Bao Dai
Ruler who was unable to exercise any of his powers without the support of French regime. Became premier of independent vietnam: ngo din diem outmaneuvered bao dai
Viet Minh
Communist-dominated Nationalist Movement. Ruled Vietnam when Japanese rule ended. Leader was Ho Chi Minh.
Geneva Conference
French wanted out of Vietnam , the agreement signed by Ho Chi Minh France divided Vietnam on the 17th parallel, confining Minh's government to the North. In the South, an independent government was headed by Diem.
Ngo Dinh Diem
Leader of South Vietnam, 1954-1963; supported by United States, but not by Vietnamese Buddhist majority; assassinated in 1963
John F. Kennedy
President during part of the cold war and especially during the superpower rivalry and the Cuban missile crisis. he was the president who went on tv and told the public about the crisis and allowed the leader of the soviet Uinon to withdraw their missiles
Lyndon B. Johnson.
Signed the civil rights act of 1964 into law and the voting rights act of 1965. he had a war on poverty in his agenda. in an attempt to win, he set a few goals, including the great society, the economic opportunity act, and other programs that provided fo
My Lai Massacre
1968, in which American troops had brutally massacred innocent women and children in the village of My Lai, also led to more opposition to the war.
domino theory
The political theory that if one nation comes under Communist control then neighboring nations will also come under Communist control
McGeorge Bundy
was United States National Security Advisor to Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson from 1961 through 1966. Known for role in involving U.S. in Vietnam War. was one of Kennedy's "wise men". He played a crucial role in all of the major foreign pol
William Calley
a lieutenant who's unit began shooting and killing unarmed civilians at My Lai. Lt. Calley later maintained that he was following orders, but many of the soldiers present did not participate in the massacre.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
when elected President, he was the most popular American; "I like Ike!" button; elected to two consecutive terms in 1952 and 1956. Modern Republicanism---didn't undo the New Deal of the Democrats. Called "The Republican's Choice" along with his vice presi
J. William Fulbright
along with journalist, this Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, turned against the war and in January 1966 began to stage highly publicized and occasionally televised congressional hearings to air criticisms of it.
Ho Chi Minh
1950s and 60s; communist leader of North Vietnam; used guerrilla warfare to fight anti-communist, American-funded attacks under the Truman Doctrine; brilliant strategy drew out war and made it un-winnable
Communism
a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state.
Indochina Communist Party
made by Ho Chi Minh. This party was developed out of a nationalist movement in Indochina that was against France's colonization of the area
Viet Minh
organization whose goal was to win Vietnam's independence from foreign rule
Democratic Republic of Vietnam
The Ho Chi Minh-led Communist government of North Vietnam which was created after the 1954 Geneva Conference divided the country at the 17th parallel.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress passed on August 7, 1964 in direct response to a minor naval engagement known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. It is of historical significance because it gave U.S. President Lyndon
Operation Rolling Thunder
was the title of a gradual and sustained U.S. 2nd Air Division (later Seventh Air Force), U.S. Navy, and Republic of Vietnam Air Force (VNAF) aerial bombardment campaign conducted against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) from 2 March 196
George F. Kennan
an American adviser, diplomat, political scientist, and historian, best known as "the father of containment" and as a key figure in the emergence of the Cold War. He later wrote standard histories of the relations between Russia and the Western powers.
Henry Kissinger
Secretary of State, supported realpolitik, appointed by Nixon as his national Secretary advisor, engaged shuttle diplomacy
Richard Nixon
President of the United States from 1969 to 1974 who followed a foreign policy marked by d�tente with the Soviet Union and by the opening of diplomatic relations with China. In the face of likely impeachment for the Watergate scandal, he resigned.
Vietnamization
The effort to build up South Vietnamese troops while withdrawing American troops, it was an attempt to turn the war over to the Vietnamese.
Le Duc Tho
Vietnamese diplomat who negotiated with Henry Kissinger to end the war in Vietnam (1911-1990)
cease-fire
a temporary suspension of fighting
China
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia
Soviet Union
a Communist nation, consisting of Russia and 14 other states, that existed from 1922 to 1991
Edward Lansdale
A CIA operative working in Saigon, was installed as an advisor to Diem. The United States then helped Diem organize the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) to control his new state.
Le Duc Tho
Vietnamese diplomat who negotiated with Henry Kissinger to end the war in Vietnam (1911-1990)
Robert S. McNamara
'63 Secretary of Defense, advised Johnson that he would have to increase the US military commitment to South Vietnam to prevent a communist victory
Tet Offensive
1968; National Liberation Front and North Vietnamese forces launched a huge attack on the Vietnamese New Year (Tet), which was defeated after a month of fighting and many thousands of casualties; major defeat for communism, but Americans reacted sharply,
Can Lao
The name of Ngo Dinh Nhu's secret political organization
Madame Nhu
Vietnam's de facto first lady
silent majority
A phrase used to describe people, whatever their economic status, who uphold traditional values, especially against the counter culture of the 1960's.
Cambodia
a nation in southeastern Asia
Laos
a mountainous landlocked communist state in southeastern Asia
Pentagon Papers
A 7,000-page top-secret United States government report on the history of the internal planning and policy-making process within the government itself concerning the Vietnam War.
Vo Nguyen Giap
Hi Chi Minh's most trusted lieutenant, he led the Viet Minh in a victory over the French that concluded with the battle at Dien Bien Phu.
First Indochina War
1946-1954. was fought in French Indochina between French and Vietnamese. End result was division of Vietnam at Geneva Conference.
William C. Westmoreland
led US troops into Vietnam in 1965
search and destroy
offensive operation to find and destroy enemy forces rather than establish permanent gov. control " Zippo Mission
attrition
a wearing down to weaken or destroy
DMZ
a zone from which military forces or operations or installations are prohibited
Agent Orange
a herbicide used in the Vietnam War to defoliate forest areas
Annam
a communist state in Indochina on the South China Sea
Army of the Republic of Vietnam
Southern Vietnamese Soldiers
COINTELPRO
An FBI program begun in 1956 and continued until 1971 that sought to expose, disrupt, and discredit groups considered to be radical political organizations: Targeted antiwar groups during the Vietnam War.
Credibility Gap
A lack of popular confidence in the truth of the claims or public statements made by the federal government, large corporations, politicians, etc.
17th parallel
line of latitude that separated North and South Vietnam
War Powers Resolution
A law passed in 1973 in reaction to American fighting in Vietnam and Cambodia that requires presidents to consult with Congress whenever possible prior to using military force and to withdraw forces after 60 days unless Congress declares war or grants an
Tonkin Gulf Resolution
This gave the president authority to take "all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against forces of the United States.