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Born 1890, Nguyen Sinh Cung, viewed the world through the lens of class coflict as a product of an egalitarian family, started travelling the world in 1912 under the name Van Ba,
1918, Moved to france and became involved in anti-colonial politics,
1919, asked for and rejected Viet. representation in French parliament, freedom of speech, press, and assoication, realse of prisoners
1920 - Founded French Communist Party, wanted to start a revolution and redistribute land, feudalism the result of capitalism
1925 - founded Revolutionary Youth League of Viet. - first Marxist org. in Vietnam
1928 - Stalin felt Ho was more nationalist than comm.
1929 - founded the Indochinese Communist Party
1930 - failure of the Nghe An Revolt taught him that solutions should be political, not violent
40s - US saw him as an ally against french and Jap
1945 - Founded the Dem. Republic of Vietnam, modeled off of the US Constitution |
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| French Jesuit, travelled to Hanoi in 1627, converted thousands, created a latin alphabet for the vietnamese language, planted the seeds for the French empire in Vietnam |
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| Province most resentful of French colonization, most densely populated, poorest, on the coast in Central Vietnam (Annam), people "of the wooden fish" |
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| Born 1912, wealthy family, law degree in Hanoi, Hated French, joined the communist party, went into exile in 1939 after the Nghe An Revolt 1930 french went after all revolutionary nationalists, planned revolutions with Ho And Pha Van Don, and thy got their chance in 1940 when Germany conquered France, served as a military tactician to expand Vietnminh power to other Norther provinces, in 1945 revolution took over in the villages and Vietminh took over Hanoi. |
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(League for Vietnamese Independence) based on nationalism, not revolution in the beginning (so that it wouldn't draw too much attention), wanted to unite, built a coalition, inherited nationalism:
bult on intellectuals and peasants, based on French-educated, founded in Marxism, scientific anti-imperialist ideology, that expalined histor and provided a neo-religion to replace the void they felt in rejecting confucianism |
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| "Vietnam was for the Vietnamese,... and that passion had driven Ho Chi Minh throughout his life." Explain. |
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| Ho had been fighting for Vietnamese independence for his entire political career, worried that the Americans would go the same way as the Chinese, Japanese and French, after living around the world, but specifically in France, he knew he had to fight for their freedom, because it would not come to them, even the name Viet NAm came from the Chinese, Ho wanted a land to call their own |
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| Year French returned to Vietnam, finally conquered Saigon in 1861 |
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| "The Vietnamese leaders assumed Chinese political culture while rejecting... Chinese political domination." Explain |
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| they adopted their mandarin administrative system, their writing, technology and Confucian social philosophy (a meritocracy), intensely ethnocentric, the Vietnamese liked many of the Chinese institutions, but refused to accept Chinese identity, they dealt periodoically with Chinese and Mongol expansionism, War not peace was woben into the fabric of Vietnamese history, although a small country, they were unwilling go be intimidated, had a patient military strategy |
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| What were the names and locations of the five regions in the French union established in 1887? |
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| Cochin China - South Vietnam, Annam - Central Viet., Tonkin - North Viet., Cambodia, Laos |
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| According to Phan Boi Chau, what methods did the French use to "entice the Vietnamese?" |
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| enticed Vietnamese within this French pretectorate - offered high government positions and benefits of all sorts to make "some of us into their hunting dogs" |
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| Explain how the mandarin system worked in Vietnam, and why it was "conservative to a fault." |
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| they immersed themselves in Chinese language, and Confucian values, which distanced them from the Vietnamese peasants, Adopted many Chinese institutions (centralized tax, judicial hierarchy, royal palace architecture, scared to change it, those who followed it completely did so to a fault (opposed tech, dem) |
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| What do the authors mean by the term "Francophile Vietnamese" and why did many of the become powerful and wealthy |
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| They learned French, adopted Catholicism, switched to all things French, rejected the mandarin system, they eventually lived on rubber plantations and estates, grew powerful and wealthy through workin for the French, recieved land through land redistribution and taxes on the poor and government positions because they knew the language and French culture |
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| What was the significance of wearing "Brown Canvas" clothes? |
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| radicals adopted "brown canvas" cloth to blur class lines, to protest against mandarin authority, Ho Chi Minh did this for most of his life, and only wore formal clothes for special occasions, peasants wore blue, imperial family wore gold |
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| In what ways did most Vietnamese peasants suffer economically under French rule? |
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| Taxed heavily, labor was exploited on plantations (rubber), they did not know the language or the customs, and this created a distinct elite class and peasant class. |
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| How and why did Ho Chi Minh become "the leading nationalist" during and after the Paris PEace Conference of 1919? |
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| background: Moved to paris 1918, published as a radical, he submitted an 8 point set of demands at the PAris PEace Conference, Vietnamese representation in French Parliament, Freedom of Press, speech, assoication, equality under French law for the Vietnamese, if the French couldn't meet these demands they should leave, they were rejected |
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| Why did Ho leave the French Socialist party and help to form the French Communist party? |
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| he grew weary of the socialist party because they never did anything more than sympathize with the colonialists, broke away after he read Lenin's theory that imperialism was the consequence of capitalism, must throw off imperial yoke |
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| "Ho Chi Minh was a devout communist because in communism he saw the resolution of both evils." Explain. |
