The U.S. Enters the Vietnam War

1. Many neutral observers in Vietnam were critical of US policy. Explain why.

Many neutral observers in Vietnam were critical of US policy because their policy was a strange combination of determination and ignorance. First of all The US helped put Ho Chi Minh become powerful but when they realized what his real intentions were , the US began aiding the French. The U.S. believed that the Domino Theory would take effect through Asia. The Americans were determined to resist the further spread of Communism to Vietnam. Their ignorance was not shown until they began to to enforce their methods and policies. Ngo Dinh Diem took control of the Republic of South Vietnam in 1955 with the help of the Americans. The Americans believed he was anti-Communist. Diem treated the Vietnamese peasants with respect but he was a Christian and showed close to none respect for the Buddhist religion. Most peasants were Buddhist. His reign was also filled with corruption. Diem filled the government with family members and supporters and refused to hold elections. The Americans still supported Diem's regime with $1.6 billion only to have him overthrown by his own army leader. The government that followed was equally as bad but continued to be well supported by the Americans. These actions taken by the anti-Communist government caused support for the Communist-led National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam also known as the Viet Cong. The group intimidated the peasants who did not join. Soon the Viet Cong started a war with South Vietnam's anti-Communist government. By 1962 President Kennedy began sending military personnel to fight the Viet Cong. After Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, Lyndon Johnson took his place and sent 3500 US marines to aid in the fighting after the incident in the Gulf of Tolkin. Basically the Americans had fueled the start of a war which they intended to avoid.

2. Explain how US politicians would have defended their policies.

US politicians would have said they were doing the best thing for the region because they didn't know any better. The se politicians believed in the Domino Theory which was the idea if one asian country would fall to Communism then the rest would too inevitably making all of Asia Communistic. Vietnam was the first in line so they thought they should step in and help. They tried to put an anti-Communist into power to prevent the state from turning towards Communism. They would've said this didn't work because the leader was unpopular for his ways but he needed to be strict to prevent Communism from spreading. The politicians did not like his ways but then again like Dulles said, "we knew of now one better." The politicians supported Diem to stop Communism from spreading in any way he could because they feared if they let a country hold elections itself then the Communists would win.

3. The following events are not listed in correct date order. Place them in the correct chronological order. (Write the year inside the parenthesis, i.e. (1965). Then note the reason for each U.S. action, and how it brought the U.S. into deeper involvement in Vietnam.

The reasons you can choose from are: No direct involvement; financial support; political involvement; military involvement. Also, note what events triggered the increased involvement.

( 1963) Assassination of JFK - Johnson becomes president (military/political involvement)- Lyndon Johnson was more prepared to commit the Us to a full-scale conflict

(1954) Formation of South Vietnam (financial support)- vietnam was split into two different countries at the Geneva peace conference in 1954

(1964) Gulf of Tonkin Incident (military involvement)- North Vietnamese patrol boats opened fire on US ships

( 1962) Number of 'advisers' reaches over 11,500 (military involvement)- Kennedy sent military 'advisors' to Vietnam to fight against the Viet Cong gradually the number of advisors increased

( 1962) JFK sends military advisers (military involvement)- Kennedy sent military 'advisors' to Vietnam to fight against the Viet Cong

(1965) U.S. Marines land at Da Nang (military involvement)- this causes the Vietnam war to start and it was Lyndon Johnson's call after the Gulf of Tonkin incident

(1954) U.S. stops elections in Vietnam (political involvement)- The US prevented elections from taking place because they feared a Communist would win

(1963) U.S. supports South Vietnam government after army overthrow Diem (political involvement)- they might have been corrupt leaders but the US supported them because they were anti-communist

(1960-1962) Viet Cong attacks on U.S. and South Vietnam bases (military involvement)- Viet Cong attacked American air force and supply bases

(1960) Viet Cong formed (political involvement)- Viet Cong gain support from both the North and Southern Vietnamese and intimidated and threatened the people who did not join with violence

4. Choose two events that you think were critical in getting the U.S. involved in a war in Vietnam. Explain

your choice. Viet Cong formed because it intimidated and threatened the people who did not join with violence. They started a guerilla war with the South Vietnamese government making life in the country very unsafe. The Viet Cong go on to attack American air force and supply bases. This caused a growing tension and Kennedy began sending the first of many military personnel to come to Vietnam. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident because North Vietnamese patrol boats opened fire on US ships. This made the US furious so Congress passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which gave Johnson the power to take all necessary measures to prevent further aggression to achieve peace and security. It allowed Johnson to do exactly what he was prepared for. Johnson could now take the US into a full scale war if it was needed and later on he did exactly so.

