...Impact of US Foreign Policy on the Vietnam War The Vietnam War is one of the most talked about wars in history. It began in 1959 and did not end until 1975. These years saw protests, conflicts, casualties, and confusion for the United States, as well as the terms of three presidents: John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon. When U.S. involvement in the war began under Kennedy, it was originally put out as a plan for the United States to only aid the South Vietnamese, but, after his assassination, Johnson was put in charge. The path that the war took under Johnson was filled with controversy and large numbers of casualties. When Johnson did not run for a second term, Nixon was left in charge to ultimately turn things around. Soon, all of the American troops were removed from Vietnam, and the war slowly began to come to a close. But what was it about Nixon’s foreign policy that was so much more successful than Johnson’s? Was Nixon’s policy more closely related to Kennedy’s successful strategy than Johnson’s was, and, if so, why didn’t Johnson do a better job modeling his policy after Kennedy? These are all questions that political scientists still look at today as a way to solve the many questions that are still being posed about the war. I have looked deeply into these questions, and found answers through researching the history of Vietnam as well as the three presidents. As I read about each event that unfolded, it became clear to me why there were such...
Words: 3614 - Pages: 15
...both Kennedy and Johnson unable to avoid increasing involvement in Vietnam? The United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War proved to be the most controversial episode in American history. There are many influences why the USA stayed so closely involved with Vietnam, including strategic hamlets, secretaries and personal beliefs. In the election campaign of 1960 Kennedy promoted himself as being tough on communism. He supported the Truman Doctrine, and believed in the ‘domino theory’, the idea that communism would inevitably spread from North Vietnam to Laos and Cambodia. His slogan was “Vietnam is the place”, which helped him gain support. Kennedy's failures at the Vienna summit in 1961, and the Bay of Pigs fiasco in Cuba, forced him to stiffen his position on Vietnam, not wanting to lose American citizens support. There was the curse of appeasement, as Eisenhower had not done enough during his time as President. Kennedy needed to prove himself as he was a democrat. The last democrat who was President lost the Korea War. He also had a fear of attack because of this by the republicans, as US citizens thought he was soft on communism. He was seen as a friend of Vietnam. In 1961, Robert McNamara was the Secretary of Defence as was known as a “Hawk”. This meant he was for the war and for military solutions. He was a close confidant with both Kennedy and Johnson, and strongly believed in the USA’s commitment to South Vietnam. He was a liberal intellectual who wanted freedom. However...
Words: 921 - Pages: 4
...regards to Vietnam under Kennedy's presidency, there are many arguments both for and against the idea of commitment trap, Kennedy certainly escalated military involvement in Vietnam but did he have a choice? Or had his predecessors committed him in Vietnam long before he came into the Whitehouse? There is no doubt that Johnson was the one who fully placed ground troops in Vietnam in '65 and created his legacy of 'Johnson's war', but did any of the previous presidents give him any other option except to stay? Also, was there any evidence of any moments when they could've pulled out? The commitment trap theory is widely acknowledged, with regards to Vietnam, by historians as it explains many of the extreme actions that were undertaken during this period. It is also used in arguments supporting USA's decisions in Vietnam, because these decisions were only made because they HAD to be made, the predecessing presidents gave them no choice. However, was commitment trap the only reason Kennedy stayed in Vietnam? One of the first Presidents that could be argued to have influenced the refusal to withdraw from Vietnam was Truman and, particularly, his foreign policy. Truman's foreign policy states that 'we [USA] will give help to any free peoples suffering from Communism' this policy was an embedded thought in any successing President's mind, if they wanted to keep America an Anti-Communist country. Truman, implementing his policy, initiated the connection between Vietnam and the USA...
Words: 1030 - Pages: 5
...argument is that Kennedy was decisive and assertive. In order to judge whether John F. Kennedy lacked a clear policy in Vietnam we have to compare the policies of Dwight Eisenhower’s in Vietnam and John F. Kennedys policies and how it contradicted with their ideologies. The view by some historians is that The Dwight Eisenhower foreign policy was popularly known as the “New Look”. This policy aimed to maintain the American financial economy while Eisenhower was planning the Cold war and continue the containment of communism regime. Also, the “New look” policy relied heavily on nuclear weapons to stop communism. Therefore the policy was been...
