Lesson 4

Domino Theory

• President Eisenhower said that if one southeast Asian nation fell to communism, more around it would also follow in succession.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

• The USS Maddox and a U.S. destroyer were on a patrol in the Gulf of Tonkin when they were reportedly attacked by three Vietnamese torpedo boats.
• The resolution gave broad congressional approval for the expansion of the Vietnam war.

Ho Chi Minh Trail

• This was a system that ran from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to the Republic of Vietnam.
• The system provided support in the form of manpower and materials to the North Vietnamese army and the national front for the Liberation of South Vietnam.

Hawks and Doves

• Hawks were people who wanted the war. Doves were people who didn't.

Tet Offensive

• The North Vietnamese and the communist Viet Cong forces attacked a number of targets in south Vietnam.
• The U.S. and South Vietnamese army sustained heavy losses before repelling the communist assault.
• This weakened U.S. Support for the war.

Vietnamization

• The U.S. policy of withdrawing its troops and transferring the responsibility and direction of the war effort to the government of South Vietnam.

Kent State Shootings

• In May 1970, students protesting the bombing of Cambodia by United States military forces, clashed with the Ohio National Guardsmen on the Kent State University campus.
• This resulted in the death of four students.

Legacy of the Vietnam War

• The United states and North Vietnam concluded a final peace agreement in January of 1973 but the war between North and South Vietnam Continued.
• In 1976, Vietnam was unified as a Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The Bay of Pigs

• A failed invasion done by the U.S.
• The operation only had half the forces the CIA deemed necessary.
• As the U.S. involvement became apparent to the world, Kennedy decided against further air support.

Search and Destroy Missions

• In June of 1965, American ground forces engage the Viet Cong in direct fighting for the first time.
• Platoons are sent to ambush enemy forces and then withdraw immediately.