Johnson and Vietnam

Question 1

Give three reasons why
Johnson might have escalated the war in Vietnam?

Answer 1

• Personal beliefs
• Domino theory
• Public support
• Situation in Vietnam
• Actions of previous presidents

Question 2

Who were Johnson’s main advisers?

Answer 2

• Robert McNamara - Secretary of Defense
• Dean Rush - Secretary of State

Question 3

When happened in the Tonkin Gulf in August 1964?

Answer 3

Two American ships believed that they had been fired upon by the North Vietnamese

Johnson passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution which allowed him to escalate the war.

Question 4

Which two events encouraged Johnson to escalate the war in the spring of 1965.

Answer 4

• The Brinks Hotel bombing December 1964.
• Attack at Pleiku airbase February 1965 led to 8 deaths.

Question 5

How much of South Vietnam did the VC control by 1965?

Answer 5

75%

Question 6

What was Rolling Thunder?

Answer 6

Aerial bombardment of Vietnam between 1965 and 1968.

Question 7

What three part strategy did the Americans have in order to win in Vietnam?

Answer 7

Bombing
Attrition
Search and Destroy

Question 8

Where did US marines first arrive in March 1965?

Answer 8

Danang

Question 9

How many US troops were in Vietnam by July 1965?

Answer 9

75,000

Question 10

How many US troops were in Vietnam by 1968?

Answer 10

535,000

Question 11

Give three examples of new technology used by the Americans.

Answer 11

• Cluster bombs
• Napalm
• Agent Orange

Question 12

Who ruled Vietnam after 1965?

Answer 12

Ky and Thieu

Question 13

How did the war cause domestic problems in Vietnam?

Answer 13

• Weak corrupt government
• ARVN was poor and corrupt
• The US dollar distorted the economy
• Problems of refugees

Question 14

What was the Ho Chi Minh Trail?

Answer 14

A path through the jungle between North and South Vietnam.

Question 15

What percentage of bombs hit the Ho Chi Minh Trail?

Answer 15

0.23%

Question 16

How many women helped to repair the Trail?

Answer 16

50,000

Question 17

What lesson did the Americans believe that they had learned from the Battle of Ia Drang?

Answer 17

They could defeat the VC by using attrition.

Question 18

What were the Cu Chi Tunnels?

Answer 18

100 mile tunnel network under Saigon that the VC occupied.

Question 19

What percentage of casualties were caused by booby traps?

Answer 19

11% deaths
17% wounds

Question 20

In attacks how often did the VC fire first?

Answer 20

85%

Question 21

How much were VC casualty figures padded by the US?

Answer 21

30%

Question 22

How many fraggings were there between 1969 and 1971?

Answer 22

730

Question 23

What percentage of the Army was African-American?

Answer 23

28% even though they only made up 13% of the population.

Question 24

What percentage of the US Army used drugs?

Answer 24

58% used marijuana
22% heroin

Question 25

When was the Tet Offensive?

Answer 25

February 1968.

Question 26

How many uprisings were there across Vietnam during Tet?

Answer 26

120.

Question 27

What did Johnson’s approval rating fall to after Tet?

Answer 27

36%

Question 28

How many protesters were there in Washington in 1965?

Answer 28

70,000

Question 29

How many were arrested in Chicago in 1968?

Answer 29

668

Question 30

What was the VC casualty rate during the Tet Offensive?

Answer 30

70%