The U.S. Enters the Vietnam War

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

For years, the U.S. had been spouting the view that "each and every country should be able to have free elections". However, in the case of Vietnam, America rushed in to prevent them from holding free elections, because the US was worried that said elections would go against their interests. To many outsiders, the U.S. policy appeared hypocritical; the U.S. was more willing to support twisted, corrupt governments than it was to allow the Vietnamese people to choose for themselves.

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

The U.S. would have defended their decision by stating that it went with their policy of containment. They would also have said that if Vietnam was allowed to become Communist, the rest of Asia would soon follow suit. The U.S. backed up its policies by playing on the widespread fear of Communism.

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 political involvement Johnson was much more prepared to launch full out war against Vietnam than JFK had been.

(1955) Formation of South Vietnam financial support The U.S. now had government that it could send aid to and negotiate talks with; South Vietnam allowed the U.S. to have a firmer presence in Vietnam.

(1964) Gulf of Tonkin Incident military involvement After this incident, Congress passed a resolution that gave Johnson free reign to proceed as he pleased in Vietnam; this bill made the war possible.

(1962) Number of 'advisers' reaches over 11,500 military involvement The sheer amount of troops that JFK placed in Vietnam made the chance of violence all the more likely; the more troops that were sent in, the more hostile the Vietnamese became.

(1962) JFK sends military advisers military involvement JFK sending in military under the pretense of "advisors" set a tone for the war: the U.S. was going to get involved no matter what, even if they had to conceal it.

(1965) U.S. Marines land at Da Nang military involvement This was the first landing of official combative troops in Vietnam. With this move, the two countries were officially at war.

(1954) U.S. stops elections in Vietnam political involvement After making this move, America was intrinsically involved in the situation: they could not simply stop elections and then not stick around to support the remaining government.

(1963) U.S. supports South Vietnam government after army overthrow Diem political involvement Even though the governments were corrupt, the U.S. continued to support them. This involved them further in the conflict by

(1960) Viet Cong attacks on U.S. and South Vietnam bases military involvement After this, the U.S. could no longer deny that the situation required military involvement; the Northern Vietnamese were clearly hostile.

(1960) Viet Cong formed military involvement The Viet Cong represented a clear opposing force - the U.S. now had a more defined enemy to fight.

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

your choice.

Two events that were critical in getting the U.S. involved in a war in Vietnam were JFK sending military "advisors" and the Gulf of Tonkin incident. JFK's "advisors" started off the landslide of troops that would soon pour into Vietnam; had the "advisors" never been there, a military situation might have more easily been avoided. The presence of said "advisors" threatened the Northern Vietnamese, making them more inclinced to behave with hostility. The Gulf of Tonkin incident is easy to mark as a catalyst; after the incident, Congress passed a bill letting Johnson take free reign with the situation in Vietnam. After this bill was passed, he nearly immediately declared war; the connection is not hard to make.

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.

Wednesday, Oct. 24 was the beginning of the blockade: the first sign that the U.S. was truly getting involved in the crisis, the first point of action. After that, there was no turning back. Saturday, October 27 marked the first American casualty; Kennedy was forced to consider actually going to war.

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

I do not believe that nuclear war was truly a possibility in this crisis. Both countries knew that they had the power to wipe each other out completely; both were too afraid of retaliation to launch on the other. This crisis was more of a show of power - whoever could flex the bigger muscles would win.

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

This is an American cartoon. The biggest clue pointing to this is that JFK seems to be having less trouble than Khruschev - he is sweating less, implying that he has the upper hand. Also, more detail is shown in the drawing of Kennedy - the author clearly wanted to make him look good, whereas Khruschev is drawn much more simply.

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

-Neither country truly wanted war

-Bargaining could have avoided any violence

-Tensions were so high at this point that bargaining seemed unlikely to work

To test the USA

-The USSR was constantly trying to tell how powerful the US' weapons were

-This situation could have proven very, very dangerous for the Soviet Union

To trap the USA

-If the US struck first, the Soviet Union would look like the victim in the situation

-neither country wanted to provoke the other; no matter who struck first, there would still be terrible consequences

To get the upper hand in the arms race

-The Cold War was really just a power play

-It was more about impressions than actual fighting

-The USSR had a need to prove itself superior to the US

-Getting the upper hand would just cause the US to bump up their own arms supply

To defend Cuba

-The USSR woudl have been happy to have Communism spread so far across the globe

-The USSR had promised to support and protect any satellite nations

-The USSR was too busy dealing with the US to get involved in what could turn into a complicated civil war

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

I believe that the USSR was trying to gain the upper hand in the arms race. The Soviet Union felt very threatened by the US missiles in Turkey; by placing missiles in Cuba, they threatened the US in the same way. The Cold War was all about getting the upper hand. The race to have more and better technology was constant. While the Soviet Union and the U.S. did not actually want war, both wanted to look better than the other; for this reason, it only seems logical that the USSR was motivated mainly by a need to gain an upper hand in the arms race.

