Lesson 2: War in Vietnam

Lesson Focus

President Johnson inherited the Vietnam conflict, facing a difficult choice. His decision to escalate U.S. military involvement, hoping to prevent a communist victory, ultimately led to a wider war and a deeply divided nation at home.

People to Know

Lyndon B. Johnson, Ho Chi Minh

Learning Objectives

• Explain how the Gulf of Tonkin incident was used to justify escalating the war in Vietnam.
• Identify the key reasons why opposition to the Vietnam War grew among the American public and political leaders.

President Johnson inherited an unstable South Vietnam and faced difficult choices. Fearing the "domino theory," he felt he could not withdraw. However, continuing limited support for the weak government risked an eventual communist victory.
Therefore, Johnson secretly authorized limited bombing of the Vietcong and supported raids on North Vietnam's coast.
This cautious move was the first step toward a much larger American military commitment in the escalating conflict.

In August 1964, President Johnson reported that North Vietnamese boats attacked U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin.
He used this event to push Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave him authority to use armed force without a formal declaration of war.
Note that Johnson did not reveal key details to Congress. He then used this resolution as a green light to begin bombing North Vietnam.

After a Vietcong attack on a U.S. base in February 1965, Johnson ordered a major escalation of the war.
This involved sustained bombing of North Vietnam and, crucially, sending American ground troops into combat. U.S. forces used "search-and-destroy" tactics, napalm, and chemical defoliants like Agent Orange.
The war became a brutal guerrilla conflict against a determined enemy, with no clear battlefronts and no easy path to victory.

In April 1965, President Johnson sent troops to the Dominican Republic, fearing a communist takeover.
His justification for the intervention was questioned by Senator J. William Fulbright, who accused the president of not being entirely truthful.
This event created a "credibility gap," causing Americans to doubt the government's honesty. Pay special attention to how this suspicion soon extended to the administration's statements about the much larger war in Vietnam.

As the war dragged on and casualties mounted, opposition grew within the United States. North Vietnam's leader, Ho Chi Minh, was determined to outlast the U.S. military.
University "teach-ins," critical Senate hearings, and nightly television news brought the war's brutality into American homes.
This growing awareness divided the nation into pro-war "hawks" and anti-war "doves," creating deep social and political conflict over America's involvement in Vietnam.