Chapter 30

Pentagon Papers

(RN), , a classified study of the Vietnam War that was carried out by the Department of Defense. An official of the department, Daniel Ellsberg, gave copies of the study in 1971 to the New York Times and Washington Post. The Supreme Court upheld the right of the newspapers to publish the documents. In response, President Richard Nixon ordered some members of his staff, afterward called the "plumbers," to stop such "leaks" of information. The "plumbers," among other activities, broke into the office of Ellsberg's psychiatrist, looking for damalupging information on him. r Defense Secretary Robert McNamara , revealed among other things that the government had drawn up plans for entering rthe war even as President Johnson promised that he would not send American troops to Viet.

George Wallace

1919-1998. Four time governor of Alabama. Most famous for his pro-segregation attitude and as a symbol for states' rights. Racist gov. of Alabama in 1962 ("segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever"); runs for pres. In 1968 on American Independent Party ticket of racism and law and order, loses to Nixon; runs in 1972 but gets shot

Ho Chi Minh

1950s and 60s; communist leader of North Vietnam; used geurilla warfare to fight anti-comunist, American-funded attacks under the Truman Doctrine; brilliant strategy drew out war and made it unwinnable

Tonkin Gulf Incident

1964, US destroyer torpedos fired and Americans called an air force raid on a North Vietnamese boat US destroyer Maddox was attacked by North Vietnam forces and led to the US escalation of Us military involvement US destroyer "Maddox" attacked by N Viet patrol boats on August 2, 1964 and thought it was under attack a second time on the 4th, but was the result of a radar error.

Eugene McCarthy

1968 Democratic candidate for President who ran to succeed incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson on an anti-war platform. 1968 Democratic candidate who ran against LBJ and was Catholic/anti war.

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 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. 1968, during Tet, the Vietnam lunar new year - Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army raiding forces attacked provincial capitals throughout Vietnam, even seizing the U.S. embassy for a time. U.S. opinion began turning against the war. a massive surprise attack by the Vietcong on South Vietnamese towns and cities in early 1968. Americans realize that the U.S. was not close to winning the war in Vietnam.

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.

New Federalism

A policy in 1969, that turned over powers and responsibilities of some U.S. federal programs to state and local governments and reduced the role of national government in domestic affairs (states are closer to the people and problems)

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. The democratic nominee for the presidency in the election of 1968. He was LBJ's vice president, and was supportive of his Vietnam policies. This support split the Democratic party, allowing Nixon to win the election for the Republicans.

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". President Richard Nixons strategy for ending U.S involvement in the vietnam war, involving a gradual withdrawl of American troops and replacement of them with South Vietnamese forces

War Powers Act

Act that grants emergency executive powers to president to run war effort 1973. A resolution of Congress that stated the President can only send troops into action abroad by authorization of Congress or if America is already under attack or serious threat.

AIM

American Indian Movement. demanded greater rights for Native Americans, use violence to make its point

1968 Democratic Convention

Bloody riot in 1968 in Chicago to protest the Democratic National Convention because of Democratic support of the Vietnam war. Led to Republican win for the presidency. significant event in presidential election of 1968; demonstrated the confusion and lack of unity among Democrats; outside, protests and police brutality This was an anti-war protest.

stagflation

During the 60's and 70's, the U.S. was suffering from 5.3% inflation and 6% unemployment. Refers to the unusual economic situation in which an economy is suffering both from inflation and from stagnation of its industrial growth. a period of slow economic growth and high unemployment (stagnation) while prices rise (inflation)

Hawks and doves

Hawks are people who supported the war's goal. and Doves were people who opposed the war. nicknames for the two opposing positions in American policy during the war in Vietnam. Hawks supported the escalation of the war and a "peace with honor." Doves argued that the US had wrongly intervened in a civil war and should withdraw its troops.

SALT I

Treaty signed in 1972 between the U.S. and the USSR. This agreement limited the number of missiles in each nation and led to the SALT II discussions and a slowdown of the arms race between the two countries.

"credibility gap"

the gap between what the US gov't was telling Americans about the war and what was actually happening. referred to the American public's growing distrust of statements by the government -tet created credibility gap between admin's optimistic reports and war's harsh realities difference between what Johnson's administration reported & what was really happening; lost of public support

RFK

was attorney general; ran for president in 1968 was assasinated in june 1968 Attorney General during the Kennedy Administration

Nixon Doctrine

(1969) Created during the Vietnam war. It proclaimed that the us would honor its existing defense commitments but in the future countries would have to fight their own war without support of large numbers of american ground troops. It also stated that aid, such as food, medicine, clothes, etc., would be delivered. Nixon effectively revoked Eisenhower's, Kennedy's, and Johnson's policies of using the U.S. military to prevent Communism from spreading.

Roe v. Wade

(1973) legalized abortion on the basis of a woman's right to privacy established national abortion guidelines; trimester guidelines; no state interference in 1st; state may regulate to protect health of mother in 2nd; state may regulate to protect health or unborn child in 3rd. inferred from right of privacy established in griswald v. connecticut

Kent State

an Ohio University where National Guardsmen opened fire on students protesting the Vietnam War on May 4,1970, wounding nine and killing four Kent State gained national attention on May 4, 1970 when This event, known as the Kent State shootings, propagated intense national response as hundreds of schools closed due to an eight million student strike.

Operation Rolling Thunder

bombing campaign over North Vietnam, supposed to weaken enemy's ability and will to fight 1965 A bombing campaign began in 1965 and authorized by President Johnson. This tactical movement relentlessly bombed Viet Cong-occupied land, decimating the landscape of hundreds of miles of land. However, the intricate and enormously large network of tunnels the guerrilla soldiers had built were largely unharmed, and it failed to stop the Viet Cong from continuing to press on.