Words: 1669 - Pages: 7
...Phillips Assignment #4 Vietnam Introduction Rules of engagement (ROE) “are a device used by a commander to set forth the parameters of when, how, for what duration and magnitude and geographical location, and against what targets our forces can employ force, generally deadly force … in a theater of operations. …” (Bolgiano, 2008). The ROE have been used in conventional wars fought throughout history. The United States of America used the ROE as tool to guide their soldiers in accomplishing their mission during the Vietnam War. Unfortunately the ideology of a limited war, placed limits on exactly what could be done and how it could be done throughout all levels of the chain of command. For the purpose of this paper the chain of command includes: the individual soldiers in the field, battalion commanders, division commanders, General William Westmoreland, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, and President Johnson. Soldiers in the Field Soldiers sent to Vietnam to fight in the war consisted mostly of draft calls and enlistments. The soldiers lacked sufficient training and had an insufficient amount of ammunition. Also, “other combat units arrived under strength and without all of their weapons, equipment, or supplies” (Moss, 2010, p. 166). The ideology of limited war had limited the resources for the soldiers already creating issues for U.S. forces at the beginning of the war. The ROE created a conventional style of war in which North Vietnam and the Vietminh did...
Words: 963 - Pages: 4
...Johnson, a Democrat, succeeded to the presidency following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, completed Kennedy's term and was elected President in his own right, winning by a large margin in the 1964 Presidential election. Johnson was greatly supported by the Democratic Party and, as President, was responsible for designing the "Great Society" legislation that included laws that upheld civil rights, Public Broadcasting, Medicare, Medicaid, environmental protection, aid to education, and his attempt to help the poor in his "War on Poverty." Simultaneously, he greatly escalated direct American involvement in the Vietnam War. Johnson served as a United States Representative from Texas, from 1937–1949 and as United States Senator (as his grandfather[1] foretold when Johnson was just an infant) from 1949–1961, including six years as United States Senate Majority Leader, two as Senate Minority Leader and two as Senate Majority Whip. After campaigning unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination in 1960, Johnson was asked by John F. Kennedy to be his running mate for the 1960 presidential election. Johnson's popularity as President steadily declined after the 1966 Congressional elections, and his re-election bid in the 1968 United States presidential election collapsed as a result of turmoil within the Democratic Party related to opposition to the Vietnam War. He withdrew from the race to concentrate on peacemaking. Johnson was renowned for his domineering personality...
Words: 487 - Pages: 2
...Assignment 1: The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy By Cedric Rhynes Professor Emmanuel Obuah POL 300 05/11/2013 The 35th President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, came into office at the height of the Cold War. The president decided to keep the foreign policy of his predecessor, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and also decided that he could expand upon that foreign policy doctrine. President Kennedy wanted to be able to provide the United States with the flexibility to respond to communist expansion. The President believed that the expansion of communism would become a direct threat to the United States and Europe. While Truman and Eisenhower created policies that were mainly based on containing communism in Europe and the Middle East, President Kennedy’s doctrine’s differed from his predecessors in that his doctrine focused on Latin America, especially leading up to and after the Cuban Revolution. President Kennedy believed that the United States should contain the spread of communism by using other alternative means. During President Kennedy’s term in office there were several diplomatic crises that challenged his foreign policy doctrine. The challenges included; The Bay of Pigs in 1961, The Vietnam War in 1962, and The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Although The Bay of Pigs and the United States involvement in Vietnam were seen as major efforts that supremely impacted U.S. foreign policy, it was the Cuban Missile Crisis that almost brought the United States to...
Words: 1083 - Pages: 5
...The U.S involvement in the Vietnam War was so controversial that not only did it divide the social world but the political world as well. U.S intervention in Indochina began under Kennedy’s administration. Kennedy sought to view the war with cautious, careful to not Americanize the war. However, the transition of power to the Johnson administration would lead to the escalation of U.S involvement. Even with his reservations about the war, Johnson felt America had a promise to uphold. “ We have helped to build, and we have helped to defend...we have made a national pledge to help South Vietnam defend its independence” (165). Such reasoning evoked sympathy for the Vietnamese. The war would not be just about bloodshed but rather to help aid...
