History Courses For Dr. Christopher C. Lovett
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History Courses For Dr. Christopher C. Lovett |
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Updated as of 2 October 05 Today in History: On October 2, 1780, Major John Andrι, a British spy associated with Benedict Arnold, was executed on this day in history. Quote of the Day: "In my view we are much worse off now than when we went into Iraq. This is not a partisan position. I voted for these guys." A senior figure at a military-sponsored think tank as told to James Fallows in "Bush's Lost Year" in The Atlantic Monthly (Oct. 2004) Take the Ann Coulter Quiz Where are you politically? Take the Neocon Quiz and find out. "History is Far too Important to be left to History Professors" Teaching isn't such a novel idea
Bibliography:
History of Disease Contemporary Terrorist Organizations Map of Islamic Terrorist Cells in the U.S.A.
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Vietnam and Wars of National LiberationThe World Since 1945Spring 2006The American Public and Vietnam After the Fall of Saigon, the American public wanted to forget Vietnam. The war was so divisive that Hollywood and TV would not really touch the subject.How divisive was Vietnam? More than the Mexican War? More than the War of 1812? How about the Civil War?What Made Vietnam Divisive? American heritage Emphasis on Total War Use of AnnihilationWho Did The Public Blame? The public sought answers and couldnt find them. Defeat is almost alien to American culture. Blame fell on the warriors. Few Americans failed to understand one truth. They are to blame for what happened.Then Came HollywoodOliver Stones ContributionContributions of Hollywood Reinvented Vietnam for the public. Often gave the false impression of History. Played upon popular stereotypes. Such as POWs and MIAs. Often better seen as a metaphor. Rather than historical truth.Cold War Culture and Vietnam Westerns had a political flavor to them. Television only increased their popularity. John Wayne, a hero in his own right, gave the Cold War a positive and ennobling imagine. What about Gary Cooper in High Noon.Myths of Vietnam We really could have won the war. If the politicians didnt tie the hands of the military. The news media was responsible for our defeat. Americans never committed atrocities. Every GI was a combat veteran.What Role Did Popular Culture Play?Legacy and Culture Did Vietnam create a climate of violence? About the time of the fall of Saigon Soldier of Fortune was published. How do men measure themselves in a changing world?Legacy and Culture 2 Major themes are violence. That American GIs were sold out by Washington. It becomes a form of a stab in the back legend. Read by boys.The Situation After the War The US military demobilized. Tensions mounted between the US and USSR. The British could not pick up the tab for Greece so the US. The Truman Doctrine was born. Followed by the Marshall Plan and NATO. The United States lost its atomic monopoly. The world was no longer safe.The Situation in Vietnam The French wanted to return to Vietnam. Vietnam was occupied by both China in the North and British troops in the South. The British supported the French in and around Saigon. The division of Vietnam irked the Vietminh. The OSS supported the aspirations of the Vietnamese.The Vietnam-American Friendship Association Was formed on Oct. 17, 1945. Gen. Philip E. Gallagher, CO of the South China Command appeared on Vietnamese radio. Both Americans and Vietnamese joined. They even sang songs on the radio together. This exacerbated relations between Paris and Washington.Pop QuizConfusion at Foggy Bottom Washington needed a strong France with mounting tensions developing in Europe. The State Department reigned in the OSS. Hard liners in Washington had no love for Communists either. Ho asked Truman for support at least three times and was rejected. A strong France was more important than Vietnam.Who Was The First American Casualty in Vietnam?Situation in the Spring of 1946 French arrange for the Chinese to leave Tonkin. March 6, 1946, a French task force arrives at Haiphong. Ho Chi Minh and Sainteny, a French negotiator, reach a major agreement.Ho Chi Minh-Sainteny Agreement France recognized RVN as a free and independent nation with its own parliament, central government, and armed forces. RVN would be part of the French Union. 