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| he looked for the most expeient thing that promised equity, rights, and a Free Vietnam, he felt communism helped with the real issues of class conflict, fit his motives like a glove, communistm seemed to parallel nationalism. 2 evils: class inequality, imperialism by any foreign power |
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| In what ways did norther Vietnam (Tonkin and much of Annam) differ from souther Vietnam? |
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| population was more dense in NV, less rice, small landholders, intense sense of community, where the revolution began, a "Great depression" and heavy tax burden radicalized peasants: political discontent, economic misery, made them more amenable to change/revolution |
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| Discuss the causes and the consequences of the Nghe An Revolt of 1930 |
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| nobody would ever overthrow the french empire without first creatin a broadbased political organization reaching all the way down to the peasant masses, ho and his follower learned that anything smaller would be easily opressed, a volution around tax revolts, more than 6000 peasantss marched on Vinh, small groups demanded land redistribution, lighter taxes and adherence to communism, learned that success in Vietnam would have to be political, not military, after it was over, the French went after all Nationalists, including Vo Nguyen Giap exiled |
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| Why did ho believe that "The organization to liberate Vietnam had to be based on nationalism, not [communist] revolution, at least in the beginning |
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| Ho remembered Lenin's advice: asian communists should form alliance with each nationalist organization while keeping independence from all of them, had to be based on nationalism because that was his only hope of brining together a large number of Vietnamese in the resistance movement, From this he founded the VietMinh - The league for Vietnamese Independence |
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| On what grounds do the authors describe Marxism as a neo-religion? |
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| they saw an answer to their plight in MArxism, provided men economic relief, they enjoyed the charisma of Ho Chi Minh, Marxism = a scientific movemnt which filled the void left by confucianism |
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| Why did Ho have some dadmiration for America (even thogh it was capitalist) and believe that the U.S. government might be willing to help him during World War II? |
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| Although capitalism divided the classes and exploited the poor, he felt that there was a powerful sense of opportunity there, They had been the first colony to revolt against European imperial power, and their Declaration represnted human equality, they freed other nations from European imperialist yoke without takin over the land themselves (?) |
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| What political reasons might Ho have had for including passages fromthe U.S. Declaration of Independence in his speech announcing the creation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam? |
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| they thought we would help them after WWIII because they opposed Japan's expansion into Indocina in 40 -41, belieeved we may really represent our Declaration of Independence, we tried to repress Japan's influence in the region because they were a superpower |
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| Author of When HEaven and Earth changed places |
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| End of WWII, General Douglas Gracey => multinational effort to get the French back in control, Repelling a Viet Minh revolt int he North, so he enter Saigon with 2,000 Indian troops and 18,000 coming soon, Helps reestablish military and political control, rearmed French Troops to help them fight the Viet Minh in 1945, Although Great Britian was considered a Neutral party after WWII |
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| Led the American contingent in Saigon, parachuted into Tokin n 1945 to harass the Japanesem head of the OSS tam in Saigon and developed a close relationship with Ho Chi Minh, outspoken opponent to French imperialism, he said that the French and the british were fighting a battle that the French were going to lose, there is no reason for them to even be in South East Asia |
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| the theory that if one country were to become Communist then the surrounding countries would follow in a Domino effect |
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| Historical place where the French lost the Indochina war and were forced to the leave North Vietnam, Town in Northwest Vietnam, capital of Dien Bien province, lost in 1954, fought between Vietminh, led by Giap against NAvarre (strategic planning with the French and the US) ended French involvement in Indochina, After this battle, the Geneva Accords divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel into North and South Vietnam, impose ceasefire in 1954 |
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| reaction to desperate situation in Dienbienphu, result of failed Operation Condor, seemed like the best way to implement Eisehower administration's "New Look" defense policy, ysed B-29s based in Philippines to knock out Vietminh artillery, depate of whether or not the US should be involved, Eisenhower decides no involvement, the French should go alone, ultimately this was a joint plan, but the US decided not to go, and the plan failed ending the Geneva Accords conference |
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| Do you think Franklin Roosevelt deserves criticism for backing down on the Indochina issue at Yalta , or do you think he had no other realistic choice? |
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| in hindsight yes, but he felt at the time that it was an issue that would play itself out naturally, Indochina should be place under international trusteeship, but the French and British opposed it. Roosevelt thought the French had done nothing to help them, and this wasn't a battle worth fighting, Eventually he backed down, primarily because of intense British and French opposition, but because he also believed that the perople of Indochina re entitled to something better than that, Issue at Yalta = international trusteeship v. continuing imperial power after WWII, he died right after Truman took over. |
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| Why did Truman accept the revival of the French empire in Indochina? |
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| he got pressure from the Sate Department over the heat they were getting from the French for Roosevelt's criticism of imperialism, State department told him to repair the rift by telling French that he was not going to interfere with their return to Indochina, France economy was faltering, Fear of communist rising in France, therefore there was absolutely no discussion of Colonial independence for Vietnam |
