...In 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution at the request of President Johnson based on misinformation provided to Congress. The resolution authorized President Johnson to take “all necessary measures to repel any armed attacks against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression”. Most Americans are going to agree with taking necessary measures to protect our own. The American people were led to believe two allegedly unprovoked attacks by North Vietnamese torpedo boats on the destroyers Maddox and C. Turner Joy of the U.S. Seventh Fleet had taken place in the Gulf of Tonkin. Americans believed our military patrol boats had been attacked and further aggression was imminent by the North Vietnamese. President...
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...The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was a historical significance for the United States. During this time the United States was trying the contain communism. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gave the President the authorization, without a formal declaration of war, for the use of conventional military force in Southeast Asia. This was a different kind of war, the U.S. was overconfident, not thinking about any consequences of the choices they made, causing many disadvantages for the United States. The Congress should have been more cautious in making their judgement to quickly support the President to use military force in Vietnam. The legislative branch of the federal government (the Congress) has the power to declare war. The President is the Commander in Chief of the armed forces of the U.S. and has the ability to wage (carry out) war. Congress may have intended it to be a demonstration to the world of the unity of the American people because Congress did not want to give the impression of disunity and nonsupport. President Johnson informed the nation of attacks on U.S. warships by the North Vietnam, and President Johnson believed strongly in containing communism in Southeast Asia. In early 1964, Johnson sent his Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, on a fact-finding trip to South Vietnam. Without a...
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... Included in this list is the coup against Diem, the 1963 assassination of President Kennedy, the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, 1963 Buddhist riots, and the 1964 United States Presidential elections. In addition, the attack on the U.S.S. Maddox in 1964 was also a turning point for America’s involvement in the war. On August 2, 1964, the Maddox’s radar detected five patrol boats. “When the boats were less than 10,000 yards away, the destroyer fired three shots across the bow of the lead vessel.” (Andrade & Conboy,1999) In response, the North Vietnam boat launched a torpedo. The Maddox fired again, this time to kill, and hit the second North Vietnam boat just as it launched two torpedoes. Badly damaged, the boat hobbled home. On August 4, 1964, the U.S.S. Turner Joy and the Maddox believed they were again the subjects of attacks by patrol boats from North Vietnam. It is believed today, that these attacks did not in fact occur and they were reports from jittery radar and sonar operators (Andrade & Conboy, 1999). These were considered to be the first two attacks by the North Vietnamese against the U.S. For this reason it would be considered a major turning point in the conflict. These attacks by the North Vietnamese against the U.S. boats was the first intentional act of violence against the U.S.. America responded to this by creating the Gulf of Tonkin resolution. This resolution stated “Congress approves and supports the determination of the President as Commander-in-Chief, to...
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...Assignment 1: The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy Annette Hickson Dr. John Cronin Strayer University POL300 – International Problems February 9, 2014 Introduction The Second World War forever changed how the United States viewed its role in foreign affairs. America understood it could no longer stand by and watch countries abroad occupy other nations without feeling any impact. In order to combat this threat, several presidents introduced ideologies to prevent the spread of communism and position America as a leader of the free world. America looked for ways to promote democracy around the world but it was met with opposition. The Soviet Union was not willing to conform to America’s way of life and this battle was the basis for the Cold War. The Sixties was an era in which the Freedom Movement gained momentum and Americans began to question whether or not the government was honest with the public (Schultz, 2012). Meanwhile, foreign policy would dominate as President Lyndon Johnson inherited the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. To better understand President Johnson’s ideals, this paper will summarize the situation that required U.S. diplomatic efforts during President Johnson’s time in office. Furthermore, President Johnson’s diplomatic doctrine will be analyzed with reference to specific actions and events. Finally, the effects of these diplomatic efforts for the U.S. and other countries will be described to assess its impact...
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...improve health and endurance of older Americans because it provided an access to health care. Medicare has also led to health care being a universal right for Americans once they reach the age of 65. This was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson into the bill which led to Medicare and Medicaid. The original platform of Medicare and Medicaid included Hospital insurance and Medical insurance. But since has been revised and changed for Americans over the years. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was passed by Congress in 1964 and authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to make any actions he believed were necessary to react and support the preservation of international peace and security in Southeast Asia. This led to the U.S. engaging more directly into the Vietnam War due to the involvement in North Vietnam. This resolution also became the basis for Nixon’s and Johnson’s administration prosecution of the Vietnam War. The purpose of this Resolution was caused when two U.S destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin were being fired on by North Vietnamese armies. This resulted in President Johnson requesting permission to increase the U.S.’s military in Vietnam. This would lead to America continuing to transition out of an isolationist country. ...
