The US involvement in Vietnam lasted from 1961 to 1975. Over 58,000 Americans were killed during the Vietnam War. In March 1973, the US withdrew the majority of its troops from Vietnam and the American-backed South Vietnamese regime fell in April 1975. America lost the Vietnam War. However, one thing of note is that America never resorted to using nuclear weapons during the war, but why not? Surely with America’s nuclear arsenal they could have turned the tide and won the Vietnam War?
Actually, there a several key reasons why America never used nukes in Vietnam. Here we break them down…
1. The Huge Death Toll
A first reason why America didn’t use nuclear weapons during the Vietnam War was because of the huge loss of life and enormous destruction that would be caused.
By the mid-1960s, nuclear weapons had progressed significantly since Little Boy and Fat Man – the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The hydrogen bombs the US had by the time of the Vietnam War were enormous. A single hydrogen bomb could destroy a radius of up to a hundred miles. The scale of death and destruction dropping a nuke of this size would cause is a key reason why the US didn’t use them in the Vietnam War.
A hydrogen bomb dropped on Hanoi – the capital of North Vietnam, would have killed over half a million people. Even if a nuclear weapon has been used far from population centres in North Vietnam, the scale of the explosion and the number of people killed would have been huge. Although America wanted to win the war, it was felt that this amount of loss of life, especially with huge numbers of civilians being killed, was difficult to justify.
Essentially, America didn’t feel it was morally right to use nuclear weapons in Vietnam because of the enormous numbers of deaths it would cause. This is a major reason why they were never used.
2. Negative American Public Opinion
A second reason why the US never used nuclear weapons during the Vietnam War was because of American public opinion.
The Vietnam War was highly controversial in the US. Many people were against the war. Not only did they feel that American soldiers should not fight and die in Vietnam, but they also strongly believed that America’s war was unjustified and the killing of Vietnamese, especially civilians, was wrong. The use of a nuclear weapon in Vietnam would have further turned public opinion in the US against the war and this is a key reason why they were never used.
One of the most controversial aspects of the war in Vietnam for the American public was the US bombing of North Vietnam. From March 1965, America launched extensive bombing raids on North Vietnamese military and civilian targets. Up to 65,000 Vietnamese were killed in these raids. As news images were broadcast to Americans of the destruction US air raids on Vietnam were causing, public opinion turned further against the war.
If the US had used a nuclear weapon, the scale of destruction would have been even more than the conventional raids already being launched and American public opinion would turn further against the war. This is an important reason why the US never used nukes in Vietnam.
3. Fear Of A Retaliation From The Soviet Union
A third reason why America did not use nuclear weapons during the Vietnam War was because of the potential response from the Soviet Union.
The USSR was the rival superpower to the US in the 1960s and 70s. They were also closely allied to the regime in North Vietnam. The Cold War – a series of proxy-conflicts and geo-political tensions that saw the United States and Soviet Union vie for influence around the world, was at its height at the time of the Vietnam War.
The US did not use a nuclear weapon in Vietnam for fear of the Soviet’s reaction. The USSR had tens of thousands of nuclear weapons in their arsenal by the 1960s. The Soviet Union has the second biggest nuclear weapons reserve in the world after America. Many in the United States thought the use of nukes in Vietnam would be a red line for the Soviets. The fear was the USSR could respond by launching their own nuclear attack, either against South Vietnam, American troops stationed in Western Europe, Japan or Korea, or America itself.
As well as the fear of the USSR responding to America’s use of nukes with their own nuclear strike, there was also fear in the US that using nuclear weapons in Vietnam may push the Soviet Union to supply nukes to the North Vietnamese. The use of nuclear weapons by the US in Vietnam could result in nukes being used against them in return – provided and supported by the Soviet Union.
The potential reaction of the Soviet Union, and the risks of nuclear escalation, is one of the most important reasons why America didn’t use nukes in the Vietnam War.
4. Risk Of Response From China
Another reason why America never used nuclear weapons to try and win the Vietnam War is because of the fear of how communist China may respond.
The communists seized power in China in 1949. Since then, the regime of Mao Zedong had aligned China closely with the Soviet bloc. Although by the 1960s the Sino-Soviet Split meant that relations between China and the USSR were strained, communist China was still allied to the Soviet Union and to North Vietnam and against America.
China conducted its first nuclear test in 1964. By the end of the decade, the country had a significant nuclear arsenal. America did not use nuclear weapons in Vietnam because it was unclear how China might react. The risk of China launching a nuclear attack in response, or providing nuclear weapons to the North Vietnamese, were major reasons why the US did not use nukes throughout the Vietnam War.
