The Cold War 1960-1974

(by the way containment, containment, containment)

A. The Space Race

• In 1956 the Soviets successfully launched SPUTNIK the world's first space satellite.
• Americans were aghast that the Soviets were ahead of the US.
• America reacted with its own space program, NASA in order to catch up with the Soviets.
• JFK, in 1960, made putting a man on the moon a priority.
• Eisenhower in the late 1950's redirected the US efforts through a new emphasis on math
and science education in American high schools.

B) JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis

• in 1956 Cuba went communism at the hands of the revolutionary FIDEL CASTRO.
• In 1960 when JFK was elected the CIA had already drawn up plans to support an invasion
of Cuban led by Cuban exiles. (Cubans who escaped Cuba when Castro took over)
• JFK approved the plan called the BAY OF PIGS. The invasion was a complete failure! JFK
was asked to send air power to save the pathetic invasion. Knowing MAD/brinkmanship,
JFK declined and the exiled were slaughtered.
• KRUSCHEV (the leader of the Soviets) responded by putting nuclear ballistic missiles on
the island in order to prevent another attack.
• In October of 1961, the US exposed the Soviets plan at the UN and demanded a halt to
production. Having missiles 90 miles off the coast of Florida would of been a game
changer!
 • .
• The US decided to use a NAVAL BLOCKADE the island and force the Soviets to make a
decision. For thirteen days the US and the Soviets sat still in the Atlantic staring each other
down.
• Eventually a deal was stuck and the missiles were removed from the island. The US in
turn promised to not invade again as well as remove their own missiles from Turkey which
was close to the Soviet Union.
• Today we know that as the blockade occurred the Soviets already had missiles ready to
go! What do you think would of happened if we invaded?

C) Vietnam
Vietnam was fought in SE Asia as a war of containment from 1956-1974. Over two million
Vietnamese civilians died and over 54,000 US soldiers dies. At the end of the day we LOST
Vietnam! Here are important vocabulary and steps in the Vietnam Conflict. Four American
presidents dealt with Vietnam; Eisenhower, JFK, LBJ and Richard Nixon.

• DOMINO THEORY: If the US was to allow one country to fall to communism then the rest
would fall. This policy made us HAVE to go to Vietnam (if you buy the Domino Theory).
• Following WWII, Vietnam was divided into a Northern sphere of influence (Soviets) and a
Southern sphere of influence (THE US). A planned reunification was supposed to happen
 after National elections. The elections were continual put off b/c the US feared losing
South Vietnam to the popular communists.
• Eventually by the early 1960's, communist fighters from the North began to infiltrate the
South, these fighters were called the VIETCONG. Using the Ho Chi Min trail in the
jungles they were able to avoid detection and fight a guerrilla war against the South
Vietnam/US Supported Government.
• Increasingly the US began to send more and more military advisers in order to deal with
this problem.
• in 1963 the trigger occurred. The crisis event which turned public opinion into favoring a
full scale Americans war was the GULF OF TONKIN. The US claimed that the North
Vietnamese launched an attack ON a US ship in neutral waters. Whether this happened or
not is up for debate to this day. Never the less, the president Lyndon Johnson claimed it
was and Congress responded.
• Congress responded not with a war declaration but rather a blank check. This blank check
was called the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and it put total power to wage an endless war
in the hand s of LBJ,
• Quickly the US increased its presence including a massive bombing campaign called,
Rolling Thunder.
• Rolling Thunder used agent Orange (a deadly chemical) to burn the jungles down so the
US could see their enemy. The result was massive deaths as well as long term health
concerns for US Soldiers.
• The US also engaged in many questionable acts of war.

Including MAI LAI, where US soldiers massacred a

village of innocent Vietnamese.
• By the late 1960's, Americans began to slowly turn against the war. Massive protests
occurred across American campuses including sit-ins, college boycotts and terrorism.
Underground groups such as the Weatherman began to bomb military recruitment
stations. National Guardsman fired and killed 7 Innocent protesters at KENT state in
1970. The country was tearing apart and the government knew it. Slowly the US began to
withdraw. LBJ, refused to run for a second term in part to the anger of the American
public.
• Nixon adopted a policy of Vietnamization. Which meant as the US pulled out, the South
Vietnamese would take up the slack and fight their own war. (sound familiar?)
• At the same time Nixon EXPANDED the war be secretly bombing LAOS and CAMBODIA.
• Eventually the US removed its last troops in 1974. The capital of South Vietnam, Saigon,
wuickly fell to the communists. We lost the war.
• The Domino Theory did not come to fruition, meaning it did not happen.
• AFTER THE WAR, CONGRESS PASSES THE WAR POWERS ACT. IF THE PREZ SENDS
TROOPS INTO BATTLE W/OUT A DECLARATION OF WAR, CNGRESS CAN BRING
THEM HOME AFTER 60 DAYS. (REVERSING TONKIN RESOLUTION)

HOW DID WE LOSE????