How I will compress four lectures into

one because Ive run out of time.

Alastminuteadditiontomy
bibliography:
B.G.Burkett(Vanderbilt,66)andGlenna
Whitley,StolenValor:HowtheVietnam
GenerationwasrobbedofitsHeroesandits
History (Dallas,1998).
Burkettmakesmanyclaimsinthisbook,but
themostfascinatingaspectofitishis
exposureofthephonyVietnamveteran,a
phenomenonthatstillamazesme.

ManyFlagscampaign Allied
support
1.)SouthKorea largestcontingent

48,000(wouldlose4407men)USfinancial
support
2.)Australia 8000,lost469
3.)NewZealand,1000,lost37
4.)Thailand 12,000troops,351lost
5.)Philippines medicalandsmallnumberof
forcesinpacification
6.)NationalistChina covertoperations

American Force levels/casualties in

Vietnam(K=killed W=wounded)

1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972

23,200
190,000
390,000
500,000
535,000
475,000
334,000
140,000
50,000

K 147 W 522
K 1369 W 3308
5008
16,526
9377
32,370
14,589 46,797
9414
32,940
4221
15,211
1381
4767
300
587

SovietandChineseSupportforNorth
Vietnam
1.)DespiteSinoSovietdisputeandoutbreakof
CulturalRevolutioninChina,supportcontinues
2.)Sovietsupplyofantiaircrafttechnologyand
suppliestotheNorth alongwithmedicalsupplies,
arms,tanks,planes,helicopters,artillery,andother
militaryequipment.Sovietshipsprovided
intelligenceonB52raids 3000soldiersinNorth
Vietnam(Sovietgovt.concealedextentofsupport)
3.)Chinesesupplyofantiaircraftunitsand
engineeringbattalions 327,000troopssent more
than17,000killed

 1.)
2.)

Hawks escalate the war

Doves a fractious coalition
a.) Pacifists
b.) New Left
c.) Liberals (Robert Kennedy, George
McGovern, Eugene McCarthy, Frank
Church)
3.) Overall frustration within the country
from lack of progress demonstrations, civil
disorders in the cities, inflation support for
the war drops to 40 percent

JohnsonsProgressOffensive
1.)JohnsonsNovemberpressConference
2.)BringingWestmorelandhometoreporttoCongress the
endbeginstocomeintoview
thelightattheendofthetunnel
3.)LBJorderssurveillanceofthepeacemovementactivitiesat
homeandabroad OperationChaos dossierson7000
Americans violationofCIAcharter
4.)Objectivesignsofprogress enemysufferinghigh
casualties,problemswithrecruiting,ARVNdesertionrate
dropping,evenMcNamarabelievedprogresswasbeingmade
5.)PRcampaign CommitteeforPeaceandFreedomin
Vietnam coordinatedwiththeWhiteHouse

TheTetOffensive:TheEddieAdamsPicture

BeginningoftheOffensive
1.)Struck36of44provincialcapitals,fiveofsixmajor
cities,64districtcapitals,and50hamlets
2.)RaidontheUSEmbassy gotintothecompound
lastedaboutsixhours all19killedorseverelywounded
3.)AlsohitSaigonsairport,presidentialpalace,and
militaryheadquarters
4.)MostsuccessfulattackinHue heldthecityforamonth
5.)SiegeatKhe Sanh tillApril
6.)overallenemydefeat lossesestimatedat40,000;
weakeningoftheVietCong;NorthVietnamesenow
assumemostofthefighting

FootagefromTetOffensive
CBSNews

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm3Wimt

tZjc&feature=related

FortheU.S. ACostlyVictory
1.)USlossesmorethan1100,ARVN2300
2.)Morethan12,500civilianskilled
3.)DevastatingEffectonAmericanpublicopinion
78percentofAmericanssaidnoprogresswasbeing
made;26percentapprovedJohnsonshandlingof
thewar
4.)Increaseinthecredibilitygap Tetseemedto
showLBJsprogressoffensivewasanexaggeration,
tosomealie Kennedyspeech

AtmosphereofGloom
1.)RobertKennedysspeech
2.)Mediareportingonthewar imageof
chaosanddefeat
3.)WalterCronkiteYouTube WalterCronkite
RemembersHisTetOffensiveEditorial
4.)NYTimesstory March10,1968
Westmorelandsrequestfor206,000
producedanuproar

1.) Assassination of Martin Luther King in

Memphis, April 1968
2.) Assassination of Robert Kennedy in June
YouTube - Robert Kennedy's assasination
3.) Chicago Democratic convention riots
and protests YouTube - 1968 DNC:
Democratic nightmare in Chicago

Humphreyvs.Nixonvs.Wallace
http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commer
cials/1968

NixonBringustogether

NixonandKissinger

`
`
`

1.) Failure of linkage with Soviets, slow

progress with China the Korea parallel
2.) Secret bombing of Cambodia madman
theory
3.) Failure of negotiations with Hanoi
Midway conference, Nixon Doctrine,
Vietnamization, beginning of troop withdrawals

