The United States sent France about $2½ billion in military equipment, but the Vietnamese defeated the French in 1954. Then Vietnam was divided into North and South Vietnam. United States aid to France and later to non-Communist South Vietnam was based on a policy of President Harry S. Truman. He had declared that the United States must help any nation threatened by Communists. Truman's policy was adopted by the next three Presidents -- Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Nixon • Republican president elected in 1968 and 1972; resigned from office in 1974 due to Watergate scandal • Promised he would reduce U.S. troop levels in Vietnam, but force levels remained high and Nixon actually expanded the war into Laos and Cambodia • Pursued a plan he called “Vietnamization” to push the South Vietnamese army to shoulder the bulk of the fighting • In the first months of his second term, the last U.S. combat soldiers left Vietnam EVENTS 1963 Buddhist Protests • Thich Quang Duc, a Buddhist monk, set himself on fire in protest against South Vietnamese government policies, including religious intolerance • Other Buddhists followed his example in the following months • His suicide shocked and confused many Americans and created doubt in their minds about U.S. support for the South Vietnamese government 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution • Gave President Johnson the power to take any military action he deemed necessary to defend South Vietnam against the Viet Cong • Passed in response to an unconfirmed attack on the USS Maddox off the coast of Vietnam 1968 Tet Offensive • Occurred on 31 January, beginning of Vietnamese Tet
These two platoons went through a dozen camps killing hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese citizens, because this was such scandal, know one knew about it until it was released by the Pentagon on November 13, 1969. (Prados 184) On March 31, President Johnson, in a television address, announced a partial halt to the U.S. bombing of North Vietnam, a call to North Vietnam to begin peace talks. On May 13, formal peace talks between the United States and North Vietnam were openly held in Paris. (Karnow 523) In August, Richard Nixon was nominated for the presidency by the Republican Party. On October 31, 1968, President Johnson announced a complete halt to the bombing of North Vietnam.
He announced his plan of “Vietnamization” which was a strategy which replaced American troops with Vietnamese troops. Vietnamization was supposed created so that the responsibility of the war would fall into the hand of South Vietnam. It allowed American troops to return home slowly. In the same year, President Nixon had planned to secretly bomb Cambodia with an effort to eliminate the Communist camps that were present over there. In 1970, troops started to invade Cambodia which infuriated people because Nixon had promised peace.
VIETNAM WAR The French ruled Indochina, including Vietnam and other countries from 1880-1945. The leaders of Vietnam Ho Chi Minh establish the Viet Minh to fight the French and gain independence. The Vietnam declared independence from France in 1945 after wwII but the French refuse to recognize their independence and fought back against the Viet minh. The U.S then sends support to France, to prevent communism. Then Vietnam splits at the 17th parallel, France leaves and the U.S stays, JFK sends troops, LBJ then escalates war after JFK assassination, on July 1964 LBJ approved to attack on North Vietnam coast.
President Kennedy was entirely responsible for American involvement in Vietnam? How far do you agree with Carters interpretation of Kennedy’s foreign policy? I disagree that John Kennedy was entirely responsible for American involvement in Vietnam, as before Kennedy even came into power, by the end of his presidency, Eisenhower had already got the United States involved, by giving support to the French military attempts, and by injecting billions of US dollars into the unpopular Diem government. This huge commitment had already made it harder for the USA to pull out; they had made obligations to prop up a democratic government, and this obligation would follow onto Kennedy and Johnson. Charles de Gaulle said in 1961 "The more you become involved out there against Communism, the more the Communists will appear as champions of national independence… you will sink step by step into a bottomless military and political quagmire, however much you spend in men and money" Eisenhower had already begun the sinking process, and Kennedy would act as a catalyst for a further descent.
There would no longer be a stable balance of Southeast Asia. Therefore, Dean Rusk stated that it would not be wise to neglect their interests in Indochina. NSC document 68 it was concluded that global equilibrium was at stake in Indochina (North Vietnam) and those communist gains took place by areas controlled by Kremlin. Truman decided to handle the situation the opposite of Realpolitik and sent more troops to France to assist them in their communist war in Indochina (Vietminh) and the Seventh Fleet was moved to protect Taiwan. In order for the world to be free, the Truman Administration suggested that Indochina no longer be communist.
Ho Chi Minh began a campaign to fight a weakened France and seize independence through force. France's economy was shattered by the war and so by 1953, 80% of the money and material used by Bao Dai's troops came from the United States. Nonetheless, in early 1954 French were defeated at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu over many months when the fortress was overrun
WHY DID CAMBODIANS COME TO AMERICA? http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_did_Cambodians_come_to_America “There was a civil war between the Native Cambodians and the Khmer Rouge Regime. The Khmer Rouge Regime began in 1975 and ended in 1979. It has been said the Vietnamese army help chase the Khmer Rouge out of Cambodia; however, they wanted to take over Cambodia's land. Also, the U.N also came and helped the Native Cambodians out.
By September 1994, we were at war once again to overthrow another dictatorship in Haiti. In 1996, we deployed about 20, 000 troops to Bosnia as a peace effort associated with NATO (American History.com). Also, in 1999 the United States joined NATO once again against Yugoslavia to combat the Yugoslavian governments policies of racial separation. The United States began this century in the same way as it ended, with some of our military forces being deployed and sent to other countries to keep peace or to enforce it throughout the