#11 The American War in Vietnam

In this episode we continue our discussion of the Vietnam War. We cover the period from the Geneva Conference in 1954 to the end of Lyndon Johnson's presidency in 1968. We look at the creation of North and South Vietnam under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh and Ngo Dinh Diem respectively. We look at the assistance the Soviets and the Chinese gave to Hanoi and the establishment of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. We distinguish between the ARVN, the NVA and the Viet Cong. What was JFK's policy in Vietnam? How did Lyndon Johnson escalate America's involvement in Vietnam? We look at the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and the campaign of Rolling Thunder that followed. What was General Westmoreland's priorities in Vietnam? We look at how the Tet Offensive changed Americans' views of the war in Vietnam and why Johnson decided not to run for reelection in 1968.