The Geneva agreement Vietnam:

- Vietnam would be divided at the 17 th parallel.

- North Vietnam would be ruled by Ho Chi Minh and the south by Ngo Dinh Diem.
- French troops would withdraw completely.
- The Vietminh would withdraw from the south.
- The Vietnamese people could choose freely to live in the North or the South.
- A general election for the whole of Vietnam would be held before July 1956.
- Laos and Cambodia would become independent nations.
- This ends the French indo-china war.
- Leaves the country with a communist North and a Capitalist South.

Diem:

- Strongly anti-communist.
- Gained him the support of the US believing they could influence him.
- However, he acted independently and cruelly as he forced people off land, benefitted his
friends and killed those who opposed him.
- However, America kept supporting him as they were most concerned with him being anti-
communist.
- In October 1955, he held an election in south Vietnam imprisoning anyone who opposed
- Soon 100,000 people had been sent to prison camps.
- He claimed he won by 98.2%.

Opposition to Diem:

- National Liberation Front:

o Set up in south Vietnam and made up of mostly Nationalists.
o They wanted to remove the Catholic influence but having been set up by Ho Chi
Minh they were quickly taken over by communists.
o They were called the Vietcong by the Americans.
- Buddhists:
o Targeted by Diems Catholic government and prevented them from practicing their
religion.
o The used hunger strikes, mass rallies and the foreign press to try and gain support.
o Most famous protest was Thich Quang Duc’s self-immolation on the 11 th of June
1963.

The End of Diem:

- JFK became president in 1961.

- It was clear how unpopular Diem was in south Vietnam and at home in America.
- America had always protected Diem from threats from with Vietnam however they now
withdrew their support.
- On 1st of November 1963 Diem and is brother were surrounded by ARVN troops.
- The next day they surrendered and as they were being taken away, they were shot.
Eisenhower 1953 – 1961:

- In the first year as a president, he agreed to the ceasefire that ended the Korean war
- He guaranteed US support in south Vietnam but did support in south Vietnam but did not
think it was in Americas best interest to get too involved
- Invited south Vietnam to join SEATO
- Broke the Geneva convention
- Supplied the south wit money and equipment
- Sent military advisers not soldiers
- Tried to make Diem agree to land reforms
- Launched a propaganda campaign against Ho Chi Minh and communist North Vietnam

Kennedy 1961-63:

- Increased the number of military experts to around 16,000, they trained the ARVN
- Supported the Strategic Hamlets Programme in Vietnam – moved south Vietnamese people
would of villages into secured villages to stop them from giving intel to opposition – claimed
it was to move them to safety
- Kept the us involvement a secret from the press
- Increased financial aid to the ARCN, increase in recruits from 150,000 to 170,000 in 1961
- Sent 300 helicopters they transported troops and were told not to fight
- Approved a coup in south Vietnam to remove Diem

Lydon B. Johnson 1963-69:

- He famously said that If the us removed support from Vietnam then they would be fighting
on US soil next week
- But like Kennedy he was reluctant to send any troops. Especially important as he wanted to
run on that platform in 1964
- However, his advisers wanted more support so he approved operation plan 34a in august
1964
o South Vietnamese mercenaries would go into North Vietnam
o US destroyer naval ships would be stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin monitoring radar
stations

The Gulf of Tonkin Incident:

- 3 North Vietnamese ships fired on the USS Maddox

- The USS Maddox fired and the air forced backed them up
- It allowed congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, this gave Lyndon B Johnson the
power to take actions to defend freedom in South East Asia