vietnam_ii_dp

=Civil War=

With the approval of President Eisenhower, Diem never held the elections in 1956. This was due to the fear that Ho Chi Minh would win. The US also increased aid to South Vietnam. When the time of the elections came and went, Ho Chi Minh began strove to reunify the nation. Southern Vietnamese communists organized into the Vietcong and began fighting the forces of South Vietnam. Despite aid from Eisenhower, Diem was unable to quash the Vietcong. They grew evermore powerful and Diem had many in opposition of his government.

Kennedy needed to look tough on communism (his political party was hurting) so he continued support for South Vietnam. The US advised Diem to enact reforms that would increase support from the people. The reforms were limited and had little effect. In some cases, the reforms lost more support than they gained. Notwithstanding, Diem did not do much to help his position. A Catholic, Diem banned the flying of the traditional Buddhist flag. This and other policies led to Buddhist protests. The most profound occurred when, over a period of some time, several monks poured gasoline on their robes and lit themselves on fire.

Worse yet, the US sympathized with South Vietnamese generals who were planning a coup. The coup ended up in the execution of Diem, who was a competent administrator. Thus, the country was destabilized and continued down that path.

The War
President Johnson took office directly after Kennedy's assassination. Johnson didn't wish to "widen the war," but at the same time, he didn't want South Vietnam to fall to communism (perhaps because this would be regarded as a failure for the Democrats). The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was passed by Congress in response to alleged North Vietnamese military aggression. It granted the president power to "take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the [US] and to prevent further aggression." And so the US went into a brutal and objective-less war. US soldiers were massacred while others massacred civilians. The vast green of Vietnam was poisoned, burned, and defoliated. Yet no real progress was made.

At home, Americans were angry at the draft. Question arose concerning the objective and perspective of the war. Coverage of American atrocities toward Vietnamese civilians was publicized and papers revealing that several government officials disproved of the war were released. Nixon promised a plan to end the war.

Peace talks between North and South began in 1972. After the US presidential elections, the peace negotiations failed. The South refused any treaty that would allow North Vietnamese troops in the South. By December of 1972, there were no more peace talks.

To encourage cooperation from the North, Nixon ordered the bombing of North Vietnamese targets. These "Christmas bombings" were very destructive and lasted 11 days straight (except a short pause on Christmas). This brought the North back into peace talks. And by January 27, 1973 the South buckled under pressure from the US to allow North troops in the South. The US ended its involvement in Vietnam.

Unfortunately peace did not last. March 1975 marked beginning of a full-scale invasion of the South. Nixon had guaranteed help to the South if the North violated the agreement. But Nixon had resigned due to the embarrassment of the Watergate scandal. Gerald Ford took office and asked for funds to help the South, but Congress would not approve. So when the South appealed to the US for help, no aid arrived. On April 30, 1975, Saigon (the South's capital) was captured and renamed Ho Chi Minh City. Back