Hearts and Minds (Vietnam)
Encyclopedia
Hearts and Minds refers to a short lived campaign by the United States
military during the Vietnam War
intended to win the popular support of the Vietnamese people
.
by the British who employed practices to keep the Malayans’ trust and reduce a tendency to side with ethnic Chinese communists. In this case, by giving medical and food aid to the Malays and indigenous tribes.
The program was inspired by President Lyndon Baines Johnson. He used some version of the phrase "hearts and minds" a total of 28 times. In ten of these instances, Johnson inverted the words and used the phrase "minds and hearts." The first time he used the phrase in his presidency was on 16 January 1964, and the last time was 19 August 1968. In his usage he addressed very different audiences, including heads of state, congressmen, and the American people. Also, Johnson referred to the "hearts and minds" of disparate groups, including the above-mentioned audiences and even humanity as a whole. His use of the phrase is most commonly taken from the speech "Remarks at a Dinner Meeting of the Texas Electric Cooperatives, Inc." on 4 May 1965. On that evening he said, "So we must be ready to fight in Viet-Nam, but the ultimate victory will depend upon the hearts and the minds of the people who actually live out there. By helping to bring them hope and electricity you are also striking a very important blow for the cause of freedom throughout the world."
Johnson’s use of the phrase is most likely based on a quote of John Adams
, the American Revolutionary War patriot and second president of the United States, who wrote in a letter dated 13 February 1818: "The Revolution was effected before the War commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments of their duties and obligations…. This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people, was the real American Revolution".
, a prominent Vietnamese folk singer, they wrote "Heart Songs", which were used to motivate and inspire others and were often very beautiful and sad. Although the music project ended up failing, it was still a truly inspiring attempt to gain support for the war and the South Vietnamese government.
campaign was created before the war in Iraq started. It was developed to win the hearts and minds of the people in Iraq while providing military security and support to economic and political reform programs. However, the campaign has some faulty allegations and controversial policy decisions, which, in comparison to the Vietnam Hearts and Minds campaign, made the Iraq campaign quite unsuccessful. The Hearts and Minds- Information for Change program is a program used to promote change in the world to end poverty and help others in their time of need. The website has a similar idea to the Hearts and Minds campaign for Vietnam which promoted change to help others.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
military during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
intended to win the popular support of the Vietnamese people
Vietnamese people
The Vietnamese people are an ethnic group originating from present-day northern Vietnam and southern China. They are the majority ethnic group of Vietnam, comprising 86% of the population as of the 1999 census, and are officially known as Kinh to distinguish them from other ethnic groups in Vietnam...
.
History
The term "hearts and minds", which was used as a method to bring a subjugated population on side, was first used during the Malayan EmergencyMalayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency was a guerrilla war fought between Commonwealth armed forces and the Malayan National Liberation Army , the military arm of the Malayan Communist Party, from 1948 to 1960....
by the British who employed practices to keep the Malayans’ trust and reduce a tendency to side with ethnic Chinese communists. In this case, by giving medical and food aid to the Malays and indigenous tribes.
The program was inspired by President Lyndon Baines Johnson. He used some version of the phrase "hearts and minds" a total of 28 times. In ten of these instances, Johnson inverted the words and used the phrase "minds and hearts." The first time he used the phrase in his presidency was on 16 January 1964, and the last time was 19 August 1968. In his usage he addressed very different audiences, including heads of state, congressmen, and the American people. Also, Johnson referred to the "hearts and minds" of disparate groups, including the above-mentioned audiences and even humanity as a whole. His use of the phrase is most commonly taken from the speech "Remarks at a Dinner Meeting of the Texas Electric Cooperatives, Inc." on 4 May 1965. On that evening he said, "So we must be ready to fight in Viet-Nam, but the ultimate victory will depend upon the hearts and the minds of the people who actually live out there. By helping to bring them hope and electricity you are also striking a very important blow for the cause of freedom throughout the world."
Johnson’s use of the phrase is most likely based on a quote of John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
, the American Revolutionary War patriot and second president of the United States, who wrote in a letter dated 13 February 1818: "The Revolution was effected before the War commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments of their duties and obligations…. This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people, was the real American Revolution".