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| For what reasons was Ho Chi Minh a strong supporter of unification as well as independence? |
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| June 1946: Republic of Cochin China, new separate colony in the French Union, ho felt betrayed by the french for creating a new colony instead of unifying them, they marked it as their, but Ho wanted a united countyr not divided by North and South, he wants unification as well as independence because of nationalism extended to include a larger Vietnam, North was poor, overpopulated and unable to feed itself while South was rich under-populated and superior resources |
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| While the french saw the war in military terms Ho saw it in political terms. Explain. |
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| Ho after Nghe An revolt of 1930, kew that the Vietnamese would have to fight politiccally, not militarily, against the French, a bloody guerilla war, they assumed that France would not have resources to say for the long haul French politics were ina quagmire and socialists as well as communists were calling for an end, While the French saw the war as military, ho saw it in political terms: as destroying the French will to continue |
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| Communist expansion in South Asia was no Idle threat. Explain. |
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| Philippines were dealing with communist guerillas, Malaya and Burm the British had similar threats, Communist insurgents throughout SEA, Australia and New Zealand concerned, Now tat China was communist, and Japan was economically and resource poor, the nation believed that Communism may take over and exploit Vietnam, American interest in SEA was lead, tin, cooper, rice would cut off air routes to Asia and cutting off defense in the Pacific |
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| Explain ther relationship US official perceived between SEA and Japan and the perceived connection between SEA and the economic health of Britain and France |
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| If SEA falls to communism ,resource poor Japan would be cut off economically, would not be able to repel the USSR, SEA countries needed to continue producing goods that would be sold by the Western European counterparts to the US. They needed this because of their economy and what they owed the US after WWII, US needed to help in Indochina as long as it was a drain on the French economy, Marshall plan: if we dump money into Indochina, it will help Western European countries support stability. |
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| Why did the US recognize the French-controlled State of Vietnam in Early 1950? |
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| The US was afraid of Ho Chi Minh because of his relationship with China, recognized the French state as a way to keep him from exerting influence in the south. |
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| What were the three stages of General Giap's formula for defeating the French? |
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| 1. they would survive and avoid confrontation to build their reserves. 2. guerilla tactis and ambushes, road destruction, assassinations, hit and run attacks 3. wanted a real fight with French Expeditionary Corps |
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| For what reasons was Giap Confident of Vietminh victory at Dienbienphu? |
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| Knew the terrain would destroy armor mobility; tanks would be stationary, artillery pieces would be dysfunctional, also had built up own artillery, kew the land better than French, planned on destroying airstrip and siege, Dug hundreds of miles of trenches to negate French tactical advantage |
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| Compare/contrast Admirald Radford and Gen. Ridgeway's views of US should do in regard to Dienbienphu. Why did Eisenhower side with Ridgeway? |
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Admiral Radford - idea was a "new look" defense policy which involved nuclear attacks, all air attacks, no ground troops. Op Vulture
Ridgeway - Korean war general, felt that only massive amounts of ground troops would allow them to win and overwhelm the Viet Minh.
Sided with Ridgeway couldn't hit asia twice with nukes in the century, didn't want to go unilaterally, went to NATO but the war happened to fast, so didn't get involved, |
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| What were the major provision of the Geneva Accords? |
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| Divided VN at the 17th parallel. ceasefire. approved withdrawal of french from north and vietminh from south. both withdraw from laos and cambodia. free elections in 1956 goal to reunify country. Commision reps from India Canada and Poland |
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| Secretary of State under Johnson and Kennedy 1961-69, from georgia, born to a family of redneck dirt farmers, rhodes scholar, while working for the State Department he watched hiltern "vowed not to commit sin of "appeasement," No doubts about inferering and Ho Chi Minh, NV was part of a global communist conspiracy, Hard-liner, unrepentant about his actions, American commitment was "honarable and necessary," only mistake was withdrawing when we did, Military involvement was necessary, commies big threat |
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| Secretary of defense under Kennedy and Johnson 1961-68, Berkely and Harvard MBA, whiz kid at Ford, keen analytical faith in computers, NV wouldn't be able to stand up to American strength, assumed both logistical and operational octrol over the war - he established objectives, chose technologies to implement, measured progress of the war all with help of programmers, exxountants, and statisticians, Bttom line: America had superior tech and power, so NV would not withdstand it |
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| 1929 West Point grad, "ram rod" during WWII - ruthless, arrived in saigon Feb 1962 as a general and started issuing "Headway reports" progress of the war, said it went well but needed 3ms - men, money, materiel, began to get them, looked like first Indochina war, "Pulling a Harkins" synonymous with making poor decisions |
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| small scale battle on January 2, 1963 over a strategic hamlet of Ap Bac, Exposed limits of American ability to control battle, VC shot down five comptoers killed machine gunners, 12 VC deaths to 200 ARVN 2 merican, reporters claimed it was how the war was really going, McNamara claimed victory |
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| Seantor Montana, Roman Catholic, former professor of Asian affairs early supporter of Diem, Kennedy asked him to visit Saigon, gave a negative opinion, Kennedy reacted badly to the idea that VC controlled the countryside, accused him of defeatism |
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| Do you tend to agreee or to disagree with the auhtors' criticisms of Kennedy's inagural address? Whichever side you take what are the best points on either side? |
