Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War

• explain the reasons for Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam War

• Before World War II, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia made up the French colony of French Indo-China.
• 1941, Japan invaded. Ho Chi Minh set up the Revolutionary League for the Independence of Vietnam (Vietminh)
• Ho was a Nationalist and a Communist.
• After the defeat of Japan in 1945, Ho declared Vietnam independent. The French refused to accept this. Fighting between the French and Vietnamese lasted for nine years.
• In 1954, the French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu. An international conference divided Vietnam into North Vietnam, under Ho Chi Minh, and South Vietnam, a dictatorship supported by the United States.
• Ho was committed to the unification of Vietnam under a Nationalist and Communist government.
• In South Vietnam, the National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) was formed. It waged guerrilla warfare against the South Vietnamese government.
• The United States increased its military presence in South Vietnam.

• To prevent the spread of Communism, which, according to the Domino Theory, could spread to Australia. "The takeover of South Vietnam would be a direct military threat to Australia and all the countries of South and South-East Asia" - R.G. Menzies, House of Representatives, 29 April 1965. (Note: the aims of North Vietnam and the Vietcong were more nationalist than communist)
• Australia's policy of Forward Defence - to meet Communist challenges within Asia before they directly threatened Australia.
• Australia could not defend itself alone. We needed to encourage the United States to maintain its involvement in South-East Asia.
• To show support for our new ally, the United States.
• Britain's withdrawal from the region required Australia to consolidate ties with a new strong ally.

• 1962 - 30 military instructors
• 29 April 1965, Menzies announced a "request" for assistance from the South Vietnamese government and that Australia would send a battalion of combat forces.
• March 1966, Australian troops increased to 4,500, including 500 National Servicemen.
• In July 1966, Prime Minister Holt visited Washington ('All the way with LBJ')
• In October 1966, President Johnson visited Canberra.
• 1966 election, a record majority for the Liberal Party.
• By end of 1967 there were 8,300 Australian troops in Vietnam.

• November 1964, Menzies introduced national Service (conscription).
• 6,900 twenty-year-olds were selected each year.
• They were selected using a ballot based on dates of birth.
• Those selected served in the army for two years and could be sent overseas.
• 17,400 Nashos served in Vietnam - 2002 were killed, 1279 wounded.
• National service was abolished by the Whitlam Government in 1972.