| Question | Answer |
| Vietminh | an
organization of
Vietnamese
Communists and
other nationalist
groups that between
1946 and 1954 fought
for Vietnamese
independence from
the French |
| NVA | North
Vietnamese Army, as
opposed to the
Vietcong |
| ARVN | Army of the
Republic of Vietnamthe
southern
Vietnamese soldiers
with whom U.S. troops
fought against
communism and forces
in the North during the
Vietnam War |
| Domino Theory | the
idea that if a nation falls
under communist
control, nearby nations
will also fall under
communist control |
| Geneva Accords | peace
agreement that divided
Vietnam into
Communist controlled
North Vietnam and
non-Communist South
Vietnam until
unification elections
could be held in 1956 |
| Tonkin Gulf
Resolution | a
resolution adopted by
Congress in 1964 giving
the president broad
powers to wage war in
Vietnam |
| Guerilla Warfare | fighting by stealth and
with small bands that
make surprise raids
against stronger forces |
| Vietcong | the South
Vietnamese
Communists who, with
North Vietnamese
support, fought against
the government of
South Vietnam in the
Vietnam War |
| Agent Orange | a toxic
leaf killing chemical
sprayed by U.S.
planes in Vietnam to
expose Vietcong
hideouts |
| Napalm | a gasolinebased
substance used
in bombs that U.S.
planes dropped in
Vietnam in order to
burn away jungle and
expose Vietcong
hideouts |
| Escalation | Increasing
the scope and
intensity of fighting,
as with more
bombing |
| Tet (Offensive) | a
massive surprise
attack by the
Vietcong on South
Vietnamese towns
and cities early in
1968 |
| Ho Chi Minh Trail | a
network of paths
used by North
Vietnam to transport
supplies to the
Vietcong in South
Vietnam |
| My Lai (Massacre) | a
village in northern
South Vietnam where
more than 200
unarmed civilians,
including women
and children, were
massacred by U.S.
troops in May 1968 |
| Vietnamization | President Nixon’s
strategy for ending
U.S. involvement in
the Vietnam War,
involving the gradual
withdrawal of U.S.
troops and their
replacement with
South Vietnamese
forces |
| Credibility Gap | a
public distrust of
statements made by
the government |
| Draft Dodgers | term
for young Americans
who evaded military
service during the
war |
| Amnesty | a pardon,
given by President
Jimmy Carter in 1977,
to most of the 10,000
Vietnam-era draft
evaders |
| Silent Majority | a
name given by
President Richard
Nixon to the
moderate,
mainstream
Americans who
quietly supported his
Vietnam War
policies |
| Post Traumatic Stress
Syndrome (PTSS) | emotional stress
suffered by many
Vietnam veterans
after their return
home |
| War Powers Act | a
law enacted in 1973,
limiting a president’s
right to send troops
into battle without
considering
Congress |
