Containment in Japan, Taiwan and Vietnam (extent of success)

Japan

* more in the HL unit of Japan

Initial policies

• MacArthur was appointed to control Japan in 1945
  • SCAP (Supreme Commander of Allied Powers)
  • Power of dictator
  • Sought to demilitarise Japanese society + weaken economy (Cold War changed this policy because of China’s communism)
• Dismantle imperial Japan
  • War crimes trial, armed forces de-militarized
  • New constitution – “we renounce war forever”
  • Bill of Rights
  • Emperor – no longer worshipped
• Korean War changed this policy
  • Fear spread of communism
  • Strong anti-communist power, counterbalance Communist China
  • Redevelop economy! Military!
    • Restrict communist
    • Older traditional values of family

Key features  

• • Zaibatsu reformed
  • Red purge – eliminate left-wing from government
    • “Reverse course”
  • Korean War – 75,000 army “self-defence force”

 

• End in 1952: Treaty of San Francisco, American-JP Security treaty

 

• • US occupation ended
  • But US could retain military base in JP
• Communism did not have a chance to grow
  • Powerful economy
  • Conservative political class
• Historiography
  • Was it due to america? Japan is naturally conservative.

Taiwan

Use of military threats by USA

• USA had no commitment to CKS before Korean War
  • June 1950: US 7th Fleet to protect Taiwan straits from Chinese aggression
  • Taiwan is recognised (not PRC), e.g. Security Council
• 1953: The Fleet is allowed to move onto the mainland
• 1954: KMT starts to station 50k troops into islands close to China, Mao Zedong shells island
• 1955: Sino-American Mutual Defence = allowed Eisenhower to take military action to protect Taiwan
• Fighting intensifies…
  • Eisenhower threatens Nuclear Weapons
  • Philosophy of “Brinkmanship” “Massive retaliation” = PLA backed out
• 1958: Another crisis, threat of nuclear retaliation

The role of GMD in Containment

• Chiang Kai Shek
  • Established one-party rule
  • Crushed opposition
  • 1949 Martial Law
    • Suppress political opposition
    • 140,000 arrested (1949-1987)
• Economic development
  • Backed by USA
  • Taiwan Miracle
  • 1960s – 2nd fastest growing economy after Japan

Failure in Vietnam

Causes of the War

Nationalist movement in Vietnam leads to America’s involvement

• Vietnam was a French colony
• Viet Minh – nationalist movement Led by Ho Chi Minh attacked Japanese during WW2
  • Declared independence in 1945
• French fought to regain control, but defeated in 1954 (Dien Bien Phu battle)
  • Despite being supported by USA (80% funds for war = USA)
    • Didn’t want communism to spread

Geneva conference, 1954 – America refuses to cooperate

• France had to withdraw from Vietnam
  • Divided at 17th parallel
• Ho Chi Minh in control of North – wanted free elections to unite Vietnam in 1956
• USA refused to sign → started strengthening south Vietnam
  • Anti-communist government Ngo Dinh Diem
  • SEATO – protected Laos/Vietnam/Cambodia ⇒ US would wage war if member attacked

Failure of elections, 1956

• Oct 1955: Diem proclaimed Republic of Vietnam: Ruthless, crushed opposition, dictator. Refused land reforms.
• Supported by US – Trained 1,000 advisors, South Vietnamese army
• Claimed that communists could not be trusted to hold fair elections (fear = Minh had 80% support)
  • Result: Formation of Viet Cong – communist military group
    • + National Liberation Front (political wing)

Key features

Kennedy’s Role

• Elected Nov 1960 and continued containment policy
  • “flexible response”
  • Increased military advisors (17k by 1963)
  • Counter-insurgency operations
  • Search and destroy missions
  • Agent Orange chemical
  • Green Berets fighting force
  • Encouraged Diem = reforms!
• Results
  • Alienated local peasants
  • Diem still anti-Buddhist (self immolation crisis 1963)
  • “Let them burn and we shall clap our hands” – Madam Nhu, sister-in law
• Finale
  • Kennedy cut off aid to Diem
  • Diem killed 1963
  • Replaced by military = unpopular = US forced to rely on military

Johnson’s Role

• Initial response
  • LBJ took over in Nov 1963 – inherited problems/determined to win war against communism
  • Aug 1964 – Gulf of Tonkin incident
    • “US destroyer destroyed by North’s torpedos”
    • No evidence
    • But Johnson starts open aggression on the high seas
  • Gulf of Tonkin resolution = take all measures to repel attack against US
• Operation “Rolling Thunder”
  • Continual bombing or North Vietnam
  • 100,000 troops to south by 1965, search and destroy missions + napalm
  • 520,000 troops by 1968
  • Credibility gap
    • Still tried to implement “great society” – CR, health, edu
    • There: Hid what was happening in Vietnam away from public eye
    • 1967 – told public US was winning

