puppet regimes had cast further doubt on the legitimacy of the South
Vietnamese government.
President Lyndon B. Johnsonused the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution,
passed by Congress on 7 August 1964, as justification to escalate the
war and introduce large numbers of American military personnel into
South Vietnam. By April 1969, the United States had 543,000 troops on
the ground in Southeast Asia. However, growing domestic and interna-
tional opposition to the war and the inability of armed force to subdue
the communists, especially after the January 1968 Tet offensive by com-
munist forces, had cast doubt on America’s ability to win the war.
During much of the Vietnam War, U.S. intelligence was split on
the prospects for a successful military outcome. The Central Intelli-
gence Agency (CIA) took the pessimistic view, often claiming that
the war could not be won militarily. President Johnson, consequently,
began to ignore CIAassessments in favor of the military intelligence
agencies, such as the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), which
echoed the military chiefs in asserting that the heavy commitment of
armed forces and increasing “body count” of enemy casualties would
bring about a positive outcome.
Peace negotiations to resolve the war began in 1968 but did not
conclude until 1974. The United States suffered the bulk of its casu-
alties in the intervening years. Despite the peace treaty that brought
about a cease-fire, North Vietnamese forces swept into South Viet-
nam and occupied the country on 30 April 1975, effectively bringing
the Vietnam War to an end.VOICE OF AMERICA (VOA). Founded in February 1942, Voice of
America has carried United States, regional, and world news to lis-
teners around the globe for more than 60 years. VOAhas prided itself
on reporting the news accurately and objectively, no matter what the
subject. To do it, a vast satellite network and a series of relay stations
around the globe carry VOAprogramming to an estimated 100 mil-
lion people.
In 1994, VOAentered the world of television when it inaugurated
China Forum TV, a Chinese-language TVprogram beamed by satel-
lite to viewers in the People’s Republic of China(PRC). In 1996,
a new television studio was completed, and VOA now simulcasts
portions of some programs on radio and TV in nearly a dozen214 • VOICE OF AMERICA05-398 (2) Dictionary.qxd 10/20/05 6:27 AM Page 214