US Response Hearts and Minds • At the start of the USA’s involvement in Vietnam they entered a divided country. • The Communist North was hostile to the USA but the South was friendly • The North had a ready supply of weapons and equipment from China. • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Operation Hearts and Minds set out to reward the people of South Vietnam for their support. US aid money was spent on Vietnamese villages, buildings were improved. Schools and medical centres were built and local democracy was encouraged. South Vietnamese villagers being allowed a vote on how US money will be spent on their village. A US representative holds a blackboard listing the items voted on. They include pig raising, a health station, schoolhouses, tractors, wells, and buffaloes. ‘Hearts and Minds’ had many successes – particularly in the larger towns and cities. But the villages and rural areas were harder to convince – communism and land redistribution naturally appealed to many of them. Many of these helped the Viet Cong who were entering from the North to encourage rebellion against US control. A big problem was that the Americans simply did not understand the Vietnamese culture or belief systems. A classic example was when Robert McNamara, the US Secretary of Defence toured South Vietnam. He had been taught how to pronounce ‘Viet Nam Muon Nam’, meaning ‘Long live South Vietnam’ – which he shouted to crowds. However, he didn’t realise the language is very tonal so what he was actually saying was ‘The southern duck wants to lie down’.
Operation Rolling Thunder • In February 1965 President Lyndon B Johnson ordered ‘Operation Rolling Thunder’. • It was an attempt to bomb North Vietnam into defeat. • Instead of hand to hand fighting against the Viet Cong, the USA would bomb North Vietnam from a safe distance. • It was supposed to be a 3 week bombing campaign but went on to last 3 ½ Years. The objectives were to: • To destroy airfields, bridges, docks, roads and other supply lines. • To avoid bombing Northern cities which might draw the USSR/China into war. • To stop the flow of arms and men from North into South Vietnam. • To destroy the morale of the North Vietnamese.
• • •
The USA used its mighty B52 bomber during Operation Rolling Thunder. These planes were originally designed to carry nuclear weapons but were adapted to carry conventional bombs instead. Each plane could carry 27,000 kg of bombs and drop them from high altitude.
• • •
One objective of Rolling Thunder was to destroy the Ho Chi Minh Trail. But it was a network of paths rather than a single route. Every time it was hit by US bombs the VC simply worked around it.
• •
The Viet Cong fought back with anti-aircraft weapons. Some were relatively simple anti-aircraft guns, but they also had Chinese and Russian surface to air missiles. They began to bring down some US aircraft. In 1967 362 US aircraft were shot down.
• • • •
The ordinary citizens of North Vietnam volunteered to work to repair damage caused by US bombing. 97,000 full time and 400,000 part time workers. Their morale was strengthened rather than weakened.
• • • • • •
643,000 tons of bombs dropped – 3 times the total bombs dropped in WW2. 153,784 missions flown. 900 US aircraft lost. 454 aircrew killed or missing. The amount of damage caused to North Vietnam - $300 million. The cost to the USA - $900 million.
• •
By October 1968, 3 ½ years after it began, Operation Rolling Thunder was called off. It was considered to have failed in its original objectives.