The Cuban Missile Crisis

1. Kennedy described Wednesday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 27 as the darkest days of the crisis. Use the information on page 350 to explain why.

These were the darkest days of crisis because both instances foreshadowed an attack possibly leading to the use of missiles. On October 24 instead of causing a confrontation with the Americans, the Soviets turned around at the last minute. This put pressure on Kennedy to decide whether to attack or be attacked first. If he had attacked first it could've led to a nuclear war that could be blamed on him. On October 27 Khrushchev sends a letter to Kennedy stating that if Kennedy removed his missiles located in Turkey then he would remove Soviet missiles in Cuba. Kennedy could've been unsure as to whether or not the Soviets were going to remove all their missiles from Cuba so he decided to keep them in. Then again Kennedy denying to withdraw missiles from Turkey could suggest he did not trust the Soviets and there was still the possibility of being attacked.

2. Do you think that nuclear war was ever a possibility in this crisis?

I believe nuclear war was a possibility in this crisis because the main focus of this conflict was the debate over nuclear weapons. Both sides wanted spread the location in which they had controlled nuclear missiles set up to launch. Neither side would remove their missiles unless the other did. The Americans spied on the Soviets who were constructing missile bases rapidly in Cuba. The Americans also blockaded Cuba to prevent the Soviets from delivering missies to them. There was a great presence of nuclear weapons so if there happened to be an attack on one country from another than I believe it is entirely possible for nuclear weapons to be used and lead to a nuclear war.

3. Is Source 26 a Soviet or an American cartoon? Explain your answer by referring to the details in the cartoon.

Source 26 is an American cartoon. First Kennedy and Khrushchev are arm wrestling and Kennedy has a stern expression but looks calm and Khrushchev is breaking a sweat trying to keep up with him. Both are sitting on hydrogen bombs. They both also have a finger over a button which sets off their opponents bomb. Khrushchev's finger is closer to the button suggesting he is being pressured by Kennedy to do it or not because if he does do it then Kennedy has an equally powerful response.

4. Using Source 27 list any evidence you can find for and against each of the explanations.

Why did the Soviet Union place nuclear missiles on Cuba?

To bargain with the USA

For: The two sides could now equally bargain.

Against: U.S. would have to give up some of its concessions.

To test the USA

For: They tried to prove how strong theAmericans were.

Against: Just added more stress to the Cold War politics.

To trap the USA

For: The U.S. shouldn't even argue with

Against: The missiles were an obvious trap that Khrushchev didn't even try to hide.

To get the upper hand in the arms race

For: The sides would be equally powerful so the idea of attacking each other would just cause equal destruction on both sides. This would force the two sides to settle matters diplomatically.

Against: U.S.S.R was edging closer in on the arms race preventing America to have an initial attack.

To defend Cuba

For: The missiles were meant for Cuba's defense

Against: Cuba was friends with the Soviets so if the Soviets asked they could bomb America in the matter of minutes from the comfort of their country.

5. Choose the explanation(s) that you think best fit what you have found out about the crisis. Explain your choice.

I believe the explanation of testing the U.S. would be the best explanation because it suggested that the Soviets were not going to use them and the Soviets just wanted to see the Americans' reactions. The U.S. could attack or not do anything which shows the Soviets how strong the U.S. is and to what extent they'd fight back.

The U.S. Attempts to Contain Cuba

1. Why was Cuba so important to the United States?
Cuba was so important to the U.S. because it was a longtime ally of America. Most of the businesses on Cuba were American owned and the Americans had a huge naval base located there. Cuba was also only 160 km from Florida. This means Cuba is one location which America had great influence over.

2. Why do you think the Americans chose to equip Cuban exiles rather than invading themselves?
I believe the Americans chose to equip the Cuban exiles rather than invading themselves because Castro expected the Americans to invade after the U.S. broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba. A reason as to why the Americans broke their relations with Cuba was because the Cubans were receiving arms from the Soviets. The U.S. did not want to tolerate a Soviet presence in the location which it had great influence over. The U.S. also did not want to become involved in a conflict with the Soviet Union which had ties to Cuba; so the attack on Cuba might cause the Soviet Union, which has nuclear weapons and satellites, to come to its aid. This is why the Americans called upon the Cuban exiles to indirectly attack Castro and Cuba.

3. Why did the invasion fail?
The invasion failed because the Cuban exiles were greatly outnumbered, ill equipped, and did not receive the aerial support promised to them by the Americans. The Cuban troops numbered 20,000 and were armed with tanks and modern weapons.