15,000 French troops would be stationed north of the 16th Parallel and would be relieved by Vietminh troops in five years. France was to train and equip the Vietminh troops.What Went Wrong? The French High Commissioner, Admiral Thierry d Argenlieu, decided on his own to reach a similar deal with Cochinchina. Ho Chi Minh thought that this was done in bad faith. Ho thought that he had spoken for all of Vietnam. Due to confusion in France, no one was willing to negotiate with Ho when he arrived.The Thoughts of Jean Sainteny in 1953France undervalued the . . . The power [Ho] wielded. Theres no doubt that he aspired . . . To become the Gandhi of Indochina.Jean Sainteny in 1953The Status of the French Military The French could not use draftees to serve in Indochina. The French Command only had approximately 100,000 troops to draw upon. French foreign legionnaires, colonial troops, or from the Regular Army. The French would eventually use Vietnamese and that was hard for them and the Vietnamese.The Vietminh Giap made some premature mistakes on the offensive operations. Eventually, the Vietminh move into the Central Highlands in an effort to drive the French out. The Vietminh openly aid the Pathet Lao.The Political Situation in Vietnam The French were looking for a way out of the war in 1952. With the Korean Armistice in 1953, the French didnt want to go it alone against the Red Chinese. The new French commander, Henri Navarre came up with a new, bold, and yet stupid, plan.The Navarre Plan Goal was to keep the Vietminh off balance. By rapid raids in the border zones. It was hoped that such moves would keep the Vietminh away from the deltas. Then Navarre wanted to disrupt the Vietminhs thrust into Laos. He selected a remote and isolated base at Dienbienphu. At the limit of French airpower.The Object of Dienbienphu Designed to block Giaps moves into Laos. Expand the defensive parameter. Establish an airfield. Overlooked the five feet of annual rain.The Changing International Situation The Korean War ends in 1953. Stalin dies. The French want out.French Positions at DienbienphuFrench Paratroopers Land at DienbienphuWords of Wisdom from the French Arty Commander at DienbienphuGiap Surprised the French Giap moved faster than the French estimated. Giap had 50,000 men plus another 20,000 along the LOCs. His men moved the arty up hill by hand and dug them in. The attack began on March 13, 1954 on Fort Beatrice followed on Gabrielle. The attacks were costlyThe Situation Becomes Desperate French airpower could not support the base. Only air drops could re-supply Dienbienphu. In the meantime, Giaps troops moved closer and closer. The French Chief of Staff, Paul Ely, arrived in Washington with a request on March 20. He wanted air strikes in and around Dienbienphu, including possible Atomic Bombs.The Fighting Around DienbienphuOperation Vulture Admiral Radford, Chairman of the JCS, proposed a raid of 60 B-29s flying from the Philippines with French markings. The French liked the idea and so did the USAF. But the British didnt nor did the US Army. The Pentagon thought that three nukes could do the job. LBJ, the minority leader thought otherwise.The French Surrender The French were left to their fate. The last reinforcements were Vietnamese paratroopers. Then on May 8, 1954, the end came.Dienbienphu MemorialThe International Meeting at Geneva The meeting took place before the fall of Dienbienphu. The meeting was co-chaired by Great Britain and the USSR. The other nations or states that attended included: China, USA, France, Cambodia, Laos, DRV, and RVN. A truce was signed on July 20, 1954. Hanoi claimed that the PRC forced them to sign.The Geneva Accords A provisional demarcation line was established at the 17th parallel. Set national elections for 1956. Evacuation of French troops north and Vietminh troops south of the 17th Parallel. Freedom of movement among both zones for 300 days. Both North and South Vietnam could not join foreign alliances. An International Commission to monitor the accords.On The Cover of Time November 22, 1954JFKs Words Mobilized a Nation in 1961JFK Meets With Ike Foreign affairs was a key issue. Ike thought that Laos was the most dangerous problem the country would face in the Far