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... Vietnam consumed Johnson’s energy and his presidency. Johnson, who believed in containment and the domino theory, saw Vietnam as a test. His foreign policy advisors, many who remained from the Kennedy administration, shared his views. Johnson had been in Congress when China became Communist, and he vividly recalled the domestic political turmoil that followed as Republicans attacked Democrats for “losing” China. He would not, he said, “be the president who saw Southeast Asia go the way China went.” The war was going poorly in South Vietnam and the political situation in Saigon became uncertain as one unstable government succeeded another. Also, the 1964 Tonkin Gulf crisis was a crucial event in the war’s escalation. Out of frustration, President Johnson, acting on the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, ordered bombings of military targets in North Vietnam. This was known as Operation Rolling Thunder. President Johnson also explained that the reason for being over in Vietnam was to help South Vietnam defend its independence and to strengthen world order. Operation Rolling Thunder was a bombing campaign that began in February 1965 and lasted until the end of October 1968. It was the longest bombing campaign ever conducted by the U.S. Air Force. During this period the U.S. engaged in a bombing campaign designed to force Ho Chi Minh to abandon his ambition to take over South Vietnam....
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...Although it seemed as though opposition to the Vietnam War reached an all time high during the Nixon administration, the conflict had lasted nearly two decades, from the early 1950s until the early 1970s. Four presidents-- Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard M. Nixon-- made a series of misinformed decisions regarding America’s presence in Vietnam, resulting in nearly 60,000 deaths. Thus, what began as an attempt to contain the spread of Soviet communism in the Cold War era would cast a shadow over the United States for decades to come. Between 1954 and 1973, the US took a misguided approach to resolving the conflict in Vietnam, which included the initial support of South Vietnam, the Gulf of Tonkin incident...
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...Vietnam was tangled in a decades-long civil war, and the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was the start of the United States formal involvement in the Vietnam War, with the stated goal of stopping the spread of communism in the region. It passed commonly in the U.S. House of Representatives, and with only two conflicting votes in the U.S. Senate. Tet Offensive: The Tet Offensive was a harmonize series of North Vietnamese attacks on more than 100 cities and frontier in South Vietnam. What was annoying was the bid to agitate rebellion against the South Vietnamese culture and boost the United States to scale back its involvement in the Vietnam War. Even though heavy casualties, North Vietnam accomplished a critical victory with the Tet Offensive, as the attacks marked a turning point in the Vietnam War and the beginning...
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...Lyndon B. Johnson came into office as a former vice president to the president, John F. Kennedy, when John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. Following Lyndon B. Johnson's inauguration, this new president created the “Great Society”; characterized as an era of programs aimed at eliminating poverty and racial injustice, something the United States had been struggling with for some time. This Great Society was only “part of his legacy” though, and led to an increased dependency on government assistance. Although Johnson created the Great Society, the Vietnam War was an “elephant” to his presidency, leading me to remember Lyndon B. Johnson as a dishonest and bad president. The Vietnam War was a major part of Lyndon B. Johnson’s...
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...The ultimate cause of the Vietnam War was that America was against communism and was threatened that communism would spread throughout Southeast Asia. However, prior into America entering the war, the French was fighting against the North Vietnam. Why? Because Vietnam had wanted their independence from France. President Harry S. Truman had supplied the French with military equipment, however, the Battle of Dien Bien Phu results in the French defeat and the peace talk in Geneva. The Geneva Accords ends the French Indochina War. As a result, Vietnam signed the Geneva Accords, and divides Vietnam into Communist North and supported by the US, South at the 17th parallel. Yet, North Vietnam tried to infiltrate South Vietnam by joining with Viet Cong...
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...United States pulls out of Vietnam Nkiruka Bridget Ofunne Chamberlain College of Nursing Identification of Vietnam War Between 1858-1884, France invades Vietnam and makes Vietnam a colony. The United States pledges $15 million worth of military aid to France to help them fight in Vietnam. South Vietnam declares itself the Republic of Vietnam, with newly elected Ngo Dinh Diem as president. South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem is executed during a coup. Cause of Vietnam war In 1964, North Vietnamese attack two U.S. destroyers sitting in international waters (the Gulf of Tonkin Incident). In response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, the U.S. Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. A sustained U.S. aerial bombing campaign of North Vietnam begins (Operation Rolling Thunder). In March 1965, the first U.S. combat troops arrive in Vietnam. Historical Interpretation of the war Why did the United States government finally decide to leave Vietnam? What was our exit strategy? What happened to the troops that came home? What happened to those we left behind? No event in American history is more misunderstood than the Vietnam War. It was misreported then, and it is misremembered now. "Rarely have so many people been so wrong about so much. Never have the consequences of their misunderstanding been so tragic." (Nixon) Nixon and Kissinger quickly agreed upon two premises about American policy in Vietnam. First, the war in Vietnam was not "winnable" in any conventional...
