1965 – 1968
Jan 13, 2016
1965 – 1968
PleikuIa Drang
Review Stuff
Part I. Escalation
Prolonged Guerrilla Warfare
After Ia Drang, Vietminh/Vietcong decided to stretch the war out– No conventional battles– Hit and run guerrilla tactics
They only need to not lose, right? – U.S. will eventually tire of the fight
LBJ Felt Forced to Fight a Limited War
• goal prop up South Vietnam, not topple North Vietnam
• Why? – U.S. public won’t stand for high casualties
– Soviet Union and China might not stand for an invasion of the north
– Vietnam War sold as a defensive war we are there to ‘help’
• Thus, no invasion of North Vietnam • No bombing of Haiphong Harbor
– We might hit Soviet or Chinese ships
Escalation of U.S. Troops
Part II. U.S. Strategy
War of Attrition
This strategy says that the U.S. will win when we have killed such a large percentage of the enemy that they are unable to field a fighting force
Why was this the necessary strategy?– Seizing land is irrelevant; the guerrilla ‘fish’ simply
swim to other parts of the ‘ocean’ and then return when the U.S. troops are gone
Crossover Point? - ____________________
Search and Destroy Missions- – Find VC and kill them
Destroy Vietcong friendly villages- – “ dry the sea the enemy swims in”… – free fire zones...
Bombing campaign- destroy North Vietnam’s ability to wage war…
– a major target here was the Ho Chi Minh trail. – Quote: “We’ll bomb them back to the stone age.” (U.S.
general). Problem? __________________– Later estimated that it cost $10 to destroy every $1 of
NVA or VC materiel
To accomplish attrition U.S. Used a Three-Pronged Strategy
How to measure success in the war of attrition?
Body count
Robert McNamara Personified War
Secretary of Defense under JFK and LBJ He had been the president of the Ford motor
company and had been a huge success because of his reliance on meticulous review of statistics to improve his business
Body counts, war of attrition, etc. It is running the war from numbers on paper
Part III. Down Sides of U.S. Strategy
War of Attrition Conflicts with Battle for Hearts and Minds
What does this phrase ‘Hearts and Minds’ mean? _____________________________ ___________________________________
Attrition says: – demolish villages– Use defoliants like agent orange
A little more about Defoliants
Room in American War Crimes Museum Destroy cover and food for guerilla fighters. Bad for the U.S. because… world outrage, loss of villager support, and
riots at home. It is against the law to use weaponize poison ever since mustard gas was
used in WWI. U.S. argues that it is using poison against plants in areas where no one lives.
The problem is… poisons, most notably the most famous (Agent Orange) doesn’t just evaporate after it kills plants. It ends up killing people too. There were other agent colors in Vietnam.
It is extremely difficult to test a person for Dioxin poisoning, which is what you can get from Agent Orange. For example it was used on Victor Yashenko in the Ukrainian election campaign. It costs about $1500 - $2000 dollars even today to test one person for Dioxin exposure. U.S. never has to admit what it has done. Still debated…
What is the Impact the U.S. strategy on the U.S. soldier?
-Mere Gook Rule …brutality is OK Inflated body count (for promotion) makes it impossible for the U.S. gov to tell how well it is actually doing -Killing is anesthetized
- … poem…
Gilded Baskets Poem
“Eight Six Foxtrot- Eight Six Foxtrot.
This is One One Zulu. Over.
The woman in blueCarried the weight swiftly, with grace,
Her face hidden by her Conical rice straw hat
One One Zulu- this is Eight Six Foxtrot. Go.
Roger Eight Six. I have Fire Mission.
Dink in the open, Grid: Bravo Sierra
Five Six Niner, Four Six Five, Range:
Three thousand, Proximity; Eight hundred, Over.
The two heavy baskets
balanced on tips
of the springing Chogi stick
Glided close to the hard smooth path
Read back, One One Zulu.
Roger Copy, Eight Six.
Shot on the way, wait.
Shot out, Eight Six.
A sighing 105 mm round slides through its parabola. Then the explosive tearing at the steel which surrounds it, And the shrapnel catches the gliding baskets, And they crumple with the woman in blue “
VS
U.S. Morale Begins to Drop
• “You don’t fight this enemy rifle to rifle” (translation) “infantry are bait”
• ‘search and avoid’ tactic • ‘fragging’
Hmmm… No VC here
either…
Part IV. The U.S. Public is Lied To
The Math Doesn’t Work!
One study showed that, if one assumed a kill rate that matched that of the highest 6 month period between 1965 the end of 1968 and assuming that U.S. wasn’t fibbing its #s about body counts, which it was, that it would take 15 ½ years to sap the communists’ ability to wage significant resistance
Why a problem? – TOO LONG!!!
Despite Evidence to the Contrary, Administration Gave Rosy Reports
Westmoreland tells congress in 1967- “ We can see the light at the end of the tunnel”
In private, there is a much gloomier outlook…– McNamara later admitted that he knew the war
would not be won years before he shared this opinion publicly
Part V. As the War Stretched On, Problems for the U.S. Grew Rapidly
The Changing Makeup of the U.S. Forces
In 1965, most of the troops were volunteers…– Gung Ho attitude– Soldiers want to be there
But as the war stretched on and American troop strength grew and volunteers finished their year-long-tour…– more and more of the men
were draftees – Why does this matter?
