The
helped to overthrow the Cuban government in 1959, and led the country from then until 2008. His communist government and ties to the Soviet Union were a source of conflict between Cuba and the United States.
Fidel Castro
1962 conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union resulting from the Soviet installation of nuclear missiles in Cuba
Cuban Missal Crisis
was the commander of U.S. forces in the Vietnam War. he had previously served in World War II and the Korean War.
William Westmoreland
communist assault on a large number of South Vietnamese cities in early 1968
Tet Offensive
American public’s growing distrust of statements made by the government during the Vietnam War
“credibility gap”
defense policy allowing for the appropriate action in any type of conflict
flexible response
direct telephone line between the White House and the Kremlin set up after the Cuban Missile Crisis
Hot Line
person who opposed U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War
Dove
jellied gasoline dropped in canisters that explode on impact and cover large areas in flame; dropped by U.S. planes during the Vietnam War
napalm
President Nixon’s plan for gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces as South Vietnamese troops assumed more combat duties
Vietnamization
American government organization that sends volunteers to provide technical, educational, and medical services to developing countries
Peace Corps
served as premier of the Soviet Union from 1958–1964. He initiated policies that sought to roll-back those established by former leader Joseph Stalin. his decisions to build the Berlin Wall and establish nuclear missiles in Cuba further heightened the Cold War with the United States.
Nikita Khrushchev
defensive alliance aimed at preventing communist aggression in Asia
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)
Helped his brother during his Presidency as the Attorney General, became a senator and then was the assassinated antiwar candidate for the 1968 Democratic Party presidential nomination.
Robert Kennedy
village in South Vietnam where in 1968 American forces opened fire on unarmed civilians; U.S. soldiers killed between 400 and 500 Vietnamese
My Lai
President Kennedy’s program that gave economic aid to Latin America
Alliance for Progress
1963 nuclear-weapons agreement that banned aboveground nuclear tests
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
idea that if a nation falls to communism, its closest neighbors will also fall under communist control
Domino Theory
a young American man drafted into military service
draftees
classified U.S. government study that revealed American leaders involved the United States in Vietnam without fully informing the American people; leaked to the New York Times in 1971
Pentagon Papers
ailed 1961 invasion of Cuba by a CIA-led force of Cuban exiles
dividing wall built by East Germany in 1961 to isolate West Berlin from communist-controlled East Berlin
Berlin Wall
was one of the most influential anticolonial leaders in Asia. He led North Vietnam’s fight to reunify North and South Vietnam, serving as president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) from 1945 to 1969.
Ho Chi Minh
organization founded in 1960 at the University of Michigan to fight racism and poverty
Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)
1973 law passed by Congress restricting the President’s war-making powers; the law requires the President to consult with Congress before committing American forces to a foreign conflict
War Powers Act