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...separate governments in the South. President Dwight Eisenhower expressed concerns over Domino Theory. He believed that if Vietnam fell completely to Communism, then Communism would spread elsewhere, like how if the first domino falls, the rest follow. The Domino Theory is the central reason for America’s involvement in Vietnam. 1954-1964: U.S. involvement in Vietnam continued to increase. Eisenhower sends military advisors to South Vietnam to train South Vietnamese Army. 1964: August: North Vietnam attacked the USS Maddox in international waters. Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that allowed President Johnson to increase America’s military involvement. It allowed him to "take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack...and to prevent further aggression." 1965: Pleiku Raid: Viet Cong attacked a Marine barracks killing eight and injuring over a hundred. Johnson, used the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution to order the air force and navy forward in Operation Rolling Thunder which bombed Viet Cong. Johnson hoped this would show U.S. superiority and make the Viet Cong stop, but it just escalated the war. 1968: More than 500,000 troops committed to fighting in Vietnam. January 31, the holiday of Tet, North Vietnam and Viet Cong attacked South...
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...was a long armed conflict between North Vietnam, its allies the Viet Cong against South Vietnam and their allies, the United States. North Vietnam was fighting to reunify Vietnam, however North Vietnam was a communist government, ruled by Ho Chi Minh. It was believed that if South Vietnam had fallen to communism, than the rest of Asia would follow. This was known as the Domino Theory. In order to help stop the spread of communism, the U.S. fought alongside South Vietnam. Nonetheless, after a long, costly war, the U.S. had lost the Vietnam war, which would not stop South Vietnam fall to communism. The United States had entered the Vietnam War after the Gulf of Tonkin incident, where North Vietnamese had fired upon U.S. Navy destroyers in 1964. This incident had compelled Congress to take action. Thus, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was made, which gave President Johnson permission to take all necessary actions. The...
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...American Perspective On The Vietnam War My grandfather is a Vietnam War veteran. That alone drove me toward choosing this topic for this research paper. A few months ago, my grandfather had let me read his manuscript that he wrote when he had gotten home from his twelve year service for the United States. This novel he wrote is increasing my interest in the Vietnam War each page I turn. People often ask me whenever we’re talking about the war, which side I’m positioned on. I say that we shouldn’t have “helped” in the war. Because in my opinion, we could have done better for the country if we would have kept our noses out if the excitement but as for people like my grandfather, he opposes that perspective. I do have a firm grip on both paradigms of the war but as you can tell, I want a world with no war possible but honestly, who doesn’t? I guess you can call me a dreamer. But I know I’m not the only one. I thank John Lennon and my Mother for that lesson. I love my mother and my grandfather just as much. But, like I said, because of that, I know and understand two, very different opinions or viewpoints of the Vietnam War. My Mom is somewhat a flower child from when she was just a teenager. That all began because she never really got along with my Grandfather all that well. My Grandfather (my mom’s step dad) was the stereotypical; stern but fair, strict yet loving, harsh yet respectful step-father. Due to that reason my Mom was a rebel to the degree of a flour child. She is always...
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...Vietnam at the 17th parallel. The division was meant to be temporary and the nationwide elections were scheduled for 1956. South knew that Ho Chi Minh would probably win so they made sure the elections were never held. South Vietnam received financial backing from the United States. The united states also slowly began to send more military advisers, troops, and CIA agents to Vietnam. Guerrilla warriors called the Viet Cong fought to reunite with the north. In 1963, Diem was assassinated with CIA approval, and a new U.S.-supported leader took his place. August 2, 1964, gunboats from North Vietnam fired at ships of the U.S. Navy that were stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin. The ships had been sailing 10 miles off the coast of North Vietnam in support of the South Vietnamese navy. Congress promptly issued the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave President Lyndon B. Johnson free reign to wage a war. After that the U.S. military presence in Vietnam began to increase dramatically. February 1965, the United States began a long-sustained bombing of North Vietnamese known as Operation Rolling Thunder. At first only military targets were hit, but as months turned into years, civilian targets were attacked as well. The United States also bombed the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a supply line used by the North Vietnamese to aid the Viet Cong. some of the troops also used agents such as Agent Orange and napalm to remove the jungle cover that was used by the Viet Cong. The intense bombardment did not do...
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