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| Arguments agreeing it was bad: it was too militaristic, promised too much US involvement abroad in a time of little real military threat. ARguments against: he didn't write speech, saw communism as a legitimate threat, wanted to stand though, trying to boost morale with good speech |
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| Based on what you know about developing countries that became communist do you tend to agree or disagree with Walt Rostow's argument that "modernization creates economic and social dislocations that can render a developing country vulnerable to communist insurgency? |
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| Agree, modernization, imperailism, captialism often create a large disparity between rich and poor and it is easy for communists to slip in and start a revolution particularly in poorly educated countries |
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| On what grounds did George Ball(undersecretary of state for economic affairs) urge Kennedy to be cautious about using US military power in Vietnam? |
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| massive bombing of germany had only marginally affected economic production while stiffening German resistance, diem regime was corrupt, land war in Asia was not in the best interest of the US, creating a viable, democratic South Vietnam was impossible, adding troops would build momentum, resulting in large-scale ommitment |
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| Why was kennedy worried about committing combat troops to South Vietnam? |
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| increase in troops might bring China or USSR into the fight, would probably keep escalating, wasn't convinced it was right thing to do, influenced by Gen. MacArthur who argue future of Asia could be solved diplomatically |
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| What exactly was the middle road Kennedy embarked on? |
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| no ground troops but enough American expertise and firepower to get the job done, didn't want to risk Vietnam fallin and a military failure because of reelection campaign, it was a SV affair, US would provide technical advice and economic support |
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| Given the determination of the north Vietnamese and Vietcong leaders to unify all of Vietnam under a communist government, do you think a negotiated settlement in South Vietnam - as advocated by Chester Bowles, for example - was a realistic option for Kennedyif he wanted it to remain non-communist? |
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| Diplomatic settlement would have probably resulted in a communist takeover of South Vietnam |
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| Compared to South Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia had been easy." Explain. |
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| Phillipines spoke english and admired our culture, people accepted cia initiatives, malayan gov't run by british, communists resented by general pop, few would die for chinese revolutionaries |
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| for waht reasons was Diem reluctant to follow General Harkin's advice to take the war to the enemy? |
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| Diem's palace was attacked i na n attempt to murder him so he kept the best soldiers to protect himself, left countryside to the VC, Diem terrified that losing battles or sustaining heavy casualties would ruin his political influence/regime, ARVN became overly cautious and conservative |
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| Why did Mansfield's report on his trip to Saigon make Kennedy angry at Mansfield and himself? |
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| report was pessimistic, angry that Mansfield "disagreed with our policy so completley," he was angry because he found himself agreeing with Mansfield |
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| The strategic Hamlet program was a bonanza for the Vietcong as was US air power. Explain. |
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| Diem regime herded millions of peasants into a hastily constructed hamlets, more like concentration camps than villages, made the peasants do the physical labor, and knock down their homes, VC responded by simply saying that when Diem/Americans fall, you can go back to your homes |
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| For what reasons did Kennedy appoint Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., as the new ambassador to South vietnam in August 1963 |
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| Smart, fluent in french, went to harvard, experienced, seantor and ambassador, wouldn't suck up to anyone, repub, credentials deflect right-wing criticism, Guilty idea of getting lodge mixed p in the hopeless mess (keep in mind that Lodge was blue blood, Kennedy - Irish catholic) |
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| Why did the generals who planned the coup decide to kill Diem and Nhu? |
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| Diem: respected too much by simple gullible people in the countryside, esp. the catholics and refugees, Nhu: widely feared by the people, created organizations that were arms of his personal power |
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| an herbicide developed by army chemists designed to kill the jungle that the vietcong would hide in; Kennedy ordered it to be dumped on Ca Mau Peninsula in Jan 1962; Used in Operation Ranch Hand by Johnson too, turned more than 100,000 acres of jungles and paddies to mud. |
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| sucessor to Harkins; had WWII combat experience and graduated from West point, was a secretary to Maxwell Taylor and Joint chiefs, disagreed with bombing and wanted to bring in massive waves of ground troops, wanted to fight a defensive war while army built and infrastructure and then attack massively, contemptuous of the peasants he saw as politcally fickle, liked search and destroy missions backed up with planes |
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| National Security Advisor Memo 288 - provided for gradual escalation of bombing of military and econ targets in NV in response to Vietcong attacks in SV, committed US to the survival of an independent and noncommunist govt in Saigon, argued for an increased US military in Vietnam to prepare for a full-scale war, produced by McGeorge Bundy in 1964, urged a special congressional resolution supporting limited military action; said usually would take a declaration of war, but bc this had so many domestic undertones it didn't |
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| "Before a large group or a television camera, Johnson lost his charm. Explain. |
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| Johnsons' manner stiffened and humor fled; on a personal level Johnson was war, friendly, humorous, very hard to resist |
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| "How, specifically, did Maxwell Taylor, Earle Wheeler, and especially William Westmoreland believe that the US and its SV allies could win the war? |
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Taylor - escalation - advisors, money, materials. Make war too expensive for HAnoi and too bloody for VC
Wheeler - it was just a matter of military strength, the US should crush the Viet.
