Deck 15: Vietnam

Question 1

Throughout the late 1950s, which of the following hindered Ngo Dinh Diem's chances at political success in South Vietnam?

A) He was Roman Catholic whereas the majority of the peasants were Buddhist.
B) He was a weak leader who was afraid to use heavy-handed tactics on the opposition.
C) The United States did not politically support his leadership.
D) During his first years in office, he failed to stabilize South Vietnam.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Throughout the first phase of America's involvement in Vietnam, which was the most important factor to create and build South Vietnam's military?

A) competent native soldiers within the ranks of the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces
B) British intelligence on Ho Chi Minh gathered during World War II
C) French commanders who stayed and assisted with the training
D) massive numbers of American combat units

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following best describes the period following Diem's ouster and murder in 1963?

A) political instability and revolving door governments
B) increased political stability and military success
C) greater U.S. involvement to prop up a new regime
D) general political malaise and military stalemate

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In hindsight, how would one best describe Washington's perception of the war in Vietnam?

A) fundamentally misunderstood its enemy and throughout the war, the nature of the war in Vietnam
B) had a clear grasp of the War in Vietnam and its strategic goals from the outset
C) quickly grasped the strategic realities of Vietnam after some initial confusion
D) gradually began to get a clear view of the strategic situation in Vietnam over the first year

Question 5

Why did Kennedy bring McNamara into the Department of Defense?

A) to rein in the defense budget and make the Pentagon more efficient
B) to run the Vietnam War
C) to develop Special Forces programs in the various armed services
D) to develop a coherent national defense policy in keeping with the overall strategy of Flexible Response

Question 6

What was one of the criticism made by those who advocated the use of bombing against Operation ROLLING THUNDER?

A) it was too restricted
B) it was too destructive of North Vietnamese civilians
C) it was not restricted enough
D) it failed to destroy northern military targets

Question 7

Which of the following best describes the naval fighting along the water system of the Mekong Delta?

A) occasionally violent with long periods of routine
B) dull and uneventful
C) dangerous and intense
D) violent but rare

Question 8

Which of the following was true regarding the Tet Offensive?

A) There was no mass popular uprising to support the Viet Cong.
B) The ARVN deserted.
C) The Saigon Government did collapsed.
D) The National Police did not remain a power within the country.

Question 9

How did General William Westmoreland respond to the Tet Offensive?

A) He asked for more troops.
B) He called for increased humanitarian aid to the South.
C) He called for an increase in the bombing campaign.
D) He called for a phased withdrawal of U.S. forces.

Question 10

In March 1969, why did Nixon authorize heavy air attacks on Cambodia?

A) Communist forces were using Cambodia to resupply their support in South Vietnam.
B) Cambodia was on the verge of becoming Communist.
C) Ho Chi Minh was seeking asylum in the capital of Phnom Penh.
D) The United States was engaged in a coup against Prince Norodom Sihanouk.

Question 11

A March, 1970 anti-war protest here ended in the fatal shooting of four students by Ohio National Guardsmen.

A) Kent State University
B) Ohio State University
C) University of Ohio
D) Wright University

Question 12

By 1967, how did opposition to the war in Vietnam vary in the United States?

A) Although college campuses were more vocal, middle America quietly lost support for the war.
B) Although the wealthy abhorred the war, most Americans supported Johnson's intervention.
C) Although college students privately disagreed with the war, they did not join the growing resentment of most Americans.
D) While pacifists petitioned the war, demonstrations rarely moved beyond small groups of protestors.

Question 13

What led to the U.S. exit from Vietnam?

A) Paris Peace Accords
B) Geneva Accords
C) Versailles Agreements
D) Oslo Accords

Question 14

Which of the following was not a tactic to avoid service in Vietnam?

A) proof that a sibling was already serving
B) loitering in the National Guard
C) an educational deferment
D) leaving for Canada

Question 15

Over time, how did the Vietnam War affect American military institutions?

A) corrosive and required a great deal of corrective action after the conflict
B) positive as the public remembered the heroic actions more than the tragedy
C) sustaining and the military persevered
D) challenging but American propaganda manipulated the situation

Question 16

Describe the U.S. military at the outset of its involvement in Vietnam. What were its strengths and liabilities for conducting the types of military operations it was called upon to perform in the conflict?

Question 17

How did American military advisors shape the Vietnamese military establishment?

Question 18

What was Operation ROLLING THUNDER? How was it structured? What assumptions underlie its development?

Question 19

Describe Johnson's leadership in the war in Vietnam. Did he exercise a coherent and consistent strategy? What was it and what were his goals? How was his design for the war implemented?

Question 20

How did maritime operations influence establishment of the Ho Chi Minh Trail?

Question 21

What was the significance of the Tet Offensive in Vietnam? In the United States?

Question 22

If Nixon's approach had been applied sooner, could the U.S. have won the war? Why or why not?

Question 23

What were the sources of opposition in the U.S. to the Vietnam conflict? How did these combine into the anti-war movement?

Question 24

How did Operations Linebacker I and Linebacker II affect the conditions of U.S. disengagement?

Question 25

What problems in the American force structure did the Vietnam War reveal? How were these problems exacerbated by the experience of the war?