VS
Protest against the war Grew between 1965 and 1968
Carleton story LBJ said he was “caught in the middle of the
ocean standing on a piece of cardboard” by the Vietnam War
In 1967, LBJ Took the gloves off…
His real goal/passion was Civil Rights –major Civil Rights Bill in 1964…
However, he was unable to fully fund both of his goals: war and civil rights, so he ended up underfunding both
The Phoenix Program– Mainly run by the U.S. – carried out
by ARVN– Eliminate VC sympathizers… very
bloody, very effective… very questionable, morally (some CIA agents later admitted that many people were killed due to personal vendettas, etc.)
End of Day #1
Hansen Name ___________________Vietnam
1965-1968 Note-taking Guide
Review• Pleiku• Ia DrangPart I Escalation • Prolonged Guerrilla Warfare
– After Ia Drang, Vietminh/Vietcong decided to _________________________________
• No ___________________________• __________________ guerrilla tactics
– They only need to ______________, right? • U.S. will eventually __________________
• LBJ Felt Forced to Fight a Limited War – goal prop up South Vietnam, not __________
____________________________________– Why?
• U.S. public won’t____________________• _____________________________ might
not stand for an invasion of the north• Vietnam War sold as a defensive war we
are __________________________– Thus, no ___________________ North Vietnam – No bombing of ___________________________
• We might hit ___________________ shipsPart II. U.S. Strategy • War of Attrition
– This strategy says that the U.S. will win when we have ____________________________________________ that they are unable to field a fighting force
– Why was this the necessary strategy?• Seizing land is irrelevant; the guerrilla ‘fish’
simply_________________________________ _________return when the U.S. troops are gone
– Crossover Point? - ____________________ ________ _____________________________________________
• To Accomplish Attrition, the U.S. used a 3-Pronged Strategy – Search and Destroy Missions-
• ____________________________– Destroy Vietcong friendly villages-
• “ dry the sea _____________________”… • free fire zones... _________________
________________________________– Bombing campaign- destroy North Vietnam’s ability
to wage war… • a major target here was the_____________
__________________________________. • Quote: “We’ll bomb them back _______
_________________________.” (U.S. general). Problem? __________________
• Later estimated that it cost _____ to destroy every _______ of NVA or VC materiel
• How to measure success in a War of Attrition?– ________________________
• Robert McNamara Personified the War • Secretary of Defense under
______________– He had been the president of the Ford motor
company and had been a huge success because of his reliance on ____________________________ _________________________________________
– Body counts, war of attrition, etc. It is running the war ________________________________
Part III. Down Sides of the U.S. Strategy • War of Attrition Conflicts with Fight for Hearts and Minds
– What does this phrase ‘Hearts and Minds’ mean? _____________________________ ___________________________________
– Attrition says: • __________________________• Use defoliants like ________________
• What is the Impact of this Strategy on the U.S. Soldier?– Mere Gook Rule …________________________ – Inflated body count (_________________ ) makes
it impossible for the U.S. gov to tell__________ ______________________________________
- Killing is _______________________ - … poem…
- U.S. Morale Begins to Drop • “You don’t fight this enemy rifle to rifle”
(translation) ____________________________ _______________________________________
• ‘search and avoid’ tactic - __________________ _______________________________________
• ‘fragging’- _____________________________ _______________________________________
Part IV. The U.S. Public is Lied To • The Math Doesn’t Work
– One study showed that, if one assumed a kill rate that matched that of _____________________ ____________________________ between 1965 the end of 1968 and assuming that U.S. wasn’t fibbing its #s about body counts, ____________, that it would take _______________to sap the communists’ ability to wage significant resistance
– Why a problem? • ____________________________
• Despite Evidence to the Contrary, the Administration Gave Rosy Reports
– Westmoreland tells congress in 1967- “ We can see the ____________________________________ “
– In private, there is a much gloomier outlook…• McNamara later admitted that he knew the
war would ________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________
Part V. As the War Stretched On, Problems for the U.S. Grew Rapidly• The Changing Makeup of the U.S. Forces
– In 1965, most of the troops were ______________…• ____________ attitude• Soldiers _____________________
– But as the war stretched on and American troop strength grew and volunteers finished their ______ __________________________...
• more and more of the men were ________• Why does this matter?
• Protest Against the War Grew – Carleton story – LBJ said he was “caught in the middle of the ocean
standing on a piece of cardboard” by the ________________
• In 1967, LBJ Took the Gloves Off – His real goal/passion was Civil Rights –major _____
_________________________________________… – However, he was unable to fully ____________
_________________________________ : war and civil rights, so he ended up underfunding both
– The Phoenix Program• Mainly run by __________ . – carried out
_________________________• Eliminate _________________… very
bloody, very effective… _____________ _________________________________ (some CIA agents later admitted that many people were killed due to personal vendettas, etc.)
1967 -- Khe Sanh
Where is it? What is the story? What does it remind American
political/military advisors of?
Khe Sanh (continued)
LBJ vows to hold it… he does… 10-15 thousand VC die in the attack compared to 250 Americans…
Westmoreland calls it the biggest victory of the war…
But… he’s wrong…
Tet Offensive
What is Tet? What is the Tet Offensive?