East outside of Formosa. Vietnam was to become his test case. Lansdale warned JFK that in serious trouble. JFK also allowed for an expansion of the ARVN force levels.JFKs Early Crises Bay of Pigs The Civil War in Laos. The Berlin Crisis. Khrushchevs call for Wars of National Liberation.Missions to Vietnam: Kennedys Eyes and Hears The first Mission was led by Eugene Staley. Staley gave JFK two options about ARVN force levels 200,000 or 270,000. Kennedy selected the lower number. The Kennedy did not make any requirements that Diem had to meet before he received aid to pay for those troops. The next mission was led by Maxwell Taylor.Kennedy Always Asked The Wrong Questions He only asked how Vietnam could be saved, not whether Vietnam was worth saving. The State Department wanted a quid pro quo. JFK did not want to do anything that would push him into a corner. If a commitment was going to be made, it would be the least possible. But he did not want the Communists to succeed.Maxwell Taylor Intellectual and Scholar. Commander of the 101st Airborne in WW II. Author of Flexible Response. Advisor to JKF and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. And Ambassador to Vietnam.The Taylor Mission Coaxed Diem to get the Viet Cong under control. Including the use of U.S. troops. He cabled his report from the Philippines. He recommended sending 8,000 troops to Vietnam. And conduct air ops against the DRVN.The Debate within the Administration The first person to question the logic of getting involved was Chester Bowles, Undersecretary of State. U. Alexis Johnson another State Department figure authored Concept for Intervention. He wanted to send 20,000 to 25,000 troops under the guise of SEATO. Some in the Pentagon wanted to clear the decks and send in six divisions to Vietnam.JFK on Walt RostowThe Issue of Resolve Today this is ludicrous, but to the men of 1961 it was very important. Vietnam now became central to the policy of Containment. Vietnam was just one more issue in the Cold War Greece (47), China (49), Korea (50). Kennedy nearly lost the 1960 Election over the issue of Quemoy and Matsu. Then there was the Bay of Pigs, the John Birch Society, and the Domino Theory.Some Key Issues Taylor and Rostow were wrong, Vietnam did not collapse. McNamara actually thought that US troops could leave Vietnam! Still the numbers continued to grow 700 in 1961, 3,200 at the start of 1962, and by the end of the year they reached 11,300. Advisors were now down to the BN level. MACV replaced MAAG with Paul Harkins as MACV Commander in 1962.Origins of the Credibility Gap Reporters saw what was going on. They managed to separate reality from the distortions. Plus some reporters had an inside source. That source was John Paul Vann. A LTC and advisor to ARVN.The State of ARVN By 1962, ARVN checked the VC. Americans were advising the Vietnamese on all levels. The Americans provided UH-1 Huey Helicopters and M-113 APCs. Even with these advantages, there were still problems with ARVN, including desertions and poor leadership. This would become obvious during the battle of Ap Bac.The Battle of AP BAC Diem did not appreciate aggressive commanders. The VC had already become accustomed to the new ARVN weapons and ambushed the helicopters. Lost five copters. At a time when ARVN claimed that they were winning.The Buddhist Crisis, Part I May 8, 1963, Eight Buddhists were shot in Hue. The reason for the demonstration was the flying of both the national flay and the Vatican Flay in honor of the accession of Ngo Dinh Thuc, Diems brother. This was a violation and the Buddhists took to the street. The U.S. Consul tried to defuse the crisis and met with Thich Tri Quang. Tri Quangs advice was The sky is blue, but the clouds drift across it.The Buddhist Crisis, Part II On May 28, 400 Buddhist Bonzes protested in front of the National Assembly The Buddhists then went on a hunger strike. The demonstrations spread through out the county by June 5. Most American newsmen did not cover the story at first. Then Malcolm Browne received a telegram on June 11 to cover the demonstration in front of the main Pagoda.The Buddhist UprisingThe Administration was Divided The Ambassador Frederick Nolting was opposed to a coup. So was LBJ. Lodge replaced Nolting and was set on a coup. In an interview with Walter Cronkite, JFK