Introduction

Introduction

            The 1960s and 1970s were a time of war, anger, revolution, and suspicion. Vietnam split in two with the northern side, led by Ho Chi Minh, supporting Communism. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson send in troops to aid South Vietnam in their war against the north hoping that they could contain Communism and keep it from spreading. The Vietcong (North Vietnamese mercenaries) used guerrilla tactics and peasants against Diem’s rule (South Vietnamese leader) to have the upper hand leading to the US having a war of attrition. The draft was initiated and the war was televised to boost public support. At the sight of seeing the realities of war, protests grew, riots filled the parks and streets, and people became against involvement in Vietnam. When President Richard Nixon took office, he gained public support by enforcing Vietnamization, the gradual withdrawal of US troops in Vietnam. Nixon was able to withdrawal troops till “No living American soldiers remained in Indochina,” including the prisoners of war. With the US out of Vietnam, the Vietcong completely encircled Saigon and took over Vietnam.