Paper 2 Practice - Vietnam

7
Option B: Twentieth century topic
2 Why did the US fail to win in Vietnam?
Study the Background Information and the sources carefully, and then answer all
parts of Question 2.
Background Information
The United States originally became involved in South Vietnam to prevent its corrupt and
unpopular government falling into the hands of the communists. However, despite
committing more and more resources and men, it failed in this aim. By the time communist
forces had taken over Saigon in 1975, and US forces had withdrawn, 500 000 civilians and
58 000 US troops had been killed.
Some historians have blamed the defeat of the US on the failure to win the support of the
South Vietnamese people. Others have focused on the Viet Cong’s use of guerrilla warfare
and US use of conventional weapons and tactics, while many have blamed the growing
opposition to the war in the US.
Why did the US fail to win the Vietnam War?
SOURCE A
The US government has committed crimes against peace and against humanity. In South
Vietnam, half a million US troops have resorted to the most inhumane weapons such as
napalm, toxic chemicals and gases, to massacre our people, destroy crops and burn
villages to the ground. You apparently deplore the sufferings and destruction in Vietnam.
May I ask you: Who has perpetrated these terrible crimes? It is the United States.
The US war of aggression against the Vietnamese people is a threat to the national
independence movement. The Vietnamese people deeply love independence, freedom
and peace. But in the face of US aggression, they have risen up, united as one man,
fearless of hardships. They are determined to carry on their resistance until they have won
genuine independence and freedom and true peace. Our cause enjoys strong support from
the peoples of the world, including broad sections of the American people. If the US
government wants direct talks, it must first stop its bombing raids and withdraw all US
troops from South Vietnam.
A letter from Ho Chi Minh to President Johnson, 15 February 1967. Ho Chi

Minh was replying to Johnson who had proposed talks
between the two sides.
[Turn over
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SOURCE B
I would like to talk on behalf of veterans and say that we had an investigation at which over
150 honourably discharged and highly decorated veterans gave evidence about war crimes
committed in south-east Asia. From our experience, there is nothing that could happen in
South Vietnam which threatens the USA. The South Vietnamese people had simply been
seeking their liberation from any colonial influence.
We found most South Vietnamese did not know the difference between communism and
democracy. They only wanted to work in rice paddies without helicopters strafing them and
bombs burning their villages and tearing their country apart. They wanted everything to do
with the war, particularly, the presence of the United States, to leave them alone in peace.
They practised the art of survival by siding with whichever military force was present at a
particular time, be it Viet Cong, North Vietnamese, or American. We saw Vietnam wrecked
by American bombs and search-and-destroy missions, as well as by Viet Cong terrorism,
and yet we listened while the USA tried to blame everything on the Viet Cong. We saw
America lose its sense of morality and refuse to give up the image of American soldiers
who hand out chocolate bars.
An American soldier who fought in Vietnam speaking to the US Senate Foreign

Relations Committee, April 1971. He was a leading member of the organisation
Vietnam Veterans Against the War.
9
SOURCE C
A cartoon published in an American newspaper, April 1967. The figure

represents an ordinary US citizen.
[Turn over
10
SOURCE D
One of a series of posters issued during the war by the US Information Agency
aimed at the South Vietnamese army. The writing at the bottom says, ‘You must
be close to the people, protect the people and help the people.’
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SOURCE E
With the ceasefire of 1973, despite the long years of support and vast expenditure of lives
and funds, the United States had abandoned South Vietnam. We failed to match the
material support that the communist powers provided the North Vietnamese. Reflecting the
attitude of a majority of the American people, Congress was tired of the Vietnam struggle.
After the introduction of combat troops into South Vietnam in 1965, the war might still have
ended within a few years, except for the mistaken policy of a graduated response against
North Vietnam. Bomb a little bit, stop it. Then bomb a little bit more but never enough to
really hurt. That was no way to win. Newspapers and television had created an impression
not of victory but of defeat, which together with the vocal anti-war campaigners, profoundly
influenced timid officials in the government.
From General Westmoreland’s autobiography ‘A Soldier Reports’, published in

1976.He was in command of the US Army in Vietnam until 1968 when he was
recalled to the US by President Johnson because the war was seen as going
badly.
SOURCE F
Attached is a paper on ‘Lessons of Vietnam’ which you requested.
We consistently underestimated the determination and single-mindedness of Hanoi. We

consistently overestimated our ability to break its will. We applied our strength without an
adequate assessment of our opponent. Nor should we underestimate the ability of
revolutionary moments to develop broad popular support in societies with recent
memories of colonialism. Vietnam also demonstrated that the effectiveness of modern
military technology is severely limited in unconventional conflicts. Massive firepower
cannot ensure success. Our large force did not adapt to the conditions of unconventional
warfare. We tried to transform an unconventional war into a conventional one.
From a report written for President Ford by Lieutenant General Scowcroft,

May 1975. Scowcroft had been an important military adviser to
President Nixon.
[Turn over
12
Now answer all parts of Question 2. You may use any of the sources to help you answer
the questions, in addition to those sources which you are told to use. In answering parts
(a)–(e) you should use your knowledge of the topic to help you interpret and evaluate the
sources.
(a) Study Sources A and B.
Does Source B prove that Ho Chi Minh was right in Source A? Explain your answer
using details of the sources and your knowledge. [8]
(b) Study Source C.
Why was this cartoon published at this time? Explain your answer using details of the
source and your knowledge. [8]
(c) Study Source D.
How useful is this source to a historian studying the Vietnam War? Explain your answer
using details of the source and your knowledge. [7]
(d) Study Sources E and F.
Whose account can be trusted more, Westmoreland’s or Scowcroft’s? Explain your

answer using details of the sources and your knowledge. [8]
(e) Study all the sources.
How far do these sources provide convincing evidence that the US was defeated in
Vietnam because it failed to win the support of the South Vietnamese people? Use the
sources to explain your answer. [9]

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7

Option B: Twentieth century topic

2 Why did the US fail to win in Vietnam?

Why did the US fail to win the Vietnam War?

A letter from Ho Chi Minh to President Johnson, 15 February 1967. Ho Chi

An American soldier who fought in Vietnam speaking to the US Senate Foreign

A cartoon published in an American newspaper, April 1967. The figure

From General Westmoreland’s autobiography ‘A Soldier Reports’, published in

Attached is a paper on ‘Lessons of Vietnam’ which you requested.

We consistently underestimated the determination and single-mindedness of Hanoi. We

From a report written for President Ford by Lieutenant General Scowcroft,

(a) Study Sources A and B.

(b) Study Source C.

(c) Study Source D.

(d) Study Sources E and F.

Whose account can be trusted more, Westmoreland’s or Scowcroft’s? Explain your

(e) Study all the sources.

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