4. Compare Source 17 on page 345 (in the Arms Race.pdf reading) with Source 24 on page 348. Describe how the Soviet Union missiles on Cuba changed the Cold War balance of power.

If the Soviets did not have more power in Source 24 due to the Soviet Union missiles in Cuba then it definitely at least had and equal amount of power. The Soviet long range missiles only took 20 minutes to hit a larger variation of locations within the U.S. while the American long range missiles took 30 minutes to hit a spot in the U.S.S.R. The Soviets' missiles could easily reach the U.S. naval base in Cuba and the American space research center in Florida. Also the varied locations the Soviets could hit consisted of important and prominent American cities. The missiles could cover 3/4 of American territory. So if the United States decided to attack then the Soviets could have easily countered them.

The American Dream in the 1950s

1. Baby Boom
The sharp increase in the U.S. birthrate following WWII. This was due to soldiers returning from WWII and becoming settled again into family life. The baby boom had a tremendous impact on child care, American economy, and the education system.

2. Dr. Jonas Salk
Dr. Jonas Stalk developed a medicine for polio. In the 1950s polio was one of the most feared diseases but thanks to the vaccine, which was extremely effective, the number of people afflicted with the disease tremendously decreased.

3. Interstate Highway System
The Interstate Highway System was built to link major cities with schools, shopping centers, workplaces, and the residential suburbs. They encouraged the development of new suburbs father from cities. They also made high-speed, long-haul trucking possible and the system of highways also helped unify and homogenize the nation.

4. Franchise
A business that has bought the right to use a parent company's name and methods, thus becoming one of a number of similar businesses in various locations. This type of business expansion became immensely popular especially with fast-food restaurants.

5. In a paragraph, describe in detail how Americans spent their leisure time in the 1950s

Since Americans had labor-saving machines they could invest more time in leisure. There were a number of ways they spent their time. On immensely popular recreational activity was through sports. People participated int sports such as fishing, bowling, hunting, boating, and golf while others watched on tv or attended baseball, basketball, and football games. Americans also began reading everything from religion to cooking to do-it-yourself books. They enjoyed mystery, romance,and fiction novels. Magazines and comic books also became extremely popular amongst the public.

The Arms Race

1. Read Source 12. What methods do you think Dulles had in mind to 'liberate captive peoples' without a war?
Dulles might have wanted a more peaceful way of freeing the captive nations. Although, he does go on and say that "liberation can be achieved by processes short of war" meaning that methods similar to those used in war might be used. This could intend that he will try and be peaceful and solving problems through discussions but will use some small force if needed.

2. Look at Source 13. Would you agree that the Communist world was encircled? Explain your answer.
Yes I would agree that the Communist world was encircled because most of the areas around their area of control had some form of alliance with the United States and anti-Communists. Dulles did this purposely so that Communism can not expand any further to nations neighboring the area under Communist control.

3. Carefully examine the verticle timeline on page 343. Then look back at Source 12. Do you think the development of nuclear weapons was what Dulles might have had in mind?
Yes Dulles probably realized that it would't be such a smart idea to start a war when both sides had atomic weapons. If a war was started the results would be disastrous and the U.S. would be in shambles due to the bombings. Dulles probably thought containing Communism from spreading would be a better idea than launching into a war trying to remove it completely.

4. Look at Source 16. What is the Soviet cartoon saying about the U-2 plane?
The cartoon is trying to say that the U.S. just wants to be able to fly their planes over the Soviet Union to spy and gain needed intelligence about Soviet weapons technology. The U-2 is in the shape of a spyglass on one end, which is hovering over the U.S.S.R.

5. Read the Factfile on page 344. Explain why the USSR was so angry about the US spy flights.
The U-2 is the plane used which contained flied so high that it couldn't be shot down by the Soviet fighters or anti-aircraft missiles. It contained sophisticated listening devices and powerful cameras. This was ideal for spying and kept the U.S. informed about the Soviet weapons technology through the late 1950s. Once Soviet missiles improved they were able to shoot down a U-2 and accuse with evidence that the U.S. was spying. At first Eisenhower denied the claims but then admitted to them proving that the Soviets were right about their accusations.

6. How would the USA justify this violation of Soviet territory?
The U.S. can just say the Soviets had spies in America. Some of these spies played a key role in U.S. weapons technology such as Klaus Fuchs. Some didn't play such as important roles but still sold important U.S. information to the Soviets such as Alger Hiss, Greenglass, and the Rosenbergs. All of these spies were caught and found guilty of selling secrets to the U.S.S.R.

