ROLL CALL: Important Names and Events in the Vietnam War Items with an asterisk have their own entry on this page. August Revolution After the surrender of the Japanese in 1945 during World War II, the Vietnamese attacked Japanese installations in Vietnam in August of that year, and Vietminh* groups attacked the imperial palace, demanding the abdication of Vietnamese emperor Bao Dai*. They were successful, and Bao Dai’s reign was ended. Dai, Bao The last emperor of Vietnam, his reign ended with the August Revolution*. In 1949, Bao Dai resumed his role as emperor in a provisional government, but continually lost influence and power until Diem’s* national referendum permanently removed him from the throne. Democratic Republic of Vietnam The North Vietnamese government. When Ho Chi Minh* and the Vietminh* invaded Hanoi and met no resistance from the occupying Japanese forces in 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, with Minh as the internationally-recognized leader. Diem, Ngo Dinh The prime minister of South Vietnam from 1954-1963. Virulently anti-Communist, he was antagonistic toward Ho Chi Minh* and his government, but had the support of the United States. His refusal to participate in the elections stipulated by the Geneva Accords* ignited Ho Chi Minh’s wrath, resulting in the second Vietnam War. Diem survived a coup attempt in 1960, but in the following years he consistently drove away his international allies and supporters through policies viewed as oppressive and paranoid. On November 1, 1963, he and his brother were assassinated. Dien Bien Phu, Battle of Between November 1953 and March 1954, Vietminh* military leader Vo Nguyen Giap* successfully cut-off French supply lines and treated them to daily assaults amidst monsoons. Shocked, incapacitated and completely demoralized by the Vietminh’s artillery capabilities, the French continually surrendered over the coming months. The last French command surrendered on May 7, 1954. This marked the beginning of the end of the first Indochina War*. Geneva Accords In May, 1954, following the defeat of the French by Vietminh* forces in the Battle of Dien Bien Phu*, an international conference was held in Geneva to end the conflict that was the first Indochina War*. The Accords resulted in the division of Vietnam into two separate countries: North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam*) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam*); a ceasefire throughout all of Vietnam, and the allowance for the peaceful with-drawl of French and Vietminh forces. Free elections were set for both halves of Vietnam in 1956, and ultimately reunification. Neither the US nor South Vietnam signed the Accords. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Passed by the US Senate on August 7, 1964, in response to North Vietnamese attacks on the USS Maddox*. The resolution allowed for increased US military aid in South Vietnam and authorized US troops to use all necessary means to fend-off and prevent future attacks. Indochina This name was applied to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos by Western countries, particularly France. France occupied and established control of Vietnam until the first Indochina War* in 1946. Indochina War War between the French and Vietnamese in 1946. Battle of Dien Bien Phu* decisively ends the war; official end to it comes with the Geneva Accords* in 1954. Kent State University May 4, 1970. Amidst nationwide college campus protests over renewal of US military efforts in Vietnam, riots broke out on the Kent State University campus in Kent, OH on May 1. Governor James Rhodes declared martial law and ordered in the National Guard. On the fourth of May, protesters rallied again, refusing to disperse by campus police orders. In response, armed guardsmen were called in. Confrontation escalated into violence when a guardsman, believing he had heard sniper shots, opened fire. Other guardsmen joined him. A total of thirty-five rounds were fired into the crowd, killing four and injuring fourteen. Protests broke out across college campuses and there was a march on Washington, D.C., in response. On May 9, the guardsmen were brought to trial but were found not guilty. Khanh, Nguyen The general that led the military coup that toppled the leadership in South Vietnam, January, 1964. He became the leader of the South Vietnamese government until yet another group of military generals kicked him out of power a year later. Kissinger, Henry Special assistant for national security affairs in President Nixon’s administration. Kissinger became the US negotiator for peace in Southeast Asia. Ky, Nguyen Cao Commander of the Vietnam Air Force who was allied with General Nguyen Van Thieu*. Together they consolidated enough power during General Khanh’s* leadership to take the government from him in 1965. General Thieu eventually executed enough twists and turns in politics against Ky to disqualify Ky as an opponent in the 1971 presidential election. Minh, Duong Van General of the Republic of Vietnam’s army. Duong Van lead a military uprising to oust Ngo Dinh Diem*, backed by the US. President Diem and his brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu*, are assassinated during the coup, and Duong Van Minh names himself nominal chairman of the governing replacement, the Military Revolutionary Council. Minh, Ho Chi Ho Chi Minh, a Communist, dedicated himself to Vietnam’s independence. He had worldwide recognition as a leader, and on September 2, 1945, he declared Vietnam independent, though it was not truly won until the French were defeated