The U.S. Attempts to Contain Cuba

1. Why was Cuba so important to the United States?
The US saw Cuba as a sphere of their own interests; from the Spanish-American war, they had many businesses set up there, as well as a large naval base. The US saw Cuba as nearly an extension of its own borders - while it wa not technically part of America, the US certainly liked to maintain a firm control there.

2. Why do you think the Americans chose to equip Cuban exiles rather than invading themselves?
By invading themselves, it would have looked much more severe. The Soviets would most likely have directly attacked; by using Cuban exiles, the US could always simply claim that they were just arming people who had motivations of their own. Also, the US was likely no inclined to risk American lives in such an attack.

3. Why did the invasion fail?
The exiled Cuban troops were vastly outnumbered by Castro's men. JFK did not plan for Castro to send such a large number of troops; although the exiles' military technology was on par with Castro's, they were simply overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of Castro's army.

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.
While the U.S. had nuclear launch sites in Western Europe, close by to the USSR, the Soviet Union had previously been unable to place nuclear weapons anywhere near to the U.S. Now, with nuclear weapons in Cuba, the Soviet threat to the U.S. was much greater; they could launch an attack in minutes, where as in the past it would have taken up to 1/2 an hour for the missiles to hit.

The American Dream in the 1950s

For each term or name, write a concise sentence or two explaining its significance.

1. Baby Boom

After the soldiers returned home from WWII, there was an incredibly large rise in the US birth rate. 40 million children were said to be born during this "baby boom" - the largest generation in American history.

2. Dr. Jonas Salk

Salk developed the vaccine to prevent Polio - a disease that had been wreaking havoc on the nation. Salk's vaccine was incredibly effective; polio is practically nonexistent today.

3. Interstate Highway System

The Interstate Highway System was developed in response to the increase in car production (referred to as Automania). The highways, which stretched all over the country, encouraged much more personal travel, as well as the building of suburbs; however, the popularity of railroads severely decreased as more and more people began to use the highway system.

4. Franchise

Franchises, a form of business expansion in which a business sets up several stores all selling the same product in multiple different locations, represented the growing opportunities for jobs that were arising in the 1950s. There was a great feeling of being able to do anything one wanted to at the time - never-before-heard-of franchises, like fast food restaurants, reflected this feeling.

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

During the 1950s, due to a more relaxed lifestyle view and many time-saving technological advances, leisure time for Americans increased greatly. Americans turned to activities such as fishing, bowling, hunting, or golf; attendance to sports events such as baseball or basketball games went through the roof; many Americans began avidly watching TV; reading saw a huge jump in popularity. Americans would read everything from comic books to self-help books; projects that one could complete on one's own became very popular as well.

The Arms Race

1. Read Source 12. What methods do you think Dulles had in mind to 'liberate captive peoples' without a war?
Dulles may have been thinking of closing in tighter and tighter on the USSR - never actually sending armies against it, but creating more and more organizations to surround it and slowly strangle its power. Dulles may also have been referring to stockpiling nuclear weapons - surely there would be a point when the USSR would give in and admit that America simply had more bombs than they did.

2. Look at Source 13. Would you agree that the Communist world was encircled? Explain your answer.

The Communist world was not encircled, even with the visual proof of source 13. The Communist world was geographically encircled, yes, but that truly does not mean much. One cannot kill an idea with an army; the democratic world could not stop the spread of Communist ideas simply by locking down Communist leaders. The main Communist countries were surrounded by anti-Communist groups - there is no arguing that. However, ideas can pass straight through even the best miltary defenses; in a theoretical sense, the Communist world was not surrounded at all.

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?

The development of nuclear weapons could certainly have been what Dulles had in mind. It allowed the US to flex its muscles without actually having to put them into use; in other words, nuclear development hoped to scare the Soviets away from ever attacking in the first place.

4. Look at Source 16. What is the Soviet cartoon saying about the U-2 plane?

The Soviet cartoon is marking the U-2 plane as an invasion of privacy. The U.S. at first denied that these planes were used for spying; this cartoon is implying that the planes were used to extend America's view into the USSR. The cartoon also seems to be saying that the use of such technology was unfair - the Soviets could do nothing to stop these planes from looking in on them without being downright aggresive, just as someone could not peacefully stop a stranger peering at them from across the street with a telescope.

