Monday- Continued with the Cold War videos with Korean War
KW- (The Forgotten War) 1950-1953, Korea was invaded by Japan from 1910 until 1945. Korea was split into two-North(USSR) and South(US) at the 38th parallel. The United Nations held an election in 1948. USSR refused to let the North participation, handed over power to Kim Il-Sung. The South elected the nationalist exile Syngman Rhee.
KW- US government stated in January 1950, that Korea was "outside of our defense perimeter". This encouraged North Korea to be aggressive. Syngman Rhee and Kim Il-Sung both wanted to reunite Korea under their own systems. US withdrawal, North Korea went offensive. Il-Sung was able to manipulate both Mao and Stalin into supporting their invasion of South Korea. June 25, 1950, North Korea invades South Korea, used Soviet equipment, invasion was successful. South Korean forces were in full retreat. Southern Capital Seoul was captured in early July.
KW- Southern forces were driven into a small part in the far South around the city Pusan. Southern forces were able to stabilize this area thanks to the support of American supplies and air support. Although more UN support arrived, it looked as though the North could gain control of the entire peninsula.
KW- The invasion of South Korea came as a complete surprise to the US. Truman agreed to use US airstrikes against the North Korean forces. General Douglas MacArthur was put in charge of American forces in the Pacific.
KW (United Nations Police Action)- United Nations Security Council voted to send troops to help South Korea. US, Great Britain, France, China and the USSR were permanent members that could veto the "police action". USSR and China were against this "police action" from the start.
KW- UN Forces vs. Communist Forces (US, South Korea, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, France, Turkey, Thailand, Greece, Netherlands, Ethiopia, Colombia, Philippines, Belgium, and Luxembourg vs. North Korea, USSR, and China). In order to take pressure off of the Pusan Perimeter, MacArthur ordered an amphibious landing far behind the North Korean troops at Inchon.
KW- United Nation troops landed at Inchon and faced only mild resistance and quickly moved to recapture Seoul. Northern troops, after finding their supply lines cut, began a rapid retreat northwards from the Pusan Perimeter. UN and SK forces drive northward from the Pusan Perimeter to unite with the Inchon troops. UN troops drove the North Koreans back past the 38th parallel.
KW- The goal of saving South Korea had been achieved, due to the victory at Inchon. US/UN decided to continue into North Korea and try to unite the country. The Chinese were greatly concerned about how the UN forces might not stop with North Korea and may continue into China. Many, including MacArthur, thought that spreading the war to China was a good idea. Truman and the other leaders disagreed with this idea. MacArthur, after being ordered to be very cautious when his troops approached the Chinese border, disregarded these concerns.
KW- Chinese would react if we encroached upon the border at the Yalu River. Mao wanted Soviet help and saw an intervention as defensive. Mao's forces invaded North Korea on October 19th. Soviet's were limited to only providing air support for the Chinese. US kept quiet about the Soviet's role in order to avoid any international/potential nuclear incidents. 380,000 Chinese troops pushed US back to the 38th parallel (pre-conflict border). Chinese assault caught the US by surprise (war between US and China hasn't been declared yet).
KW- January 4, 1951, Communist China and North Korean forces re-captured Seoul. MacArthur mentioned the possibility of atomic weapons being used, much to the alarm of America's allies. March 1951, UN forces succeeded in repelling the North Korean and Chinese troops from Seoul. MacArthur was removed by Truman on April 11, 1951, due to even mentioning nuclear warfare. General Matthew Ridgeway succeeded MacArthur. Ridgeway was able to slowly drive back the enemy to the 38th parallel.
KW- The rest of the war involved little territory change and lengthy peace negotiations. Combat continued, even during the peace negotiations. South Korean and allied forces had the goal to recapture all of what had been South Korea. A cease-fire was established on July 27th, 1953, near the 38th parallel. A demilitarized zone (DMZ) was established around it, it is still defended today with North Korea troops on one side and South Korean and America troops on the other. Newly-elected pres. Dwight Eisenhower went to Korea to find out what could be done to end the conflict. No peace treaty has been signed yet.
Tuesday- Resumed watching the video for the Korean War and started notes on Vietnam.
VW (1950-1975)- France had gained control of Indochina in a series of colonial wars in the mid-late 1800s. During WWII, Vichy France worked with Japanese forces in controlling Indochina. After the Japanese surrender, the French fought to retain control of their former colony against the Viet Minh independence movement, led by Communist Party leader Ho Chi Minh. After the Viet Minh defeated the French colonial army at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the French withdrew, and the colony was granted independence.
VW- Geneva Conference in 1954, Vietnam was partitioned temporarily into a Northern and Southern zone of Viet-Nam at the 17th parallel. The North was to be ruled by Ho Chi Minh, while the South would be under the control of Emperor Bao Dai. In 1955, Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem became President of a new South Vietnamese republic. The Geneva Conference set up elections to unify the country by July 1956. Such elections were never held because neither side wanted to lose.