The end

• War of attrition & Tet offensive
  • Kill more of the enemy than they can kill you
  • Jan 1968: turning point
    • 70,000 communists attack South
    • 100 cities attack
    • 11 days taken for US to regain Saigon
    • 5800 civilians killed
    • Failure of Vietcong
  • Turned USA opinion against war
    • US embassy attacked
    • Vietcong prisoners executed
    • Anti-War protests
• Peace talks, March 1968
  • Halts bombing operations

Richard Nixon

• Elected Nov 1968
  • Wanted settlement that guaranteed South vietnam survival
  • For containment
  • Took 4 years = 300,000 Vietnamese lives, 20,000 US lives
• Kissinger – advocated force against North for peace
  • 14 month bombing campaign of Ho Chi Minh Trail = failed
  • Nixon decides to withdraw US troops (1969-1973)
  • 1969: Nixon doctrine
    • Asia should be responsible for their own defence

Consequences

Peace talks in Paris

• May 1972 – Jan 1973
• North wanted peace with honour too
  • Deadlock = couldn’t agree
  • Increased bombing of North towards China border
• US wants detente (cease hostility with USSr/China)
  • Pressure on North Vietnam
• Jan 1973 – agreement
  • 17th parallel
  • US withdraw from Vietnam
  • 2 weeks = all troops gone
  • North continues the war

Failure of containment

• North continues the war
• Captures Saigon April 1975
• Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam = all became communist

So why did it fail?

• USA – Truman (1950) & Containment/Aided France; Eisenhower (1952) & Domino Effect/Military Advisors/No Geneva 54/No elections 56/Support for Diem/Kennedy & Flexible Response/Counter-Insurgency/Defoliants; LBJ (1963) & Gulf of Tonkin/Operation Rolling Thunder/Search and Destroy; Nixon (1968) & Vietnamisation/Nixon Doctrine/Peace with Honour
• Foreign Support – USSR/China support for North Vietnam; Prevented US invasion; Cambodia/Laos supplied VC; Ho Chi Minh Trail
• South Vietnam – Diem’s government unpopular; no land reform; anti-Buddhist policies (June 1963 – buddhist immolation crisis); police state, Strategic Hamlets (concentration camps)
• North Vietnam – Popularity of Ho Chi Minh; Defeated Japanese; Nationalist – reunify Vietnam; Tet Offensive; Guerrilla Warfare
• Success? – War in Vietnam gave Malaysian, Thailand and Singapore ‘breathing space’- Asian stability in face of Communist threats

Timeline of events

• 1950 Korean War starts
• 1951 US-Japanese Treaty
• 1952 US occupation of Japan ends
• 1953 End of the Korean War
• 1954 Fall of Dien Bien Phu
  • Geneva Accords on French Indochina
  • Defence pact between USA and Taiwan
  • SEATO is established
• 1955 First Taiwan crisis
• 1958 Second Taiwan crisis
• 1963 President Ngo Dinh Diem assassinated
  • President John F Kennedy assassinated
• 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident Congress passes Gulf of Tonkin Resolution 1965 US marines land in Vietnam
  • Operation Rolling Thunder starts
• 1968 Tet Offensive
  • My Lai Massacre
• 1969  Paris Peace Talks begin
  • President Richard Nixon announces ‘Nixon Doctrine and Vietnamization
• 1970 Invasion of Cambodia by US and South Vietnamese troops
  • Students killed at Kent State University
• 1972 President Nixon visits China
• 1973 Paris Peace Agreement signed United States withdraws from Vietnam
• 1975 North Vietnamese troops take over Saigon
  • Cambodia falls to Khmer Rouge

Historiography

Post-revisionists

• A tragic, avoidable mistake
• It was wrong = on pragmatic/practical grounds
  • Strategy, tactics = Strategic Hamlets = failure
• Good fight against communism
  • Better to use resources in other areas of world
  • Believed in Truman Doctrine, domino effect, monolith view
  • Believed in quagmire = if don’t support = huge bloodbath
• Not worth loss of life e.g. George Herring
  • Wrong to have monolith view

Liberal realists, revisionists, left wing

• America the villain
• “Leftists” – left wing radicals
• America = imperialist power for economic reasons
• Imperial bully, slaughtering innocent
• Vietnam = capitalism, elitist class ruling e.g. Gabriel Kolko
  • If they didn’t fight, no Southwest Asian resources to JP/US
  • Resistance of the vietnamese was a lot stronger
  • Misunderstood the resistance (it was Ho, not USSR)

Right wing, orthodox

• Losing a noble war – morally right
• Necessary battle in the Cold War
• Political/military leaders = poor choices
  • Lack of will of government (should have just plowed through vietnamm)
• War policies were limited = prevented soldiers from getting victory
• E.g. Harry Summers

Orthodox

• Many were forced to fight – they were anti-Diem, wanted to reunite = flaw = did not realize that they they were nationalists
• War of attrition = turned people against
• Social uprising = tearing draft cards, public pressure,
• America technology = geography of vietnam (rainforest, jungles), not suited
  • Guerrilla
  • Fight hand to hand in midnight