7. If the USSR had had U-2 planes, do you think it would have used them? Why?
The U.S.S.R might have used them but there was no point because they already had spies within the U.S. successfully transmitting information back to the U.S.S.R.

8. Look at Source 17. Why do you think the USA had missiles based in Europe?
I think that the U.S. had missiles based in Europe because if they happened to be attacked then the short-range missiles located in Europe could react and hit the U.S.S.R in minutes rather than waiting 30 minutes for the long-range missiles located in the U.S. to hit the U.S.S.R.

9. Define the term 'nuclear deterrent' in not more than 20 words.

Concept in which neither side would attack the other first knowing that they in turn will be attacked equally forcefully.

Eisenhower & The Cold War

1. The Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb in 1949.

THe United States embarked in am arms race with the Soviet Union. They wanted to see who could first create the H-Bomb and have a counterattack to a nuclear attack. It tremendously increased both the number and destructive power of weapons.

2. In 1951, the Iranian prime minister placed the oil industry in Iran under the Iranian government’s control.
The CIA gave several million dollars to anti-Mossadegh supporters because they feared that Mossadegh might turn to the Soviets for help so they wanted the former, pro-American Shah of Iran to return.

3. The Guatemalan head of government gave American-owned land in Guatemala to peasants.
The CIA trained an army which invades Guatemala because Eisenhower believed that Guatemala's government had Communist sympathizers. The Guatemalan army refused to defend the president and he resigned. The army's leaders then becomes dictator of the country.

4. In 1956, Britain, France, and Israel invaded Egypt and occupied the Suez Canal.

The UN quickly stepped in to stop the fighting. It persuaded Great Britain, France, and Israel to withdraw but it allowed Egypt to keep control of the canal. The U.S. got involved because the canal was supposed to be open to everyone.

5. Soviet tanks invaded Hungary and fired on protesters in 1956.
Even though the Truman Doctrine had promised to support free peoples who resisted communism, the United States did nothing to help Hungary break free of Soviet control. No help came from the UN either because the Soviet Union vetoed the Security Council from taking any actions.

6. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik.
Americans did not like being beaten and started pouring money into their own space program. Scientists worked quickly to catch up to the Soviets and on January 31, 1958 the U.S. successfully launched its first satellite.

7. In 1960, the Soviet Union brought down an American U-2 piloted by Francis Gary Powers.

Eisenhower denied that the U-2 had been spying but the Soviets had evidence so he finally admitted it. Khrushchev demanded and apology and the flights to be halted. Eisenhower agreed to end the flights but would not apologize. Khrushchev called off the summit and withdrew his invitation to Eisenhower to visit the U.S.S.R. The U-2 incident caused greater tension amongst the two nations.

The Red Scare (1950s)

1. HUAC

The House Un-American Activities Committee investigated Communist influence in the movie industry. Ten men, the Hollywood Ten, who refused to cooperate because they believed that the hearings were unconstitutional were sent to prison.

2. Blacklist

A list of people who Hollywood executives condemned for having a Communist background. The people on the list had their careers ruined because they could no longer work.

3. Alger Hiss

He was accused, by a former Communist spy named Whittaker Chambers, of spying for the Soviet Union. In the end he was convicted of perjury and sent to jail. He claimed he was innocent and that Chambers forged the papers, which Chambers claimed came out of Hiss's typewriter. There was no stable evidence.

4. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg

Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were minor activists in the American Communist Party, who were persecuted for their Jewish religion and radical beliefs. They were found guilty of espionage and sentenced to death even though the evidence was too weak. They became the first two U.S. citizens executed for espionage.

5. Joseph McCarthy

Joseph McCarthy was Senator of Wisconsin and a famous anti-communist activist. He was known as an ineffective legislator and needed a winning issue to be reelected so he claimed Communists were taking over the government.

6. McCarthyism

McCarthyism is the attacks, often unsubstantiated, by Senator Joseph McCarthy and others on people suspected of being Communists in the early 1950s.

7. In a paragraph, describe the motivations and actions of Joseph McCarthy during the 1950s. What prompted his actions? What did he do? What happened as a result of his actions?

Joseph McCarthy was known as an ineffective legislator and needed a winning issue to be reelected so he claimed Communists were taking over the government. He took advantage of people's fear of communism. McCarthy accused others of being Communists without supporting evidence. His attacks became known as McCarthyism and are now referred to the unfair tactic of accusing people of disloyalty without evidence. The Republicans did not do much to stop McCarthy's attacks because they believed it would help him to win the 1952 presidential election but a small group of senators did speak out. Finally McCarthy saw his downfall when he made accusations against the U.S. Army. The senate investigation was televised and his bullying of witnesses led him to lose public support.