Johnson's Foreign Policies

Question 1

What was the Gulf of Tonkin incident?

Answer 1

• in 1964, a US boat called the ‘maddox’ was collecting ‘intelligence’ in the gulf
• claimed they were attacked by the north Vietnamese whilst in international waters so open fired
• during another patrol, believed another attack was occurring, so fired on radar targets - however admitted that the attack may have never happened

Question 1

What was the result of the Gulf of Tonkin incident?

Answer 1

• Johnson went on national TV and said that both attacks were “unprovoked”
• asked Congress to pass the Southeast Asia Resolution - granted Johnson authority to conduct military operations in SE Asia
• privately commented a few days later, “for all I know, our Navy was shooting at whales out there”

Question 2

What was operation rolling thunder?

Answer 2

• a bombing campaign against North Vietnam
• result of NSAM 288, a national security agency memorandum, which called for a greater use of US force
• within a year of his election victory there were 175,000 US troops in Vietnam, and a quarter of a million the following year

Question 3

What was the Tet Offensive?

Answer 3

• coordinated attack on dozens of cities by the North Vietnamese that destroyed the idea that they were in disarray - large scale destruction in the South
• nearly 60,000 North Vietnamese died in the five weeks of the Offensive but during that time the US Embassy in Saigon fell for six hours before being captured
• evidence North won: large scale destruction in the South, LBJ didn’t get reelected and the US public lost faith in the war
• evidence USA won: NV morale fell and soldiers deserted the cause, South army didn’t crumble, and peasants didn’t help the NVs

Question 4

Why couldn’t the Americans win the Vietnam war?

Answer 4

• Vietcong didn’t wear uniforms so it was difficult to identify their enemies: killed peasants they believed were Vietcong
• USA use of strategic hamlets was a disaster and the peasants preferred to support the Vietcong because they treated them with respect and gave them food
• American aggression: terribly bombed the North and also Laos and Cambodia, made the Vietnamese even more determined to win
• Vietcong used guerrilla warfare meaning US troops were constantly attacked and unprepared (e.g. use of booby traps, underground tunnels etc.)
• Vietcong were determined because they felt they had nothing to lose: fighting for their way of life and also had the backing of the USSR and China
• US troops were unmotivated as many were resentful that they had been drafted - many from poorer backgrounds or African Americans who felt it was unfair, were high in drugs and missing out on the ‘swinging sixties’ in the US

Question 5

What was the My Lai massacre?

Answer 5

• a unit of soldiers called Charlie Company were sent on a search and destroy mission: told that Son My was a VC fortress with 200 guerrillas
• leaflets had been dropped warning all non VC to flee - soldiers were under the impression that they had to kill everyone
• My Lai was a small hamlet of Son My: the US met no opposition, many were killed, women were gang raped, some had the initial C carved into their bodies
• in 4 hours over 400 civilians were killed (mostly women, children and elderly)
• no VC were found but at the time treated as a success, saying only 20 civilians were killed