Vietnam Flashcards
What happened at the Fulbright hearings in 1971?
22 people gave evidence on the atrocities and war crimes committed in Vietnam
What happened on the 31st January 1968?
Tet festival - North Vietnamese and Vietcong launched attacks throughout South Vietnam
How was the Tet Offensive a new attack for communists?
Carefully coordinated plan, it was not guerrilla warfare but a direct attack on a stronger enemy, communists wanted to end war ASAP
Over 100 places attacks e.g. Hue and Danang - most significant is Saignon
What did Nixon do in an attempt to make North Vietnam take the peace talks seriously?
USA continued to put military pressure on North Vietnam by continuing the war and bombings
What did Nixon order in 1970?
An invasion of Cambodia to destroy the Ho Chi Minh trail where North Vietnam were still supplying the Vietcong with weapons
What was the number of US troops dead in Vietnam? Wounded?
57,000 troops dead
Over 300,000 wounded
How many Vietnamese died or were wounded in the war?
4 million Vietnamese
What would the Vietcong do?
Ambush a USA or South Vietnam patrol, kill/capture the men in the unit. They would set booby traps and plant bombs on routes of the enemy and then return back to the safety of their countryside
What did they do to guarantee safety in the villages?
They built networks of tunnels below ground in the countryside which included weapon stores, sleeping quarters, kitchens and hospitals
Who was William Fulbright?
Chair of the senate foreign affairs committee
