Vietnam+-+Path+to+War

During the time of imperialism in the 1800s, Vietnam was a French colony. France controlled most of Indochina because the country offered new markets and plentiful resources. Ever since the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, Ho Chi Minh (bringer of light) had been the independence leader of Vietnam. In 1930, he led a communist revolt against the French government. The French arrested him and he fled to China and then later the Soviet Union. In 1940, Indochina is taken over by the Japanese but after World War 2 the French gain it back and the Vietnam Party is created by Ho Chi Minh leading to Vietnam becoming Communist. This all happened right after the Korean War so the United States is very paranoid about the growth of Communism. They split Vietnam through the Geneva Accords creating two parts. The south part was ruled by a man named Ngo Dinh Diem who was liked by the United States. A Civil War soon begins between Communist north and American supported south leading to the start of the Vietnam War.

America could not have been involved in the Vietnam war if it wasn’t for the help and effort put in by the presidents Harry S. Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, JFK, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon. The Vietnamese were the first to fire at a US ship called the Maddox which was residing in the Gulf of Tonkin. Johnson immediately asked Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave power to him and would allow him to use military force in Vietnam. The answer was unanimously yes. The first plan was to drop tons and tons of bombs on North Korea called Rolling Thunder. In 1965, 3,500 marines were sent in and joined the 20,000 military advisors that Eisenhower sent in.

When the Marines were first landed in Vietnam, the initial plan was to have a war of attrition where the North Vietnamese would be bombed and starved to a great extent. Next was to have a war of pacification where the United States would win over the minds of the North Vietnamese. Lastly was the idea of relocation where the effected areas of South Vietnam would be moved.

A photo of Rolling Thunder:

A photo of the Marines when first landed in Vietnam: