Unit 6 Terms 2
Da Nang
The largest, most important army base of the ARVN in South Vietnam. Its base was plagued by Viet Cong snipers and small rocket attacks.
General William C. Westmoreland
Told Americans that they were winning the war (lie); commander of US troops in Vietnam.
Christmas Bombings 1972
US air force bombs NV, foreign policy by force. Maximum effort to destroy major target complexes in Hanoi and Haiphong areas. Greatest heavy bomber strikes launched since the end of WWII
Search and Destroy
US troop tactic used to seek out secret Viet Cong hiding places and destroy the villages that they stayed in.
Anti-War Movement
student protest that started as the Free Speech movement in California and spread around the world, with common denominator of opposition to war in Vietnam and condemning US presence there. as violation of Vietnamese rights and US imperialism. Lead to growing activism on campuses aimed as social reform etc. Primarily a middle-class movement.
Mekong River Delta
the Delta region saw savage fighting between Viet Cong (NLF) guerrillas and units of the United States Navy's swift boats and hovercrafts (PACVs).
Operation Rolling Thunder
was the title of a gradual and sustained U.S. 2nd Air Division (later Seventh Air Force), U.S. Navy, and Republic of Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) aerial bombardment campaign conducted against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) from 2 March 1965 until 1 November 1968, during the Vietnam War.
MIA's
1,618 Americans are currently under the status "Missing in Action" in the South East Asia region (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, China)
Buddhist Monk Crisis 1963
1963, Buddhist community became frustrated with Dien's discrimination and wanted independence from Vietman, Diem harassed Buddhists in South Vietnam and discriminated against them; it was made famous worldwide by monks lighting themselves on fire
George McGovern
A Senator from South Dakota who ran for President in 1972 on the Democrat ticket. His promise was to pull the remaining American troops out of Vietnam in ninety days which earned him the support of the Anti-war party, and the working-class supported him, also. He lost however to Nixon.
Viet Cong 1957
A member of the communist guerrilla movement in Vietnam that fought the South Vietnamese government forces 1954-75 with the support of the North Vietnamese army and opposed the South Vietnamese and US forces in the Vietnam War.
Hubert Humphrey
A prominent liberal senator from Minnesota dedicated to the promotion of civil rights, he served as Johnson's vice-president from 1964-68 and ran an unsuccessful personal campaign for the presidency in 1968.
War Hawks
A war hawk, or simply hawk for short, is a term used in politics for someone favoring war in a debate over whether to go to war, or whether to continue or escalate an existing war. War hawks are the opposite of war doves.
Gulf of Tonkin Incident 1964
Alleged attack of US ships by North Vietnamese torpedoes in the Tonkin Gulf on August 4, 1964. Prompted the escalation of the War in Vietnam.
Robert Kennedy
He was a Democrat who ran for president in 1968 promoting civil rights and other equality based ideals. He was ultimately assassinated in 1968, leaving Nixon to take the presidency but instilling hope in many Americans.
NVA
North Vietnamese Army or known as People's Army and fought against the US.
Viet Cong
communist rebels in South Vietnam who sought to overthrow South Vietnam's government; received assistance from North Vietnam
Easter Offensive 1972
('72) N. Vietnamese decide that they will launch the offensive that they have ben planning before the relations with China and US are solidified; largest offensive, capture territory below the 17th parallel in an attempt to beat ARVN; Nixon responds with Operation Linebacker.
Eugene McCarthy
1968 Democratic candidate for President who ran to succeed incumbent Lyndon Baines Johnson on an anti-war platform.
Richard Nixon
1968 and 1972; Republican; Vietnam: advocated "Vietnamization" (replace US troops with Vietnamese), but also bombed Cambodia/Laos, created a "credibility gap," Paris Peace Accords ended direct US involvement; economy-took US off gold standard (currency valued by strength of economy); created the Environmental Protection Agency, was president during first moon landing; SALT I and new policy of detente between US and Soviet Union; Watergate scandal: became first and only president to resign
Tet
1968, during Tet, the Vietnam lunar new year
Tet Offensive
1968; National Liberation Front and North Vietnamese forces launched a huge attack on the Vietnamese New Year (Tet), which was defeated after a month of fighting and many thousands of casualties; major defeat for communism, but Americans reacted sharply, with declining approval of LBJ and more anti-war sentiment
Paris Accords 1973
1973 treaties that settle the terms for a U.S. withdrawal from Indochina, ending the war between the U.S. and North Vietnam. Left the North V. South Vietnam conflict unresolved.