warned Diem that he could be replaced. Lodge then began preparing for a coup authorizing a meeting with the ARVN generals.Madame Nhu was Part of the ProblmeThe Forces on the Potomac Against Diem Roger Hilsman W. Averell Harriman George Ball Henry Cabot Lodge Michael ForrestalThe ARVN Generals Wanted Assurances That Aid would continue The link between Lodge and the generals was Lucien Conein, codenamed Mordecai. The Americans hoped that Diem would leave the country. The Generals realized that he was too dangerous and had to be murdered.Death of Ngo Dinh DiemVietnam as a Presidential Problem For past presidents, Vietnam was a nagging problem, not a critical one. But that changed by mid decade. The war would alter his domestic policy forever LBJ was always influenced by concerns about the USSR and the PRC.Continuation of Policy Vietnam did not dominate the early years of LBJs administration. He kept key players onboard Rusk and McNamara. His first action was NSAM 273 which guaranteed a continuation of JFKs Vietnam policy.Background South Vietnam after Diems death experienced a revolving door government in 1964. There was a need to bolster the Saigon government. Saigon kept claiming that they were ready to move North. Two intelligence operations were being conducted to gather info on North Vietnam.Intelligence Gathering and Clandestine Operations in North Vietnam OPLAN 34 A Raids on the coast of North Vietnam. DESOTO Electronic gathering missions along the coast collecting electronic information on North Vietnam. Congress did not know about these.The Gulf of Tonkin Incident On August 2, 1964, the US destroyer, Maddox was attacked in international waters. Two days later, the C. Turner Joy joined with the Maddox. On August 4, both reported another attack. This attack was highly doubtful. This gave LBJ a reason to go to Congress and ask for authorization to take extreme measures.The Attack on the Maddox on August 2, 1964Gulf of Tonkin Resolution LBJ used the incident as a casus belli for action against North Vietnam. The resolution empowered LBJ to take all necessary measures to repel an armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression. It was passed on August 7, 1964 and passed the House by a vote of 416 to 0 and the Senate by a vote of 88 to 2. The dissenting were Wayne Morse and Ernest Gruening.TET Tet is the holiday celebrating the Chinese lunar New Year. It is Christmas, New Years, the 4th of July all in one. In 1968 it was the Year of the Monkey. Tet fell on Jan. 30th in 1968. Traditionally both sides laid down their weapons and visited their families. The VC announced a truce running from Jan 27th to Feb 3rd.Saigons Response In the past, Tet truces were marked by a frenzied effort by the Communists to resupply. The Americans never liked them. Saigon announced their own truce 36 hours Jan 29 to Jan 31. An exception as made at Khe Sanh were there was no truce. Diplomats hoped that this could be the start of a peace settlement.The American Political Scene Nineteen Sixty-Eight was the start of the presidential election year. A major issue was going to be the war. There emerged a dump Johnson movement within the Democratic Party.Meet The Candidates The main challengers included Eugene McCarthy and Robert Kennedy. Soon middle class liberals became hostile to LBJ as the war continued. Particularly the issue of the Draft.The War as a Political Issue LBJ had serious problems with college faculties, the clergy, and civil rights leaders. By U.S. standards the war was too long, more than three years too long. By Dec. 31, 1967 the war cost 16,022 lives. Already 500,000 men were in-country. The war now cost $75 billion.The Progress Campaign It started in 1967 when LBJ brought in leading administrative officials to sell the war. The object was to drowned out the Doves. Deny that the war was a stalemate. Gain support for limited war. It involved a flood of optimistic reports about RVN. LBJ set the tone by asserting the the enemy was suffering incredibly high loses.The Highlight of the Progress Campaign On November 21, 1967, William Westmoreland appeared at the National Press Club. He told reporters that there was no stalemate either on the battlefield or with pacification. He told reporters that there is light at the end of the tunnel.General Wheeler Tells All On December 18, 