VW- US Armed Forces and the Army of the Republic of Viet Nam (ARVN- the South Vietnamese Army) vs The NFL, a group of South Vietnamese guerrilla fighters (Vietcong) and the People's Army of Viet Nam (PAVN- the North Vietnamese Army, pronounced Pahvin).
VW- Truman began US involvement by sending money to help the French. Eisenhower continued US support by sending military advisors to give temporary support to Diem's government in the South. Kennedy continued sending advisors as well as special operation forces (green berets). Johnson sent more and more combat forces.
(VW) Gulf of Tonkin Resolution- Several US ships were supposedly attacked by North Vietnamese torpedoes in the Gulf of Tonkin. Most experts don't think the ships were attacked. This was Johnson's ploy to get more involved in Vietnam. Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution giving pres Johnson the power to attack and help in any way he felt the need to do (only two voted against it).
VW- Johnson promised that he wouldn't send American men nine or ten thousand miles away to fight some war that we shouldn't have gotten involved in. Johnson beat Barry Goldwater in 1964 because of this promise.
VW- Johnson and General William Westmoreland kept saying that with more troops we would win the war. Most Americans believed this at first. The public's faith was shattered on January 30, 1968, when the enemy, supposedly on the verge of collapse, unleashed the Tet Offensive in which nearly every major city in South Vietnam was attacked. The huge offensive attack from an enemy that was supposedly almost defeated convinced many Americans that victory was impossible and that the government had been lying to them.
VW- There was an increasing sense among many people that the government was misleading the American people about a war. When General Westmoreland called for more troop to be sent to Vietnam after the Tet Offensive, more and more people started protesting. The support of the government and war effort suffered even more when the New York Times published the Pentagon Papers (It was a top-secret historical study about the war, that showed how the government was misleading the US public in all stages of the war).
(VW) Operation Rolling Thunder- Non-stop bombing raids in North Vietnam by US. Its purpose was to destroy the will of the North Vietnamese to fight, to destroy industrial bases and air defenses and to stop the flow of men and supplies down the Ho Chi Minh Trail. It wasn't successful.
VW- People were against the war because: Tet Offensive-US government lied to people, Pentagon Papers-distrusted US government, Injuring/killing innocent people (My Lai Massacre), Supporting a bad government in South, The power of the press, and Questioned why we were over there.
(Research/take notes on: Diem vs. the Buddhists, Napalm, Napalm Attack, Agent Orange, "Hanoi Jane" Fonda and John Kerry, Kent St.-1970)
(VW) My Lai Massacre- March 1968, US soldiers killed 504 Vietnamese civilians. The dead civilians included fifty: age 3 or younger, 69: between 4 and 7, and 27 that were in their 70s or 80s. Women were raped and bodies mutilated. People got out of serving by: Leaving for Canada or Sweden, Went to college (student deferment), Got married, Medically unfit for service, Joined the National Guard or Peace Corps, Claimed to be homosexual, and Being rich.
VW- Nixon called for the "vietnamization" of the war. Gradually pull US troops out and train the ARVN to take our place in fighting the North. Expanded the war into Laos and Cambodia leading to college protests (Kent St.). January 15, 1973, pres Nixon announced the suspension of offensive action in North Vietnam. The Paris Peace Accords were later signed on January 27, 1973, which officially ended US involvement in the Vietnam conflict. (1. Fighting stopped, 2. US would pull out of Vietnam, 3. North and South Vietnam would recognize each other's independence).
VW- Peace agreement didn't last long. March 1975, the North invaded the South. The South's capital Saigon fell on April 30, 1975. US did not live up to it's promise to come to their aid if the North attacked. North Vietnam united both North and South Vietnam on July 2, 1976, to form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Saigon was re-named Ho Chi Minh City in honor of the former president of North Vietnam. Vietnam is still communist today.
VW Deaths- US: 58,202 people/ARVN: 223,748 people/NVA or VC: 1,100,000.
War Powers Act 1973- Limits the power of the President of the US to wage war without the approval of the Congress. It requires the President to consult with Congress prior to and during any hostilities as well until US armed forces are no longer needed. President must remove US armed forces from hostilities if Congress has not declared war or passed a resolution authorizing the use of force within 60 days.
Many weren't treated well upon their return to the US. The Vietnam Veteran's Memorial (The Wall) was built as a remembrance to those that died in the Vietnam War.
Wednesday- Continued notes on Vietnam and finished the Cold War videos with Vietnam War
Thursday- Finished the Vietnam War notes and started a video
Friday- Finish note and the video started yesterday. Finish the Cold War videos with Vietnam War next week.
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