Westmoreland - wanted to fight a defensive war... |
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| Explain what the authors mean when they write that Johnson was a "a cold warrior" and a "true believer" |
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Definition
| believed in monolithic communism, not fighting in Vietnam was breaking a commitment to freedom in the world, Vietnam fell in line with Marshall plan and Korea - necessary fights |
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| Vietnam, so believed many in congress and the admin was vital to American credibility. explain |
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| In order to maintain NATO SEATO and its other engagements abroad, the nation had to fight against communism. raise concerns about americas commitment against communism. Guarantees in Berlin would los credibility acocording to Rusk. US needed to prove it could win a country from Communism |
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| Why did Roger Hilsman "resign" and why did Johnson reassign Averell Harriman to the oblivion of American Affairs? |
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Hilsman - Johnson didn no like him bc he was a close friend of kennedy and his opposition to the hard-line approach of Taylor and Rostow. The final straw was that Johnson was going to fire him for insulting Gen. Liemintzer at a dinner party.
Harrisman - he had close ties with Kennedy and did not believe fightin would feek it from communism. Johnson did not trust him to take out his garbage and reassigned him to Africa |
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| On what grounds was Gen Westmoreland contemptuous of ARVN? |
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Definition
| he though that ARVN wasn't very loyal to the cause, they had a large desertion numbers, commanders were not strong, didn't trust their judgment or ability to handle the VC |
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| What was the significance of the meeting of communist leaders in Hanoi on 27-28 March 1964 and of NSAM 288? |
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| Ho Chi Minh called for a unified effort and whatever sacrifice was necessary to bring the revolution to SC to a successful conclusion, a week later the NV began training norther borer Viet for deployment to the south, NSAM 288 similarly asked for greater AMERICAN commitment, both sides increased commitment to violence |
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| On what grounds do the authors label McNamara's response to Senator Morse a "a bald faced lie?" |
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Definition
| the night before SV gun boats had left Danang and attacked N Vietnamese costal sites as port of Plan 34-A |
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| Three developments propelled the US toward direct intervention in the war. What were they? |
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| 1. Instability of the SV government, 2. increasing aggressiveness of the Vietcong, 3. dramatic escalation of NV transfers of troops and supplies into SV |
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| What were the arguments for and against "a sustained bombing of NV and Laos?" |
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for - that is all that could stop the infiltration and demoralize the enemy, it is the only thing that will prevent political collapse
Against - it would not break Hanoi's will, it may raise the ire of Moscow or the Chinese |
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| On what grounds did McNamara and Bundy criticize our current policy in a memo to Johnson on 5 January 1965? |
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Definition
| We are only waiting and hoping for a stable govt, American indecisiveness was undermining the anti-communist effort, to get the upper hand the US should begin an air war above the 17th parallel |
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Term
| Why did the bombing raids of 1964-65 stiffen the resolve of the NV instead of intimidating them? |
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Definition
| They were convinced that the US was intent on their destruction, this alienated peasants, because so many innocent people were affected, Ho preacched the US was just like France, associated us with opression |
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| Why did Ambassador Maxwell Taylor oppose General Westmoreland's request for more troops and why did Johnson support Westmoreland? |
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Taylor - Intervention with ground forces would at best buy time and would lead to ever increasing commitments until like the rench we would be occupying ann essentilay hostile froeign country white faced solider is not a good guerilla soldier, french tried and failed US probably couldn't do better,
Johnson - afraid of another Bien Hoa or Pleiku. American airmen at Danang needed security so he approved the request. |
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Definition
| path extending from NV to SV through Laos and Cambodia, provided support for VC, srted as a primitive trail that was a long, physically demanding march, form 63-64 thousands of NV peasants made vast improvements on the route, had excellent roads, with fuel stoarage tanks, hospitals, warehouses, trucks could easily use it |
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Term
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| an electronic barrier of land mines, acoustic sensors, booby traps, and infrrared intrusion detectors a long the Northern border of South Vietnam designed to detect NVA infiltration, overambitious project that lacked enough support |
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Term
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Definition
| US military operation that started in 1962 and was expanded in 1966 by Westmoreland, involved dumping agent orange and chemicals onto millions of acres |
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Definition
| the capital of Kien Hoa Province, VC troops overran the city in February 1968, after massive air strikes and naval bombardments the US and ARVN troops recaptured Ben Tre but the town no longer really existed with building and vegetation all destroyed, this city most iportant for the quote" became necessary to destroy to save it, american major to journalist peter arnett |
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Definition
| CIA vet with Harvard MBA, then became pacification expert and deputy to Westmoreland, preached pacification to the NAtional security council starting in 1961, nicknamed :blowtorcch because he was pushy and abrasive, insisted that SV would have to win peasant loyalty before a long-term political settlement was possible, claimed that US was making progress in winning "hearts and minds" in 1966, established the HAmlet evalutation Survey to measure the number os SV living there, estimated taht 67% were loyal by the end of 1967 |
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| folk arits from Greenwich Village who was angry abou the war, sang at protests across the country and spoke of the need to end the war, protests becoming part of the youth culture |
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Definition
| located in western Quang Tri province, area was surrounded by NV troops according to military intel, Westmoreland thought it of great strategic sig, bc it could be used for covert ops into Laos and flight over HCM trail as a base to cut of infiltration, military hoped it would be a conventional battle, launched Op Nicaragua, set off explosives for 2 months, then aritl from NV starting 21 Jan 68, Us expected artil to follow never came, US too focused on Khe Sanh, NV were going south for Tet |
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| How could the US airwar be both a failure and devestating> why did the US continue it? |