4.) Plans for Operation Duck Hook savage,

punishing blows

TheFrustrationsofVietnam,1969
5.)Growthinantiwarsentiment moratoriumsofOctober
andNovember1969 radicalizationofpartofthemovement
(WeatherUnderground,BringtheWarHome)
Governmentresponse COINTELPRO coverteffortsto
infiltrateanddiscreditthemovement
6.)Nixons SilentMajoritySpeech
7.)RevelationsofMyLaimassacre Nov.1969
8.)Firstdraftlottery December1969

TheFrustrationsofVietnam,
1970
1.)ControversiesoverwarinLaos,Feb.1970
2.)OverthrowofSihanouk,March1970
3.)Announcementofwithdrawalof150,000men,April

20,1970
4.)IncursionintoCambodia May1970 thesearchfor
COSVN
5.)Intensedomesticreaction KentState
6.)UStroopwithdrawalfromCambodia,June1970,but
warcontinues
7.)1970midtermelections Nixonsdefeat,fearofbeing
onetermpresident

TheAgonyofVietnam 1971
1.)FailureofLamSon371 February1971
USsupported ARVN(SouthVietnamese)
invasionofLaos
2.)April1971 VietnamVeteransAgainstthe
WarinWashington JohnKerry
3.)VerdictintheCalleyTrial PublicOutrage
4.)ThePentagonPapersandDanielEllsberg
June1971,SupremeCourtCaseagainstprior
censorship

NixonandKissinger AComplex
Relationship

1.)KissingerasNationalSecurityAdviser aconstituencyofone

(DecentInterval
http://web1.millercenter.org/dci/1970_1221_nixonwithdrawal.html

2.)ReassurancestoNixon conversationApril1971NixonTapesTranscript
RichardNixon,HenryKissinger4/7/1971001010

NixononJews

http://whitehousetapes.net/clips/1971_0705_jews/

NixononDiem

http://tapes.millercenter.virginia.edu/clips/1971_0407_billygraham/main.swf

3.)NixonasStrategist,KissingerasTactician?(April14conversation)

China:http://nixontapes.org/hak.html

4.)Nixononyoungpeople
http://tapes.millercenter.virginia.edu/clips/nixon_students_1971_03_25.swf

TheTrifecta NixonsSuccessesin1972
DeterminationtobethePeaceCandidate
1.)OpeningtoChina July1971 Trip
February1972
2.)SummitwithSoviets SALTIAgreement
May1972
3.)VietnamPeaceAccords announced
October1972,signedJanuary1973
Result:OverwhelmingReelection,November
1972

TheDecentInterval
http://tapes.millercenter.virginia.edu/clips/19

72_0803_vietnam/
http://web1.millercenter.org/dci/1972_1006_t

hieu.html

McGovernsCampaign ComeHome,
America

OctoberSurprise PeaceisatHand
(KissingerandLeDucTho)

Impactontheelection
ChapterII MemoirsV.Tapes:PresidentNixon
&theDecemberBombings
wipedMcGovernoutnow

NixonLandslide 1968vs.1972

ChristmasBombingof1972

ParisPeaceAccordsofJanuary1973
1.)NorthVietnamesetroopsallowedto
remainintheSouth
2.)UStroopswithdrawn
3.)USPOWsreturned
4.)Thieuremainsinpower
(Nixonssecret/publicassurances)

Watergate

NixonsResignation August1974

FallofSaigon April1975

Vietnam Reeducationcamps
1.)500,000to1millionincamps(outof
populationof20million) deathtoll
uncertain

KillingFieldsofCambodia

Whythecollapse?
1.)Nixonsresignation;Watergateseffecton
presidentialauthority
2.)CongressionalcutbacksinaidtoSouthVietnam
refusaltopassemergencylegislation
3.)SouthVietnameseweakness,disunity,poor
strategicdecisions
4.)Cambodia weaknessandcorruptionof
government;displacementthroughbombing;
sideshowofVietnam,aswithLaos

SubsequentEvents,19752011

1.)Vietnamofficiallyreunifies1976 Southernerspushedaside;Khmer
RougepursuesgenocideinCambodia
2.)VietnaminvadesCambodiaandtopplesKhmerRougegovernment,
December1978 continuingguerillawar
3.)ChinaattacksVietnamJanuary1979 fightsfortwomonthsinNorth
Vietnamandwithdraws
4.)VietnambecomesSovietally USdemandsaccountingofPOWsand
MIAs exodusoftheboatpeopleestimatesbetween1to1.5million
5.)Vietnamadoptseconomicreformsdoimoiin1986 losesaidwith
collapseofSovietUnionandEasternbloc19891991
6.)USandVietnamrestorediplomaticrelationsin1995
7.)Cambodiancivilwarends,1998
8.)ClintonvisitsVietnam,November2000 USlargesttradepartner,de
factomilitaryalliancedespitehumanrightsconcerns

AHistoriansPerspective GeorgeHerring
onLessonsofVietnam
1.)Centralityoflocalforcesasopposedto
internationalpolitics
2.)LimitsofPower thepoisonoustangleof
localpolitics
3.)Needfordebateanddiscussionabout
foreignpolicy
Problemswithallthreelessons

VietnamandIraqandAfghanistan
1.)Problemsoflocalforcesvs.globalnetwork
2.)Effectivenessofcounterinsurgency
3.)USpublicopinionandthepolitical
dynamicsofwar
4.)RoleoftheUSintheWorld theWilsonian
temptation