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The Vietnam War

Lesson 2

U.S. Involvement and Escalation

Key Terms and People
Robert McNamara  Secretary of defense under Johnson
Dean Rusk  Secretary of state under Johnson
William Westmoreland  Commander of U.S. troops in Vietnam
Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)  South Vietnamese military forces
napalm  Gasoline-based explosive
Agent Orange  Chemical that destroyed jungle land
search-and-destroy mission  Tactic in which U.S. troops destroyed Vietnamese
villages
credibility gap  Situation in which the U.S. public no longer believed the Johnson
administration

Before You Read

In the last lesson you read how the United States became involved in
Vietnam. In this lesson you will read about the war America fought
in Vietnam.

As You Read
Use a chart to take notes on the key military tactics and weapons
used by the Vietcong and the Americans.

JOHNSON INCREASES U.S. the Communists might try to take over

INVOLVEMENT
Who supported Johnson’s decision
to send U.S. troops to Vietnam?
In 1965 Johnson began sending U.S.
troops to Vietnam to fight the Vietcong.
Some of Johnson’s advisers had opposed
this move. They argued it was too
dangerous.
But most of the president’s advisers
supported sending in troops. They
included Secretary of Defense Robert
McNamara and Secretary of State
Dean Rusk. These men believed
that America had to help defeat
communism in Vietnam. Otherwise,
other countries.
Much of the public also agreed with
Johnson’s decision. Many Americans
believed in stopping the spread of
communism.
By the end of 1965, the United States
had sent more than 180,000 troops to
Vietnam. The American commander in
South Vietnam was General William
Westmoreland. Westmoreland was not
impressed by the Army of the Republic
of Vietnam (ARVN) as a fighting force.
He asked for even more troops. By 1967
almost 500,000 American soldiers were
fighting in Vietnam.

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275 Guided Reading Workbook

 Name______________________________ Class________________________ Date_____________
Lesson 2, continued
1. Name two groups that supported
Johnson’s decision to use troops in
Vietnam.
Public and president's advisers supported
Johnson's decision to use troops in Vietnam.
FIGHTING IN THE JUNGLE
Why did the war drag on?
The United States believed that its
superior weaponry would lead to a
quick victory over the Vietcong.
However, several factors turned the war
into a bloody stalemate.
The first factor was the Vietcong’s
fighting style. The Vietcong did not have
advanced weapons. As a result, they used
hit-and-run ambush tactics. The Vietcong
struck quickly in small groups. They then
disappeared into the jungle or an
elaborate system of tunnels. They knew
how to blend in with civilians. They also
placed countless booby traps and mines.
The second factor was the Vietcong’s
refusal to surrender. They were willing to
fight at any cost. General Westmoreland’s
strategy for defeating the Vietcong was
to destroy their morale through a war of
attrition, gradually wearing them down
through constant attack. Though the
Vietcong suffered many battlefield
deaths, they continued to fight on.
The third factor was the American
troops’ inability to win the support of
the Vietnamese peasants. In fighting the
Vietcong, U.S. troops ended up hurting
the peasants as well. For example, U.S.
planes dropped napalm, a gasoline-
based bomb that set fire to the jungle.
They did this to expose Vietcong tunnels
and hideouts. They also sprayed Agent
Orange. This was a leaf-killing chemical
that destroyed the landscape. Both of
these weapons harmed villagers and
ruined villages.
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276 Guided Reading Workbook
American soldiers also turned the
peasants against them by conducting
search-and-destroy missions. During
these missions, soldiers destroyed villages
they believed supported the Vietcong.
The frustrations of fighting the war
caused the morale of American soldiers
to sink. Soldiers endured great
hardships, especially prisoners of war
captured by the North Vietnamese.
2. Name two reasons why the U.S.
failed to score a quick victory
against the Vietcong.
The Vietcong's hit-and-run ambush and their refusal to surrender.
THE EARLY WAR AT HOME
How did the war affect Johnson’s
domestic programs?
The number of U.S. troops in Vietnam
continued to increase. So did the cost
of the war. As a result, the nation’s
economy began to suffer. In order to pay
for the war, President Johnson had to cut
spending for his Great Society programs.
By 1967 many Americans still
supported the war. However, the images
of the war on television began to change
that. The Johnson administration told the
American people that the war was going
well. But television told the opposite
story. Each night, Americans watched the
brutal scenes of the war on their
television screens. This led to a credibility
gap in the Johnson administration. A
growing number of people no longer
believed what the president was saying.
3. How did the war affect Johnson’s
Great Society?
Many Great Society programs fell under the War on Poverty umbrella
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Lesson 2, continued

As you read about the escalation of the war, take notes to answer the
questions.

1. What role did each of the following play in the decision to escalate U.S. military
involvement in Vietnam?
Lyndon B. Johnson
Was determined to contain communism in vietnam but opposed sending amerivan troops to fight in vietnam, though he eventually did.

Robert McNamara
Secretary of defense who worked closely with the president to help reach the conclusion to start sending troops to Vietnam

Dean Rusk
Secretary of State who worked closely with the president to help reach the conclusion to start sending troops to Vietnam

William Westmoreland
An American commander in south Vietnam who requested more American troops because he was greatly unimpressed with the fighting
ability of the south Vietnamese army.
U.S. Congress
Granted president Johnson war power such as the decision to send troops off to Vietnam

American public opinion

Did not want to see the spread of communism

U.S. military strategies result in a bloody stalemate

2. What military advantages did the
Americans have over the Vietcong?
They lacked the high power weaponry that the
American forces had and the number of forces and
supplies.
3. What military advantages did the
Vietcong have over the Americans?
They had many such as hit and run tactics, a better
knowledge of the land.

4. What military strategies did the 5. What military strategies did the
Americans use against the Vietcong? Vietcong use against the Americans?
Getting land mines everywhere to explode in the Setting their own traps in the jungles for American
jungle n trying to prevent the Vietcong from troops to fall into. Fighting for their existence
gaining the support of the south do rural
population.

Public support for the war begins to waver

as a “credibility gap” grows
6. What role did each of the following play in this change of public support?
The U.S. economy
Suffered as the inflation rate tripled and there were tax increases to he,p fund the war

Television
Public was exposed to war in a way they had never experienced such as seeing Americans body bags

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277 Guided Reading Workbook