AMERICAS LONGEST WAR

Presented By: Sachin Bhat Shivam Vatsa

WHERE IS VIETNAM??

Longest and Most Unpopular War

The Vietnam War was the longest and most unpopular war.
58,000 Americans lost their lives.
The oldest man killed was 62 years old; the youngest, 16. 61% of the men killed were 21 or younger.

304,000 were wounded. 75,000 were severely disabled. The United States spent over $200 billion dollars on the war.

1. The U.S. sends troops to Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh defeated the French in 1954 and Vietnam was split into North and South. North Vietnam was led by Communist Ho Chi Minh- South Vietnam was led by Diem who was backed by the US.

 Vietcong were South Vietnamese guerrillas who were backed by the North and fought against the Souths government.

The Domino Theory

President John F. Kennedy believed in the Domino Theory, the idea that if one Southeast Asian country fell to communism, the rest would also, like a row of dominos.

 1961- he sent military advisors to help Diem fight the Vietcong. 1963- Lyndon Johnson became President and sent more aid to South Vietnam 1964- Gulf of Tonkin Resolution- after a U.S. ship is attacked, Congress passed this which allowed President Johnson to take all necessary measures to prevent another attack. Thus, the war escalated and by 1968 there were over 500,000 troops fighting in the Vietnam War.

American soldiers faced many hardships fighting a guerilla war in jungle terrain, going on search and destroy missions.

The North Vietnamese Fight Back Against the U.S. Invaders

The North Vietnamese used classic Maoist guerrilla tactics. Guerrillas must move through the peasants like fish through sea, i.e., the peasants will support them as much as they can with shelter, food, weapons, storage, intelligence, recruits.

Tunnel Complexes
The Vietnamese built large tunnel complexes such as the ones at Cu Chi near Saigon. This protected them from the bombing raids by the Americans and gave them cover for attacking the invaders.

Search & Destroy Tactics

The United States countered with Search and Destroy tactics. In areas where the NLF were thought to be operating, troops went in and checked for weapons. If they found them, they rounded up the villagers and burned the villages down.

A Secret Plan to End the War

In late March 1968, a disgraced Lyndon Johnson announced that he would go to the bargaining table with the Communists to end the war. The Democratic Party could not rescue the presidency from Republican challenger Richard Nixon who claimed he had a secret plan to end the war.

The United States Loses the Vietnam War

1. They underestimated the tenacity and organization of the North Vietnamese and the National Liberation Front.

2. Despite dropping more tonnage of high explosive on Vietnam the Americans could not stop the movement of troops or supplies to the south along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

3. The North Vietnamese conducted a Peoples war in which everyone played a part.

4. At first, most Americans supported the war. But by 1970, the Peace Movement had support from all parts of society and no government could ignore it.

6. America was not prepared to keep losing high numbers of casualties for such limited progress in a difficult jungle war, for which they were not suited.

7. The strength and resourcefulness of the NLF.

stakeholders involved
US Government US armed forces People of South Vietnam People of North Vietnam

Ethical Questions
Should a powerful country restore to military use to support govt. in foreign countries favouring it ? Should a powerful country interfere in the internal affairs that too it being a civil war.? Is it ethical for the establishment to manipulate the views of common people using various forms of media? Should superpowers install puppet regime to favour its interest?

Ethical Analysis of US Actions

Globally US presents itself as a symbol of democracy, freedom of thoughts and political freedom. But during the cold war it has tried to install right wing puppet regimes in countries with abundant natural resources to favour its corporates. The actions taken in Vietnam by US does not withstand with virtues and values it so gladly claims its representing. As per Deontological view no international law permits even a superpower to upstage a government . Its United Nations that decides legally.

Sources
Battlefield Vietnam: A Brief History http://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/history/index.html Vietnam Revision Guide http://www.learnhistory.org.uk/vietnam/ustactics.htm

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