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Definition
| successful because it killed 2 mil NV, but at the same time stiffened their will. Cheaper in dollars and lives than the ground war |
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Term
| The tactical initiative remained with the enemy. Explain. |
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Definition
| NV had the upper hand because they choose when and where to fight and then melted back into the jungle |
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Term
| Do you agree with the authors' criticisms of Op Ranch Hand - free fire zones and massive bombing in SV. Explain. |
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Definition
| Americans underestimated the value Viet had in their homes and created resentment by bombing |
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Term
| All the pacification efforts foundered on the strategic reality of the war. Explain. |
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Definition
| Good that was done through pacification efforts was drowned out by spending on military initiatives and violence - US startegy |
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Term
| On what grounds do the authors question the Thieu-Ky electoral victory in '67? |
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Definition
| a lot of corruption, stuffing ballot boxes, voeter coersion, ARVN voting multiple times, still only won 35% while Buddhist won 17%, hardly mandate from heaven |
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Term
| Why did Sir Robert Thompson believe that US strategy in the war was stupid and why did McNamara lose faith in the war |
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Definition
| British expert on counterinsurgency, Thompsonquestioned US use of military to solve a political problem. every shell that killed VC alienated on peasant, Believed air power was the US last card to play, it failed, Realized his mistakes and changed opinion |
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Term
| Why did public support for Johnson's handling of the war decline sharply in 1967? |
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Definition
| Opposition grew in the media, as well as in pop culture with the rise of Dylan and Ochs, resistance grew on college campuses, people grew morally opposed to the war |
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Term
| Compare/contras reasons for opposing the war of pacificsts, new left radicals, and liveral critics |
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Definition
| Pacifists opposed the war asa means of settling diputes based on morality, New left radicals hoped to use Nam protest movement to attack racism and capitalism and start a new society. Liberal critics decided that the US was backing a corrupt regime and fighting an impossible war in a country unrelated to Am security |
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Definition
| January 1968, hoped to inspire a peasant uprising to destroy the Thieu ky regime, moved supplies south, US thought the attack would be at Khe Sanh, Prior VC called for a cease-fre during TEt SV sent half ARVN home. Jan 30 began, US and SV caught by surprise, attacked US embassy, fighting in Hue was bloody, VC began slaughtering civilians, 45000 commies killed compared to 1,100 americans and 2,300 ARVN, although military loss political victory for VC |
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Term
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Definition
| secretary of defense under Johnson starting in 68, could sniff out hyberbole, told Westmoreland that if he wanted more troops he would have to detail what for and where they were going, aked Alain Enthoven to evaluate US strategy and he recommended Vietnamization |
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Term
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Definition
| Minnesota senator, called for an end to the war in '67, ran against Johnson in primaries, after tet gained pop because he was anti-war, esp college students, McCarthy's popularity and narrow defeat in NH made Johnson realize he did not want to run for re-election |
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Definition
| brainchild of William E. Colby in CIA, called for Support of the SV, help of Civil Operations and Revolutionary support) and CIA to eliminat VC leadership through arrest, torture, assasination, became corrupt, SV politicians said that their competition was VC, quotas on VC killed also incouraged corruption |
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Term
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Definition
| movie adapted from a novel of the same name, John wayne bough film rights in '65, wanted to make a nam propaganda film, got some help from Johnson, government doubter realizesthe worth of the cause by following a green beret, came out in '68 and by then it was already too late, many people doubted the admin |
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Term
| Why did NV by mid '67 desire a dramatic military event |
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Definition
| wanted to break down some of the power of the US including decreasing recruitment because of urbanization in the south, wanted to unseat the seemingly stable Thieu-Ky government, stem US bombing |
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Term
| The tet offensive was a tactical disaster for the communists that badly debilitated the VC but it was an overwhelming victory for the commies explain |
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Definition
| Commies did not achieve any of their objectives: SV did not rise up and welcome liberators, SV government did not collapse, ARVN soldiers did not surrender, cities did not fall under commie control, but US public lost faith |
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Term
| The greatest defection was Walter Cronkite. Explain. |
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Definition
| anchor for cbs, travelled to nam cuz he didnt believe the reports, disgusted with what he saw, declared the war a stalemate, he was popular and well respected, knew the public trusted him |
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Term
| What contradiction did Clark Clifford see in General Westmoreland's request for an additional 206,000 troops? |
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Definition
| Saw that the media would have a field day because they were saying that the US was winning the war yet they were asking for 206,000 more troops |
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Term
| What was the "new strategy" that Alain Enthoven proposed? In what ways, if any, was it actually new? |
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Definition
| Enthoven believed that the US call for 206,000 more troops would do nothing to shorten the war, and that instead they needed to be used to secure bases and large cities while ARVN took over offensive operations |
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Term
| According tto O&R, why did Lyndon Johnson end up settling for a stalemate? |
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Definition
| he wanted to appease everyone, liberals and conservatives, therefore chose not to withdraw or seek all out war, so stalemate |
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Term
| What did Johnson mean when he said, "The establishment bastards have bailed out? |
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Definition
| Johnson had lost the support of the Wise men who up to 1968 had supported the war except George Ball. |
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Term
| How did the Wise Men's response affect Johnson? |
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Definition