Actions and Results
For the United States, winning was not the only objective but also to win the hearts and minds for the South Vietnamese government against the Viet Cong for assistance and development programs. Other projects, like music were created to gain support from Americans and to try to stir their hearts to have sympathy for the South Vietnamese cause. Major Gen Ed Lansdale of the US Army started a group of people who sang and created music in support of the Hearts and Minds project. Along with Pham DuyPham Duy
Pham Duy is a prolific Vietnamese songwriter. He, along with Van Cao and Trinh Cong Son, is widely considered one of the three most salient figures of modern Vietnamese music. Pham Duy's musical career spans fifty years...
, a prominent Vietnamese folk singer, they wrote "Heart Songs", which were used to motivate and inspire others and were often very beautiful and sad. Although the music project ended up failing, it was still a truly inspiring attempt to gain support for the war and the South Vietnamese government.
Other Hearts and Minds Campaigns and Organizations
The Hearts and minds (Iraq)Hearts and minds (Iraq)
Hearts and Minds is a public relations campaign used in the current Iraq War .-Background:The operation to "win Iraqi hearts and minds", had been established before the war started. One Central Command planner noted that psychological operations were slated to play "a crucial role ... to any...
campaign was created before the war in Iraq started. It was developed to win the hearts and minds of the people in Iraq while providing military security and support to economic and political reform programs. However, the campaign has some faulty allegations and controversial policy decisions, which, in comparison to the Vietnam Hearts and Minds campaign, made the Iraq campaign quite unsuccessful. The Hearts and Minds- Information for Change program is a program used to promote change in the world to end poverty and help others in their time of need. The website has a similar idea to the Hearts and Minds campaign for Vietnam which promoted change to help others.
See also
- Body countBody countA body count is the total number of people killed in a particular event. In combat, a body count is often based on the number of confirmed kills, but occasionally only an estimate.-Military use:...
- Hearts and MindsHearts and Minds (film)Hearts and Minds is a 1974 American documentary film about the Vietnam War directed by Peter Davis. The film's title is based on a quote from President Lyndon B. Johnson: "the ultimate victory will depend on the hearts and minds of the people who actually live out there"...
, award winning film on this subject - We had to destroy the village to save it
- Humanitarian bombingHumanitarian bombingHumanitarian bombing is a phrase referring to the 1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War used by its opponents as an ironic oxymoron in response to the stated goal of NATO to protect Kosovo Albanians, and later about other military interventions stressing...
- The light at the end of the tunnel
External links
- www.americanpresidency.org - The text of President Johnson's speeches. This website features the Public Papers of Presidents Hoover through George W. Bush. It is searchable by date as well as by keyword.
- A Bright Shining Slogan: How "hearts and minds" came to be by Elizabeth Dickinson. Foreign Policy, August 24, 2009
- Winning hearts and minds in Vietnam by Martin Bell. BBC News, October 30, 2008
- The Heart and Mind of USAID's Vietman Mission by Marc Leepson. American Foreign Service Association, 2000
- CHIEU HOI: THE SURRENDER PROGRAM OF VIETNAM by Garry D. Brewer. Air and Space Power Journal, November 10, 1966
- Hearts, minds and bodybags by James Fox. guardian.com.uk, April 5, 2003
- THE CHIEU HOI PROGRAM OF VIETNAM by SGM Herbert A. Friedman (Ret.) Psychological Operations
- http://heartsandminds.org/ by Hearts and Minds Network, Inc. Hearts & Minds- Information for Change, 1997–2010
- Malayan Emergency Knowledgerush, 2009
- http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/jdw/jdw030317_1_n.shtml by Andrew Koch. Jane's An IHS Company, March 17, 2003
- Jones, Sydney, Saunders, Joseph, Smarts, Malcolm, Human Rights Watch. "Hearts and Minds." Represson of Montagnards: Conflicts over Land and Religion in Vietnam's Central Highlands. 122-123. Google Books. Google, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. http://books.google.com/books?id=oKSIm4CreP8C&pg=PA122&dq=hearts+and+minds+campaign+vietnam&cd=1#v=onepage&q=hearts%20and%20minds%20campaign%20vietnam&f=falsehttp://books.google.com/books?id=oKSIm4CreP8C&pg=PA122&dq=hearts+and+minds+campaign+vietnam&cd=1#
- http://www.npr.org/2011/01/26/132054287/-hello-vietnam-the-war-in-music by Ed Ward, "'Next Stop is Vietnam': The War In Music" on NPR. January 26, 2011.
- http://www.kuar.org/kuarnews/12519-arkansas-vet-featured-in-new-cd-box-set-of-songs-about-vietnam.html by Ron Breeding, "Arkansas Vet Featured In New CD Box Set Of Songs About Vietnam" KUAR Public Radio website. January 27, 2011.