5. Read the Factfile on page 344. Explain why the USSR was so angry about the US spy flights.

The USSR was angry at their privacy being invaded, when the U.S. condemned Soviet spying techniques within America. It did not help that the U.S. refused to apologize for the flights; it clearly did not help diplomatic negotiations, and the Soviets viewed it as a show of rudeness and stubborn behavior. Also, the U.S. was sending men onto their soil without Soviet consent - clearly not a peaceful gesture.

6. How would the USA justify this violation of Soviet territory?

The USA would justify this invasion of Soviet territory by pointing out the Soviet spies in America - the US was only looking out for its own interests! The US would also use the point that it was imperative for the US to stay on top of Soviet activity in order to prevent an attack on innocent civilians; it was a defensive method, not an offensive one.

7. If the USSR had had U-2 planes, do you think it would have used them? Why?

I do think that they would have used them. Even though they strongly condemned the US use of U-2 planes, that was simply because they did not have the technology to effectively retalitate. In times of war, morals often fly out the window. The USSR would most likely not have thought twice about using U-2 planes, if it would have given them an upper hand in the race to gather information.

8. Look at Source 17. Why do you think the USA had missiles based in Europe?

The USA most likely had missiles in Europe in order to be able to able to retaliate in minutes if the USSR was to launch missiles against the US. While missiles at sucha close proximity may have alarmed the Soviets, the US would have seen this as necessary. If the US kept all of its missiles within its own borders, it could take up to 30 minutes until a bomb struck back against the USSR; with missiles in Europe, the US could strike back within minutes.

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

Nuclear deterrants are nuclear weapons that force the enemy into not launching their own weapons for fear of retaliation.

Eisenhower & The Cold War

How did the United States react to the following 7 events, and why?

1. The Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb in 1949.
After the explosion of the first Soviet atomic bomb, the U.S. immediately began planning an even larger, more deadly bomb. They did this in order to maintain the upper hand in the war - in order to feel secure, they needed to have the bigger weapons first. Development for the H-Bomb soon began, even though the morality of such an explosive was questioned; the H-Bomb was successfully exploded on November of 1952.

2. In 1951, the Iranian prime minister placed the oil industry in Iran under the Iranian government’s control.
When the Iran's oil indsutry became privatized, the U.S. decided to use the CIA to ensure that it's interests were upheld in Iran, and that Iran did not turn to the USSR for aid. The CIA gave millions of dollars to supporters of the pro-American Shah, who had been exiled; the plan was successful, and the Shah was able to return to power, and control of the oil fields was given back to the Western powers.

3. The Guatemalan head of government gave American-owned land in Guatemala to peasants.
The U.S. feared that this was a sign of Guatemala leaning towarsd Communism, and therefore decided to take action, once again via the CIA. The CIA organized and trained an army, which invaded Guatemala. The Guatemalan army would not defend its president, and he quickly resigned, leaving the leader of the Guatemalan forces to take power.

4. In 1956, Britain, France, and Israel invaded Egypt and occupied the Suez Canal.
After the U.N. stepped in, tensions died down quickly. However, the U.S. was horrified by the amount of Soviet involvement in the Middle East - the Suez War had been a good example of just how far the USSR was willing to go to gain support. In response, President Eisenhower issued a doctrine, which Congress soon approved; called simply the Eisenhower Doctrine, it stated that the U.S. would defend and country in the Middle East against a Communist attack.

5. Soviet tanks invaded Hungary and fired on protesters in 1956.
While the events in Hungary were shocking, the U.S. did nothing to aid the Hungarian government or people. Even with the Truman policy in place, the U.S. would not step in to push Soviet forces out of Hungary. This inaction most likely stemmed from fear of getting militarily involved so close in area to the USSR; that could be conceived as an act of war, and set off the tensions that were already close to overflow.

6. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik.
After the Soviet launch of Sputnik, America began opuring money and effort into their own space program. Desperate not to be left behind in the dust, they began developing their own satellites and space crafts at a rapid pace. Though their first attempt was a failure, the U.S. successfully launched a satellite in January of 1958.

7. In 1960, the Soviet Union brought down an American U-2 piloted by Francis Gary Powers.
America staunchly denied that the U-2 had been on an espionage mission. When Khruschev demanded an apology, Eisenhower refused to give one - for that would mean admitting to spying, and that would raise the chance of starting a violent conflict. Eisenhower did, however, agree to stop the U-2 flights. Eisenhower's refusal to apologize only increased tensions tenfold.

The Red Scare (1950s)

For each term or name, write a concise sentence or two explaining its significance.

1. HUAC
The HUAC was one of several organizations that investigated Communist behaviors in the US. It specifically focused on targeting Communist suspicions in the movie industry, under the belief that Hollywood was putting subliminal Communist messages into its films.