| he was a broken man, realized if the wise men didnt believe neither would the US public, started to feel hated by the public, realized he could not achieve consensus |
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Term
| For what reasons did Johnson decided to withdraw from the 1968 presidential race? |
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Definition
| his deteriorating healt, realization that he could not acheive consensus on nam. Saw that the Great society would fail because of the war, also felt that he would only further divide the growing partisanship |
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Term
| Why did Johnson relieve Westmoreland of his command? |
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Definition
| "another political victim of Tet,' knew public would no longer trus Westy's anouncements and reports, replaced him with Gen. Creighton Abrams |
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Term
| Do you agree or disagree with Johnson's decision to "take the hard line" in the negotiations in Paris? pro/con his position |
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Definition
pro - compromised too long with NV leading to US defeat, did not want to risk losing support of hawks, maintaing conviction might help his support, showed that the American stance was strong
con - compromise would have brought the US out of the war, avoiding more deaths, garnered support from libs |
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Term
| Why do you think Curtis LeMay (Wallace VP candidate) said that he would bomb NV back to the stone age |
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Definition
| was determined to show americans that he wanted to end the war swiftly, appealed to his constituency, get out of Vietnam with a victory |
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Term
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Definition
| Nixon's selection for National Security Advisor. born in geramny as a jew, fled to US, PHD from HArvard, professor, consultant to Kennedy and Johnson, believed all major powers were extremely interconnected, and advocated nukes, did not like the inclusion of morals into public policy, felt that weak nations should be dealt with by powerful ones, respected USSR and China because of power, felt that nam was too much of a moral war, we needed to get out |
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Definition
| Fightin abe, general replaced westmoreland in '68, hard-drinking, cigar chewing, tank commander, wanted to reduce casualties by reducing the size of offensive operations, also wanted to turn things over to ARVN |
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Term
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Definition
| name giver to the '68 beginning of process to modernize ARVn and turn the war over to them |
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Term
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Definition
| Lietenant who le an infantry platoon itno My Lai 16 MArch '68. 29 March '71 military tribunal convicted of murder of at least 22 civilians, sentance to life hard labor, Nixon commuted to house arrest 20 then ten years. paroled in '74. |
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Term
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Definition
| first in the Mekong delta in '67, increased as war went on, 1,011 officers fragged, |
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Definition
| leader of pro-American govt in Phnom Penh. 1970 deposed Sihanouk prince of Cambodia who was neutral. doubled size of cambo army |
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Term
| Kissinger disdained the intrusion of moral issues into foreign policy explain |
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Definition
| believed that moral politics interfered with the delicate balancing act between the major powers |
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Term
| why didn't Kissinger believe that the Us should simply withdraw from SV? |
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Definition
| The US commitment was already too big and would underwmin the US international trust |
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Term
| Why was Sec. of Defense Melvin Laird eager to end the war? |
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Definition
| was more interested in the political situation in the US than war strategy, didn't want Nixon to lose the last support of congressmen |
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Term
| During the last half of 1968 Abrams developed a tactical approach to fit the new strategic reality. Explain. |
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Definition
| shrunk the size of the squads in search in destroy to match the size of the enemy. Helped Nixons plans for withdrawal |
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Term
| What were President Thieu's Four Nos" and why did thy make serious negotiations with NV impossible? |
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Definition
| 1. Coalition govt 2. Territorial integrity 3. Communist party in SV. 4 Neutralism - all non negotiable |
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Term
| On what grounds did senator Edwark Kennedy crticize the attack by US troops on Ap Bia mountain (hamburger Hill)> |
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Definition
| tactical success keeping NV off-balance, but saw it as a contradiction of US goals because we were fighting offensively when our goal was withdrawal |
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Term
| Explain Nixon's Madman strategy and how it fin in with his decision to conduct heavy bombing of suspected enemy position in Cambodia |
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Definition
| belief that by making the NV think he would use nukes and by bombing cambodia he would show he was tougher than LBJ and bring them to the negotiating table |
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Term
| Why did withdrawal undermine morale among troops? |
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Definition
| no longer saw a purpose in their mission, were not willing to die for this type of cause, therefore focus became survival not success |
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Term
| In what ways did decreased morale manifest itself? |
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Definition
| Increased AWOL desertment, drug use, discharges, fragging, misconduct |
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Term
| How did the Cambodian invasion help the Khmer Rouge and the US antiwar movement |
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Definition
| ARVN troops behaved poorly, stole, primed the population for communist recruiters, contradiction between withdrawal and incursion increased anti-war shit |
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Term
| Vietnam Veterans Against the War |
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Definition
| group of antiwar veterans with thousands of members by 1970. During the winter soldier Investigation, 116 veterans testified of atrocities they committed |
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Term
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Definition
| VVAW spokesman who organized the Winter Soldier Investigation |
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Term
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Definition
| leaked the "Pentagon Papers," worked under Mc Bundy in the Pentagon, realized no president wanted to be teh one to lose the war, leaked the papers to the NYT |
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Term
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Definition
| In response to the Eastertide offensive, Operation Linebacker starteed April 6, 1972. The operation included mass air bombings by B-52s in hopes of stopping the Eastertide offesnive while also putting pressure on NV to take Paris peace talks more seriously |
