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Vietnam War Review

Terms in this set (29)

Operation Rolling Thunder (1965)
bombing campaign over North Vietnam, supposed to weaken enemy's ability and will to fight
Pentagon Papers, 1971
revealed that the govt. drew up plans to enter the war, even as Johnson promised he would not send US troops to Vietnam; no plans to leave the war as long as N. Vietnam continued
Daniel Ellsberg
He was a former employee of the Defense Department and gave the New York Times the "Pentagon Paper" which was information on how the US government got involved in Vietnam. Very embarrassing to the government.
Christmas Bombings 1972
B52 bombers were continuously dropped on North Vietnam. Nixon's attempt to force North Vietnamese diplomats into peace-talks in Paris. Example of how the US would operate in a position of power and a message to South Vietnam that the US would not give up.
Fall of Saigon (1975)
Capture of South Vietnamese capital that marked the end of the Vietnam War (April 30, 1975)
Domino Theory
The US theory that stated, if one country would fall to Communism then they all would.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
1964 Congressional resolution that authorized President Johnson to commit US troops to south vietnam and fight a war against north Vietnam
Walter Cronkite
A newscaster who was known for his objectivity and trustworthiness, who said that the war in Vietnam would end in stalemate. Johnson knew that if even Cronkite didn't support him, nobody in Middle America supported him.
Tet Offensive (1968)
A massive, coordinated Communist assault against more than 100 cities and towns in South Vietnam.
Vietnamization of the war
refers to US leaving south vietnam on its own to fight, leaving resources and training
My Lai Massacre
1968, in which American troops had brutally massacred innocent women and children in the village of My Lai, also led to more opposition to the war.
Kent State University
An Ohio university where National Guardsmen opened fire on students protesting the Vietnam War on May 4, 1970, wounding nine and killing four
Jackson State University
10 days after Kent State shooting, this black school in Mississippi had state troops enter dormitories and began shooting wildly. Killed 2 and wounded 12.
guerilla tactics
referring to surprise attacks or raids rather than organized warfare
Hawks
Americans who supported the Vietnam War.
Doves
Americans who opposed the Vietnam War.
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)
an anti establishment New Left group, founded in 1960, that called for greater individual freedom and responsibility
Napalm
Highly flammable chemical dropped from US planes in firebombing attacks during the Vietnam War.
Agent Orange
A chemical herbicide used to clear jungle growth in the Vietnam War
William Westmoreland
American commander in South Vietnam
Teach ins
University students and teachers who taught classes on the Vietnam war and protested against its expansion
Strategic Hamlets
Special fortified villages created by the South Vietnamese
Hubert Humphrey
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.
Robert Kennedy assassinated, 1968
took place shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968, in Los Angeles, California. After winning the California primary election for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, Kennedy was shot as he walked through the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel
Ngo Dinh Diem
South Vietnamese president that was catholic and strongly opposed communism. His poor leadership and corrupt government spelled doom
Le Duc Tho and Henry Kissinger
Both worked secretly on a peace agreement. It fell through a few times before they agreed.
George Wallace
Ran for president in 1968 as a segregationist
Vietnam Memorial
A huge wall of black granite in Washington, D.C., that is inscribed with the names of the more than 58,000 Americans who died in Vietnam
French-Vietnam War
1946-1954. was fought in French Indochine between French and Vietnamese. End result was division of Vietnam at Geneva Conference.
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