Agent Orange
A chemical herbicide used to clear jungle growth in the Vietnam War
Ho Chi Minh Trail
A network of jungle paths winding from North Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia into South Vietnam, used as a military route by North Vietnam to supply the Vietcong during the Vietnam War.
Vietnamization
A war policy in Vietnam initiated by Nixon in June of 1969. This strategy called for dramatic reduction of U.S. troops followed by an increased injection of S. Vietnamese troops in their place. A considerable success, this plan allowed for a drop in troops to 24,000 by 1972. . This policy became the cornerstone of the so-called "Nixon Doctrine". As applied to Vietnam, it was labeled "Vietnamization".
Doves
Americans who opposed the Vietnam War.
ARVN
Army of the Republic of Vietnam; Southern Vietnamese soldiers that fought with the US troops against communism.
Henry Kissinger
Awarded 1973 Nobel Peace Prize for helping to end Vietnam War and withdrawing American forces. Heavily involved in South American politics as National Security Advisor and Secretary of State. Condoned covert tactics to prevent communism and facism from spreading throughout South America.
Jackson State 1970
Black Mississippi College, anti war demonstrators seize womens dorm, unprovoked state police open fire, kill 2 (innocent & unarmed, wound 12)
Effects of the Tet Offensive
Dozens of cities, towns, and military bases-including the U.S. embassy in Saigon-were attacked. The massive offensive was not a military success for the communists, but its size and intensity shook the confidence of many Americans who were led to believe, by the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson, that the war would shortly be coming to a successful close.
Green Berets
Elite anti-guerrilla military units expanded by Kennedy as part of his doctrine of "flexible response"
Vo Nguyen Giap
Hi Chi Minh's most trusted lieutenant, he led the Viet Minh in a victory over the French that concluded with the battle at Dien Bien Phu.
My Lai Massacre 1968
In 1968 American troops massacred women and children in the Vietnamese village of My Lai; this deepened American people's disgust for the Vietnam War.
Problems with Vietnamization
In 1973 the U. S. reduced funding to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam from $1.6 billion to $1.26 billion. In 1974, funding was reduced again, this time from $1.26 billion to $700 million. The U. S. also reduced their supply of ammunition and spare parts. Ultimately, Nixon became uncommunicative towards the Army of the Republic of Vietnam's leadership which culminated in mistaken tactical withdrawals in March of 1975, in which all ARVN forces from the first and second corps were killed.
Haiphong Harbor Mining 1972 (Operation Pocket Money )
In May of 1972, the harbors of North Vietnam are mined, which prevents vital supplies from coming into North Vietnamese ports, which leads to widespread protests at home.
Fall of Saigon 1975
Late in April 1975, communist forces marched into Saigon, shortly after officials of the Thieu regime and the staff of the American embassy had fled the country in humiliating disarray. The forces quickly occupied the capital, renamed it Ho Chi Minh City and began he process of uniting Vietnam under Hanoi.
Cambodian Invasion 1970
Nixon ordered the invasion of Cambodia without consulting congress on April 29, 1970. American forces then joined South Vietnamese forces to attack enemy sanctuaries in neutral Cambodia. American troops withdrew from Cambodia in June 29, 1970. As a result, rivalry increased between the "doves" and "hawks" and the idea that Vietnam was a "whitey's war".
Kent State 1970
Ohio college where an anti-war protest got way out of hand, the Nat'l Guard was called in and killed 3 students (innocent & unarmed, wounded 9) in indiscriminate fire of M-1 rifles