Hello HST195 Vietnam War Telecourse Student,

To date, all enrolled students in the class have not yet signed up for the class email list. The "ten step" instructions for this are on the syllabus, which is located on the class website at: http://teach.lanecc.edu/escobarj

It is very important to get on this list, as I will use it for important reminders, such as when papers are due, exam study lists are available, exam dates, written assignment questions, sample essays, and when grades have been posted and/or updated. The only postal mail you will receive, besides this one, are to have your written papers mailed back to you.

Your first paper due date is just around the corner. Remember: You must incorporate document, textbook, and video information into your responses and answer ALL questions and sub-questions to receive a decent grade. The list of questions and a sample essay (which I highly recommend you read for tips and footnoting suggestions) is located under the HANDOUTS link of the class website at http://teach.lanecc.edu/escobarj.

A clarification on the different textbooks.

All students are required to read the chapters of the main text (DeGroot) and the chapters of the supplemental texts (Logevall and Hall) assigned on the syllabus calendar of readings.

Each of the supplemental texts ALSO has a section of primary source documents. The two written assignments that all students will complete during the course come from the supplemental texts, assignment #1 from Logevall and assignment #2 from Hall.

1. The founding of the Vietnam Doc-Lap Dong Minh Hoi (Vietminh) in June 1941 was a major event in the history of Southeast Asia. Read Document #1 (Logevall). To whom were the Vietminh speaking? What were the major points raised by the Vietminh? What did they want? Were their plans effective? Who was the main target in this war of words? Why?
   
   
2. A great deal can be learned from a nation's Declaration of Independence. Read Document #2 (Logevall). Why was this declaration so similar to the American Declaration of Independence? What did this document mean? What were its authors trying to accomplish? What were Ho Chi Minh's primary concerns? Who was his audience for this speech? Explain
   
   
3. Reread Document #8 (Logevall), the Final Declaration of the Geneva Conference, to determine what was "declared" on July 21, 1954? What steps were to follow the conference? What was the precise status of Vietnam? Why do you think the United States refused to join in the Final Declaration? Why was America standing apart at Geneva?
   
   
4. Madame Nhu once argued that "you open a window to let in light and air, not bullets. We want freedom, but we don't want to be exploited by it." Did she think that freedom was worthwhile? What did she mean by being "exploited" by it? For view of Diem's government, read Document #10 (Logevall). What did the National Liberation Front hate? How would they have reacted to Madame Nhu's comments? What were their goals for society? What did they consider progress to be?
   
   
5. Within his first month in office, President Johnson learned that the situation in South Vietnam had greatly deteriorated as noted in Document #15 (Logevall). What were the problems in South Vietnam? Why hadn't the situation been resolved? What could be done to improve things? What did people think would happen if the United States did nothing?

1. Clark Clifford's change of opinion of American strategy in Vietnam was a key influence on President Johnson's March 31, 1968 speech. Read Document #14 (Hall) and describe how much the decisions anounced in the President's speech owe to Clifford's work in the month preceding it.
   
   
2. In his speech, which appears as Document #17 (Hall), President Nixon reviewed the risks and possible rewards of his decision to allow American troops to enter Cambodia. The President was willing to widen the war in order to gain military advantages. How do yo evaluate his decision? What were his assumptions about American foreign policy? What were his beliefs about American patriotism? What did he mena when we warned that without takint this step the United States would turn in to a "pitiful, helpless giant"?

3. The North Vietnamese Easter Offensive which occurred during the spring of 1972 was seen as a referendum of Vietnamization. Document #19 (Hall) presents the official U.S. Army history of this action. How did the South Vietnamese do? How did the author account for their victory? Was the American role an important one? What were the factors which led to this assault? What were the results of the success of the South Vietnamese?

4. John Kerry's speech, which appears in Document #18 (Hall), was a clear anti war comment by a man who had served in Vietnam. What did he mean by a war crime? What are the rules of war? Had the United States acted immorally in Vietnam? What had the Vietnam War meant for Kerry?