Another reason why the US didn’t not use nukes in Vietnam was the fear that China may enter the war in support of the North Vietnamese. China had joined the Korean War in 1951 to support the communist regime there. With an over 1,200 kilometre border with Vietnam, the US was keen not to act in ways that might have pulled China into the war. A nuclear attack on North Vietnam could have been a catalyst for this, and its another reason why America never resorted to using nukes.
5. Lack Of Support In South Vietnam
A key reason why the US didn’t nuke North Vietnam during the Vietnam War was because of opinions of the public and regime in South Vietnam.
In 1954, Vietnam was divided between the communist North and American-aligned South. The justification for the US entering the war was to support the regime in South Vietnam and prevent a communist takeover of the entire country. Although America did not always act in-line with the South Vietnamese wishes, they were close allies.
The Americans did not use nuclear weapons on North Vietnam because South Vietnam would been unlikely to support it. The regime in South Vietnam knew that there would be global outrage at the use of nuclear weapons against the North and did not want to be associated with this. The South also believed the war could be won by conventional means, especially with America’s support.
South Vietnamese public opinion would also have been against the use of nukes against the North. Although South Vietnam was a dictatorship during the years of the Vietnam War, the enormous public outcry that a nuclear attack would have would have worried the regime.
A major reason why nuclear weapons were not used by America in the Vietnam War was because South Vietnam would not have supported it.
6. Lack Of Support From America’s Allies
A further reason why the US never used nukes during the Vietnam War was because America’s allies would have been strongly against it.
US involvement in the Vietnam War was highly controversial among America’s allies. The UK, France, West Germany, and Canada all refused to send troop alongside America into Vietnam. Australia did fight in Vietnam, but the war was also highly controversial there. All of these countries had strong alliances with the US, many were also NATO members. However, the war was hugely unpopular with much of the public in countries allied to America.
Much in the same way the use of nuclear weapons by America would have turned US public opinion further against the war, so it would have done in countries allied to the US. Public outrage in these countries would have been reflected in their politics and would likely have resulted in further strained relations between the United States and its allies.
By the 1960s and 70s, America knew its network for alliances was key to the security of the Western world. Using nuclear weapons in Vietnam would have potentially turned many allies against the US, or significantly strained relations. This is a reason why America never used nuclear weapons during the Vietnam War.
7. Condemnation From Non-Aligned Countries
Non-aligned countries were nations that saw themselves as neither supporters of the United States or the USSR during the Cold War. An American nuclear attack in Vietnam could have received condemnation from many non-aligned countries, and this is a reason why the US never used nukes.
Throughout the Cold War, non-aligned countries were a major international bloc. Countries such as India, Indonesia, Austria, and Sweden were key non-aligned states and coordinated diplomatic actions by non-aligned countries including in the United Nations.
Many non-aligned countries were against the US involvement in Vietnam. Public opinion in many non-aligned nations was also against the war. The use of a nuclear weapon by America in Vietnam would have been a major escalation of the conflict. This would have caused widespread outrage in many non-aligned countries and resulted in international condemnation.
A key reason why non-aligned countries and their opinions mattered in the 1960s and 70s was that the US feared many non-aligned countries could fall into the Soviet sphere of influence. America actively tried to bring non-aligned countries closer to the US. Using a nuclear weapon in Vietnam would damage America’s international reputation and make it less likely non-aligned countries would change their stance and move towards America. This is a major reason why nukes were never used in Vietnam.
8. The Effects of Nuclear Fallout
A final reason why America didn’t use nuclear weapons in the Vietnam War was because of the risks of radiation and the environmental damage it would cause.
When a nuclear weapon is used, huge amounts of radiation is released. This makes the area hit by the bomb incredibly toxic and impossible for people to live in. Radiation is also airborne, so can move away from the bomb site and cause enormous environmental damage across a huge area.
Vietnam is relatively small county. Hanoi – the capital of North Vietnam, was less than 500 kilometres miles from where US troops were based near the border. If America used a nuclear weapon in Vietnam, there would have been the risk that radiation could have blown south and impacted US troops and South Vietnamese. Radiation could have also moved north towards China or west towards Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. Essentially, the impact of a nuke could not necessarily be contained to North Vietnam, and this a big reason why the US never used one.
As well as the risk of a nuclear cloud moving through the region, another reason the US didn’t use nukes in Vietnam is because of the long-lasting damage to the site where the weapon was used. Areas with significant levels of radiation become inhabitable for decades. A hydrogen nuclear weapon could make large parts of North Vietnam impossible to live or farm for years to come. This was an important reason why the US never decided to use nuclear weapons during the Vietnam War.