietnam Section 2 Flashcards
Much of the nation
Supported LBJ in containing communism in Vietnam
In 1965,
President Johnson sent a large number of troops to Vietnam
Even after Congress apporved the Gulf Reolution,
Johnson opposed sending US ground troops
Why did LBJ win the election
His opponent had implied that he could push the United States in to war with the S. U. LBJ’s speeches were very moderate and he spoke about containing communism but not sendin gtroops
Working with __________ and ______ Johnson becan to
Robert McNamara(SOD) and Dean Rusk (SOS) dispatched troops (AFTER ELECTION)
How did People view Johnson’s actions
Contradictory to his claims, some thought that containment of communism was necessary, it was divided in his cabinet as welll
BY the end of 1965,
The us government had sent more than 150,000 troops
Who was teh general US commandor
General William westmoreland. he was a WWII an dKorea vet and a grad from westpoint
Westmoreland was less than impressed with
The fighting ability of the army of the republic of Vietnam
What did Westmoreland do
Keep requesting troops
The United States entered the war believing that
Its superior weaponry would lead it victory, but it became hard
How did the Vietcong move?
In and out of the general population
How did Vietcong destroy traditional fron t
Attacking US troops in both cities and countryside. but it was hard to single them out as they looked like regular citizens
What did the Vietcong’s tunnels allow them to withstand
Airstrikes and launch surprise attacks, disappearing quickly. It also served as a home. The terrain was irgged with booby traps
How did the US fight ?
They fought without knowing the exact location of Vietcong members. They used landmines
What did soldiers have to be awar of
The environment and possible traps
What was Westmoreland’s strategy to defeat the Vietcong
Wear down their rorale by war of attrition (gradually wearing the enemy down by harrassment
Westmoreland introduced the concept of body counting:
HOped that as the number of dead grew, the Vietcong would surrender
Where did the Vietcong get supplies?
China and the Soviet union. They refused to surrender
Westmoreland said that we nevr lost a battle. How did Both sides view this war
For the US i was a military struggle. For Vietname, it was the struggle for existance
What was another key part of the American strategy
Keeping Support of South Rural Population
In an attempt to expose Tunnels, what did the US drop
Napalm
Napalm
Gas based bomb that set fire to the jungle
Agent Orange
Leaf killing chemical
What did usage of the chemicals cause
wounded ones, and destroyed villiages
Search and Destroy missions
Uprooting civilians with suspected ties to the vietcong, killing their livestock, burning villiage, many SVs fled
What were frusterations of soldiers
Guerilla warfare: The brutal jungle conditions and failure to advance
As war continued, Americans
Morals dropped
Many soldiers required to fight a war they did not support turned to
Marijuana, alcohol, some murdered officers. Morale worsened when they had to fight during negotiations
What was anothe robsticale
Corruption and instability of South Vietnamese government. Nyuyen Cao Ky was an air marshall led but did not retire in favor of elected government officials
Many soldiers firmly believed in halting communism and they fought well
The soldiers who were heros endured years of torture
What did the Johnson administration think about the war
That it would end quickly
As the war dragged on, what happened
LBJ’s domestic programs began to fall apart and support began to waver
As the US troops increased, the war grew
More costly and the economy started suffering
What happened to the inflation rate
It went up
What did Pre Johnson ask for
A tax increase to hlp fund the war and keep inflation in check
What did congressional conservatives say about the tax increase
They agreed but only after demanding and recieving a 6 billion reduction in funding for Great Society
What was Vietnam known as
The living room war because there as combat footage that showed on TV what has happened–dead body counts
What did General Westmoorland maintain
That surrender was coming
Credibility Gap
A growing fap between what was happening and what the Johnson administration was sayin g
What did Senator J. William Full bright charge the president with
Lack of Candor: Portraying the war effort
In Early 1966, what did Fulbright conduct
A series of TV hearings in whihc he asked the members of the Jonson administration to defend their vietnam policies
What did the Fulbright hearings deliver
Major revautions about the war
What did the Fulbright hearings contribute too
Growing doubts about the war