at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu*. In 1950, he formed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam* in the north. When his offer to Ngo Dinh Diem* for a role in North Vietnam’s Communist government was refused, he awaited Diem’s southern government to collapse. When the US provided economic and military aid to South Vietnam’s government, Ho Chi Minh formed the National Liberation Front*, or Vietcong*, in 1960, and spent the rest of his life fighting for his ideal of a unified and independent Vietnam. My Lai Incident My Lai was reputedly a Viet Cong stronghold. Based on this information, on March 16, 1968 a US army division invaded it, killing many unarmed civilians, including women and children. The American public remained unaware of its happening until a former soldier’s letter to the government prompted a special investigation by the US House of Representatives and the army. The investigation determined that a massacre had taken place. Only five soldiers involved were court-martialed; the leader of the division, Lt. Calley, was convicted of premeditated murder. News of the massacre raises an outcry from the further disillusioned American public. Nhu, Ngo Dinh Brother of Ngo Dinh Diem*, he was his brother’s closest advisor and also served as the head of the Secret Police in the Republic of Vietnam*. He was assassinated with his brother in 1963. NLF/National Liberation Front see Vietcong*. Paris Peace Accords While the Democratic Republic of Vietnam* and the US began peace talks in 1968, it wasn't until January 25, 1973 that a peace between the two countries was formalized. The agreement called for the end of hostilities, with-drawl of American and allied troops, return of POWs*, and an international peace-keeping commission. North and South Vietnam nevertheless continued fighting until 1975. POWs/Prisoners of War Prisoners of War (POWs) were the major point of disagreement that kept peace talks between the US and North Vietnam going for so long. The 1972 Paris Peace Accords* stipulated that the US was to have all prisoners of war returned. Some US soldiers were returned, but not all: over 2,000 Americans remained unaccounted for and recorded as Missing in Action (MIA)—a designation which remains to this day. Hence, the issue of prisoners of the Vietnam War has remained a powerful issue for many Americans. In 1986, the North Vietnamese returned the remains of just over 100 Americans who had allegedly perished in captivity or in crashes. Due to the large number still deemed MIA, rumors persist that to this day Americans are still being held captive in Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia. Republic of Vietnam The Geneva Accords* divided Vietnam into North and South. After this division in 1954, South Vietnam’s government had Ngo Dinh Diem* as prime minister and Bao Dai* as emperor. A year later, Diem called for a national referendum wherein the country would decide if Bao Dai should remain emperor or become a republic with Diem as president. Diem stated the results were overwhelmingly in favor of a republic, so Diem took on the role of South Vietnam’s president, and declared the establishment of the Republic of Vietnam. Tet Offensive In January, 1968, the first day of the Vietnamese New Year, the Vietcong launched major military strikes throughout South Vietnam and broke into the US Embassy. It was regarded as a tactical failure on the part of the Vietcong due to the massive numbers of casualties they incurred; nevertheless, it took weeks for US and South Vietnamese troops to regain the lost ground. Back in the US, public opinion of the war plummeted because the US government claimed the war had already been won. Thieu, Nguyen Van A general who helped bring General Khanh* to power. Over the years he continued an ascension to power through the military. He joined forces with General Nguyen Cao Ky* to become president in 1965 amid troubled elections. In 1971, Ky attempted to run against Thieu for the presidency, but Thieu trickily got Ky disqualified, leaving himself the only candidate, and in 1971 Thieu took- on the position of head of government. His administration ended when South Vietnam fell to the North’s forces in 1975. USS Maddox An American destroyer attacked by the North Vietnamese on August 1 and 2, 1964. On August 4, there is a second attack on the same ship. These prompt the US to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution*. Vietcong When Ngo Dinh Diem* refused participation in the Geneva Accords’* reunification elections, Ho Chi Minh* reacted by organizing the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam, better known as President Diem’s* nickname “Vietcong” (for Vietnamese Communists). Composed of Vietminh* who were still in South Vietnam as well as Communists in the Republic of Vietnam*, the Vietcong used guerrilla tactics to achieve their goal of bringing about a Communist revolution there that would result in the reunification of Vietnam under a Communist government. Vietminh Stands for Viet Nam Doc Lap Dong Minh Hoi, or League for the Independence of Vietnam. Led by Ho Chi Minh*, the organization was formed by the Indochinese Communist Party to propagate Vietnamese patriotism and ultimately achieve freedom from foreign imperialism during the Indochina War*.		TEACHER PACKET CONTENTS Chronology of the Vietnam War Roll Call: Important Names and Events in the Vietnam War Teaching Aid: Compare and Contrast Lesson Plans and Activities Recommended Reading and Media Lessons Learned: The Impact of the Vietnam War Today and the War on Terrorism Map of Southeast Asia in the 1960s Bibliography