2. Blacklist
The blacklist, originating in Hollywood, was a comprehensive list of people condemned of being Communist sympathizers. They were banned form working; the blacklist ruined hundreds of careers.


3. Alger Hiss

Hiss was one of two infamous spy cases that caused hightened anti-Communist panic in the US during the Cold War. Hiss, a State Department official, was accused of being a Soviet spy by a former Soviet agent; he was unable to be tried for espionage, but was able to be sent to jail for perjury.


4. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg

The Rosenbergs were accused of supplying information to the USSR about the American atomic bomb; this accusations were fueled by the early development of the Soviet atomic bomb. The Rosenbergs pleaded the Fifth, saying that they were not spies, but were simply being persecuted for being Jewish and holding radical beliefs. They were convicted and sentenced to death despite their pleas; they were the first U.S. citizens convicted for espionage.


5. Joseph McCarthy
McCarthy, a Republican senator from Wisconsin, was one of the most vocal and staunch proponents of the fight against Communism. Around the time Senate elections, McCarthy began adamantly professing that the Communists were taking over the government - and he would most certainly do something about it.



6. McCarthyism
McCarthyism refers to the practice of unfairly accusing someone without valid evidence or acceptable amounts of proof. The term first came into being when McCarthy began his anti-Communism campaign, as he made a habit of wildly accusing citizens and government officials of being Communist sympathizers, even when he did not have the proper proof to back up his claims; McCarthyism works off of people's paranoia and fear of the unknown.

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?
McCarthy was prompted by a combination of his fear of not being re-elected as a Senator (he was a fairly ineffective holder of public office, and the public knew it) and an inherent hatred of Communists as a danger to the U.S.A. He convinced the public that he had information on thousands of Communist spies and sympathizers, and called out various people in the Senate as secretly working to forward the goals of Communism. As a result of his passionate crusade, the paranoia in the U.S. ratcheted up to unheard of levels; people accused their next door neighbors, their school teachers, their best friends of being Communist, simply because propganda had convinced them that the Communists were everywhere. Eventually, though, even this intense parnoia died down, and people began to see McCarthy for what he really was - an over-zealous man who ruined hundreds of careers in order to (ultimately unsuccessly) forward his own.

Korean War Lessons

Now that the war in Korea has effectively been ended, there are several lessons that we can take from it and apply to the future. In the following report, which will detail several aspects of the war, these lessons will be illuminated.

The US went into Korea in order to stop the spread of Communism. Stalin had already taken control of the satellite nations; shortly after that, China became Communist as well. It appeared that the Soviet's control was growing rapidly across the globe; the US felt that it was its duty to uphold democracy wherever possible. When Korea became threatened, America of course involved itself in order to further its goal of containment.

The UN was incredibly useful in the Korean War. Eighteen members of the United Nations contributed soldiers to the forces sent to Korea; the majority of these troops were still American, but the efforts of the other countries were still greatly needed. Without the support of the UN, the US would very likely not have been able to push back the North Korean forces at all.

The US did achieve its aims to a certain extent, but not to the extent that they had hoped. While North Korean forces (and, by that logic, Communist ideas as well) were purged fully form South Korea, Communism remains in the country to this day. The campaign in North Korea was unsuccessful, and had to be stopped before more danger arose; the danger of Communism was not removed from the country, and so Korea cannot be fully counted as a victory for democracy (or containment).

In regards to the North Korean invasion, it is apparent that MacArthur should not have been allowed to invade the North in the first place. He severely underestimated the fighting power of the Chinese - their technology was just as advanced as ours, and they had been trained to hate Americans deeply and passionately. The North Korean campaign did not accomplish much; a stalemate was reached, yes, but it was not worth the deaths caused and the angering of the Chinese.

The North Korean campaign is a good example of why MacArthur was removed: he was too ready to charge ahead into battle, without calculating the costs. After the campaign in the North, MacArthur was convinced that continuing the war (by invading China with the use of nuclear weapons) was the best option. Truman and the UN did not condone this action, but MacArthur ignored these orders: he openly threatened war against the Chinese, and was promptly removed from the situation and sent back to the US.

The Korean War ended with horrific costs, both to soldiers and civilians. The American and US forces lost 34,500 soldiers; the South Koreans lost 70,000 soldiers and 500,000 civilians; the North Koreans and the Chinese lost 780,00 soldiers and civilians. The death tolls, especially those of the civilians, are disturbing and shocking.

Overall, the Korean War was only a small victory. Millions of troop and civilians died, for little purpose - the wra caused tensions in Korea to skyrocket, and the policy of containment was not forwarded a significant amount. In the future, the US should be careful not to repeat the mistakes made in the Korean War: underestimating the enemy, and rushing in unawares.