1967, Gen. Wheeler in Detroit said that the VC/NVA were not on the ropes yet. They can still supply their cadres in the South. Heavy fighting was ahead. Even a Battle of the Bulge-like Offensive.Other Indicators VC/NVA hit provincial capitals not far from Saigon. Better weapons moved South. LTG Fred Weyand of the 25th ID warned of an attack. NVA drew MACV towards the borders of Cambodia and the DMZ The siege of Khe Sanh started on Jan. 24, 1968.Additional Warnings The 101st captured the NVA OPORDER. But MACV didnt believe it. Statements of POWs. Reduction of defectors. Forty simultaneous attacks. Capture of a VC agent with a prerecorded message.The Other Side of the Hill In Jan. 1967 the Central Committee decided to conduct a general offensive. Object was to win the war quickly. But to be prepared for the long haul. If if the offensive failed, it would still shorten the war.Nearly an Undefeatable StrategyTo Giap The Key Was The Political Situation in the USA Force Washington to curtail its commitment to Saigon. Give Saigon a crushing blow that the people will ally with the NLF and drive the Americans out. According to Hanoi the major weaknesses of the USA were 1) financial, 2) doctrinal, and 3) overextension of their forces.Giaps Assumptions US Forces were nearly unbeatable. The South Vietnamese would not support the offensive if it was led by the NVA. There was a pressing need for surprise. Distract US Forces from the true targets. The deception battles had to be in the frontier zones and be costly and news worthy.VC/NLF as Vanguard of the Attack VC Main Force BNs received new weapons such as the B-40 rocket and Ak-47. VC BNs were brought up to strength. VC agents dropped their cover and returned to their parent units. NVA fillers replaced those who were lost.Objective of TCK-TKN* Force Americans to fight at Khe Sanh and Con Thien away from the cities. Once capturing a town announce that the Saigon government has collapsed. Proclaim a new coalition government. Present the US with a fiat accompli and have the Americans fall back to their enclaves and eventually withdraw from Vietnam.The War Destroyed LBJs PresidencyThe Election The New Deal coalition was fractured. The GOP brought back a New Nixon. In early 68 White House Insiders forced LBJ to realize that the war was a failure. LBJ drops out after Eugene McCarthy does better than expected. The fight was on between McCarthy and RFK. And HHH.Nixons Challengers George Romney. Nelson Rockefeller. Ronald Reagan.Nixons AlliesThe Election of 1968Nixon and Kissinger Kissinger and Nixon were willing to try anything to end the war. The objective was to get out and still have an independent South Vietnam. Nixon thought he could do this by a) an increase in ARVN and b) more pressure on DRVN.The Results of Nixons Strategy The war lasted for four more years. Domestic violence continued. The Peace Process was a fraud.The Key to VietnamizationKissinger and NixonThe Odd Couple Both men wanted to shape the world in their own image. They saw each other as a vehicle to achieve their own aspirations. Both loved raw power. As NSC director (at first) he shaped American policy. As ideologues both were flexible enough to attempt to solve the Vietnam problem. Both had to reshape their earlier views on Vietnam.The Road to Hanoi went Through Beijing and MoscowThe Breakthrough All US troops would leave RVN sixty days after the signing of the ceasefire. Then the POWs would be released. This would come right before the 1972 election. Kissinger was ready to fly to Hanoi and sign on Oct. 22, 1972. This was the decent interval that Nixon was concerned about.Nixon has Second Thoughts Nixon didnt like abandoning Thieu. He still clung to Peace With Honor. Nixon then raises about 60 minor points. Hanoi was upset. This set the stage for the Christmas Bombing, Linebacker II, in 1972. It was bombing with an attitude. No targets were spared 36,000 tons of bombs were dropped and the US lost 15 B-52s.The Paris Agreement The DMZ was a provisional not a political or territorial boundary. The issue of the civilian movement was open to future discussions. All troops were locked in place. The PRG was given legal status. The political fate of RVN was left to the future. US forces would be withdrawn and POWs released.
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