Cold War in Asia

Korea

After Japan, it was agreed that countries in Asia should go back to how it proeviously was.

Korea was close to China and split down the middle called the 38th Parallel, 1948.

North-Communist under the People's Democratic Republic of Korea. Helped and influenced from the Soviet Union

South-Republic of Korea influenced by USA.

Kim il Sung established a communist government in the North.

Syngman Rhee established a right wing nationalist governemnt in the South.

June 25th 1950-Northern troops advanced over the 38th Parallel.

Truman said that they would help in Korea not because America believed that the Russians were behind it, but to restore the status quo ante bellum. He said this in a note to stalin. This suggested that they wanted to contain and not conquer. However, he did not get approval from Congress for his actions.

Some in the Truman administration however believed in rollback.

For example, MacArthur was a general who wanted to reunite Korea, by rollback. Wanted 'the first Iron Curtain 'capital to be liberated'.

The fighting reached the border of North Korea with China so that China got involved but eventually there was a stalemate along the 38th parallel.

America however knew that they could not take Russia, China and North Korea but they could not look weak.

Truman put the nation on a Cold War footing

Emergency powers from Congress

Increase the army by 50% and stepped up aid to the french in Vietnam.

Produced monouclear super giant weapons (B52 jet bomber)

However, in 1952 Eistenhowever was elected. Only 53% of the population supported involvment in Korea so he called for a ceasefire.

Peace negotiations went on and Eisenhower accepted an armistice. General Mac Arthur and Rhee and many others were furious. However Eisehower said that the price of victory was too high.

During the 3 years of fighting, 33, 629 Americans were killed, with 103, 000 wounded. 4 million chinese and Koreans were killed, injured or missing.

In March 1953, the new Soviet leadership was under Georgi Malenkhov and was eager to lessen tensions with the USA.

John Foster Dulles considered negotiations with USSR and was cautious on atomist issues. His role as secretary of state included building up NATO.

He was a republican statesman under Eisenhower. He did not agree with the Truman administration's Foreign policy and disliked communist. He did not like containment and called for not just rollback but the unleashing of Chiang kai-shek. Dulles called communism 'godless terrorism' and initiated several treaties such as Southeast Asia treaty organisation, and Central Treaty Organization to help unite and protect coutnries. He believed that the way forward was boldness.

The total spent on the War was $30bn

Vietnam

Vietnam had previously been a French colony. Previously America had been invovled but thsi picked up in the 1950s.

1954 saw the Geneva agrement in which Vietnam was split (Minh agreed because he beleived that communism woudl spread naturally)

The north was communist and ruled by Ho Chi Minh and the South was ruled by Ngo Dinh Diem

Operating on the Domino theory, the US were worried that Vietnam would fall to communism and eventually it woudl reach America.

Kennedy prevented the early elections as he knew that around 80% of people wanted Minh to win.

In 1961, Kennedy sent 800 military advisors to Vietnam. The South had a force of ARVIN soldiers.

Howevever even a quarter of a million of them could not wipe out 12,000 of the Vietcong soldiers from the north.

They used Guerilla warfare which favoured avoiding direct exposure and small scale attacks.

Kennedy then increased military invovlement and sent soldiers on the ground. However, this was hidden from the American public.

On the other hand, disloyal ARVIN soldiers warned the Vietcong.

Jan 1963-Battle of Ap Bac

2,000 ARVIN troops and 115 American armoured personall surround Ap Bac near Saigon which is a near disaster.

350 guerillas with ARVIN troops refusing to fight.

Strategic hamlets are used to try and show the Vietnamese that capitalism was beter than communism. However many of the villages let in the Vietcong.

Diem was not liked in the South and was soon assassinated.

There were also protests.

Johnson:

in 1965, An American ship was bombed in the Gulf of Tonkin. Ho Chi Minh was blamed (however apparently this was all made up as an excuse...)

Operation Rolling Thunder starts in 1965-58 which saw bombing raids on the North.

this was followed by chemical warfare in which defoliants were sprayed. Most extreme being Napalm.

Lastly there were search and destroy. US and ARVIN forces would descend on villages thought to be aiding the VIetcong and wipe them out. The most famous was My Lai which happened in 1968 but was not reported until 1969.

in 1968, 1/2 a million were killed. However the US were still confident of victory. the North related in a TET offensive, and the US failed to cut off the Ho Chi Minh trail which mean that they could get supplies. They tried to stop this by going ibto Cambodia, however this failed and so lead to the rise of the Khymer Rouge who were the worst communists.

There were also protests against their involvement.

In this election campaign, Nixon promised to withdraw troops from Vietnam. This was the program of Vietnamization

In January 1973, the United States and North Vietnam concluded a final peace agreement. This was called the Paris Peace Agreement.

War between North and South Vietnam continued.

1976-Vietnam was unified.