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Term
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Definition
| 2nd string of B-52 bombings resulted from NV stallin in DEC 1972 to sign peace negotiations. Starting on Dec 18 1972 this 11 day bombing campaign was one of the "heaviest aerial assaults of the war" |
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Term
| For what reasons did Ellsburg decide to give the secret Pentagon study of the war to leading newspapers in 1971? |
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Definition
| conscience moved him to leak the papers because he discovered that no president wanted to be the one to lose the war and that the government lied, was duplicitous |
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Term
| Why did General Giap advocate a major communist offensive in the spring of 1972 and why did Nixon respond with heavy air attacks and the mining and blockading of NV ports? |
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Definition
| they hoped to awaken the AMerican peace negotiations in 1972. Giap was worried about improving relations between China and the US. Nixon wanted to go into negotiations from a position of strength, hence LB |
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Term
| Van Tien Dung had a central role in convincing the Politburo to return to the talks. Explain |
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Definition
| Pham Van Dong and Le Duc Tho were hesitant to re-enter peace talks because of their bitterness and resentwent towards US air strength |
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Term
| What was Kissinger's consession in the peace talks in in Sept 1972, and what was Le Duc Tho's? |
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Definition
| Kissinger - allowing fourteen division of NV troops to remain in SV. Tho- dropped request for Thieu to resign and have a coalition in his place |
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Term
| What was Nixon's objective in ordering the Air Force to carry out LB II Was it achieved? |
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Definition
| Le Duc Tho took advantage of the disagreements between Thieu and the U.S. and hoped that by stalling in peace negotiations, the NVA could build up enough strength to be prepared for an attack soon. When Tho suspended peace talks on December 13, Nixon, who was anxious to get the talks finalized, gave him 72 hours to resume the negotiations. When Tho did not, Linebacker II began in hopes of reinforcing American strength and commitment to victory. |
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Term
| What was the threat and the promise Nixon used to get negotiations going? |
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Definition
| Nixon told Thieu that the “gravest consequences would then ensue if you…reject the agreement.” While he made this threat, he also promised that the U.S. would assist the South Vietnamese in the post-settlement period and would respond to any North Vietnamese violations of the agreement. |
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Term
| Was Ford justified in asking for 1.8 billion for Cambodia in Feb 1975, or was a congress right to turn down the request? |
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Definition
| President Ford requested the aid because the United States had committed their assistance and support to Thieu. Yet, the denial of aid did not bring much criticism to Congress. The growing success of the North Vietnamese in South Vietnam and the Pathet Lao in Laos appeared to be irreversible by this point. Even if the funds had been appropriated, the end was near and South Vietnam was going to be defeated. President Ford was able to get $300 million in humanitarian aid and Operation Eagle Pull successfully evacuated thousands of Americans and South Vietnamese. |
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Term
| What factors guaranteed ARVNs defeat according to the author? |
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Definition
| they were accustomed to US support and air strikes, and were doomed without them |
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Term
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Definition
| Movie about vet named Travis bickle (DeNiro), He is the prototypical movie vet, unstable, no longer socializing with people, unable to sleep |
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Term
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Definition
| directed by Hal Ashby released 1978, suggests that the hardening done by the war can be undone by love. |
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Term
| 1. "In some very special way, the [Vietnam] memorial was like the war itself-so misunderstood and complex and even abstract." Explain. |
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Definition
| • The Wall was the subject of a lot of controversy when it was designed/built. Not like Iwo Jima w/ heroic realism. Some argued it was too abstract and too vague. The war was strange and so is the memorial. The war wasn’t understood and neither was the memorial at first. The was the subject of much criticism and so was the memorial |
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Term
| Compare and contrast the three schools of historical thought in regard to the war. |
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Definition
| 1. Tragedy without villains, poor decisions by well-meaning people 2. deliberately malign, result of imperialistic US policy 3. War was an honest and straightforward expression of American commitment to democracy and liberty and the military could have won the war. Loss was not the fault of the troops. Civilians back home (in and outside the gov’t) failed to understand what the war was about and refused to live up to their country’s honorable commitment to South Vietnam. |
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Term
| Along with the direct results of the war ... the ideology of communism . .. transformed Vietnam into one of the poorest countries in the world." Explain |
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Definition
| • The average worker began making much less money=300 dong a month in 1980, a pair of trousers cost 400 dong and a bicycle 20,000 dong. “As one loyal northerner admitted, “I’ve been a communist all my life. But now, for the first time, I have seen realities of Communism. It is a failure—mismanagement, corruption, privilege, repression. My ideals are gone.” The worst of capitalism, it appears, had mated with the worst of collectivism |
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Term
| 8. Why did Vietnam's relations with the West (including the U.S.) begin to improve in 1986-but not the U.S. government's relations with Vietnam? |
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Definition
| • 1986 Vietnam commits itself to radical change. Party leaders admitted that their experiment in communism had failed. Old guard retired and Nguyen Van Linh takes office with new leaders. Begins to open up Vietnam to the west like Gorbachev did. Also encouraged cultural exchange w/ US by liberalizing visa policy and letting US writers and journalist have greater access. But this fell on deaf ears for US gov’t. During his 2 terms Reagan ignored Vietnamese efforts to normalize relations. He stressed points of discord rather than agreement. He focused on occupation of Kampuchea (Cambodia) and POW-MIA controversy. Idea that there were many POW’s and MIA’s still unaccounted for—want to recover all remains possible. |
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Definition
| Marine, went to harvard, first speaker |
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| George McDaniel and Rick Stegall |
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