Words: 285 - Pages: 2
...The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy Djuan Sanders Professor Benjamin Webb Pol 300 November 18, 2012 The Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy President Lyndon. B. Johnson (1963-1969) The President which I have selected for my doctrine analysis is President L. B. Johnson who was the 36th president of the U.S. Lyndon B. Johnson served the nation for four years. Johnson was a democrat from Texas and after John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, Johnson became the president of the U.S.. Johnson’s involvement in the Vietnam War will always be remembered, as he increased the American involvement in the matter of Vietnam. Due to this decision, the vision of the United States push towards peace and prosperity was distorted and reversed. Johnson was highly criticized due to Vietnam War and was succeeded by Richard Nixon who was a member of the Republican Party. Americans voted republican because the Democratic party was divided into different feuding fractions during the time of Lyndon. B. Johnson. The Doctrine of Johnson was articulated after the intervention of the Dominican Republic in United States in 1965. The domestic revolution was also declared by Johnson stating that intervention of Dominican Republic in the Western Hemisphere is not a local matter. The doctrine of Johnson is considered to be an extension of the Kennedy’s Doctrine. It is considered that this doctrine was proposed to oppose the movements of democracy in Latin America which was in favor of military dictatorship...
Words: 1272 - Pages: 6
...he would require the support of the Southern states for campaign contributions while concurrently, intent on quelling opposition in regards to his recent public involvement on promoting a new Civil Rights Act. Although it was raining throughout the morning, conditions would improve enough so that Kennedy would deem it appropriate to remove the Plexiglas roof of the car while touring the city. Such an event was hardly a secret as it was highly publicized days before his arrival, leading to a considerable amount of people to congregate at the streets. Subsequently, at approximately 12:30 p.m. CST, Kennedy, warmly waving at the crowd of onlookers, would be shot twice, the first bullet skewering into his upper back and ripping out of his throat while the other one would puncture his head, splaying out blood and bits of his skull. On that day, the hope of America, and with it, the Camelot Era has come to an end. However, what would have happened if the rain had lasted throughout the day? This minute change in detail would have kept the Plexiglas roof covers on his car to prevent...
Words: 1428 - Pages: 6
...many people organized and participated in the marches to oppose Vietnam War. He told me that hippies would like to be antiwar because they wanted to have a peaceful world. On the other hand, most of the Americans supported the war because of the identity. The Americans loved their country, so they would like to support the United States. Therefore, most of his American classmates were being drafted for the war. He did not join any marches, and he just stayed in the classroom in UC Berkeley. He said the reason that he did not joined the antiwar marches since he experienced the most political instability in the United States. He felt secured, so he decided to focus on his study. As a person who immigrated to the United States for just few years, it was a quite difficult time to adapt an insecure environment. In the interview, I understand why Mr. Ng did not want to voice out his opposition of the war because of the sense of insecurity. However, it is important to express because it helped to have a peaceful world. “Young men were burning their draft cards or fleeing to Canada to avoid fighting in what they considered an unjust war” (Foner 792). These kinds of people expressed their opinions of the war. They did something to earn...
Words: 1311 - Pages: 6
...dictionary, 2013). In the mid twentieth century world affairs, the United States government had a huge involvement on the outcomes of the war. President Eisenhower and President Kennedy were the leaders of the United States during this period. They provided financial and military support to South Vietnam in order to prevent a communist government. The United States feared that if South Vietnam became Communist it would develop a domino effect and many more countries would take on that type of government. President Eisenhower established the policy of “keeping Vietnam partitioned and maintaining a non-Communist state in its southern half” (Moss). Kennedy continued with Eisenhower’s take on the war. Kennedy felt that U.S. was committed to South Vietnam and had to provide support as much as possible. Kennedy developed the group MAAG (Military Assistance and Advisory Group) in order to aid and help develop a proficient army for the South Vietnamese people. President’s Kennedy’s approach towards the war was to monitor the direction of it rather than tackle it right away. As time progressed, the involvement of the U.S. became more and more tremendous. In my opinion to intervene in a war that was not our battle was ineffective. Helping South Vietnam was a good deed, but sending our troops and providing so much financial support affected the U.S. in a negative way. With the loss of the war, the U.S. did not deter the progression of communism; we lost many U.S. soldiers and depleted our...
Words: 421 - Pages: 2
...The 60’s was an age of change. This is a fact that is indisputable, and with evidence such as the incident on April 10th, 1962, it is further explorable. Former President John F. Kennedy gave a speech addressing the issue, and throughout he used multiple convincing rhetorical strategies. Using devices such as allusions, personification, and parallelism to show his clear understanding of the seriousness of the situation, as well as the goings-on of the situation itself, and to provide any small amount of security to the general American public. During the second paragraph, former President J.F.K. mentions “four… killed in the last two days”, in which he is referring to the very start of America’s involvement in the war on Vietnam. On April 8th, 1962, the helicopter containing the first...
Words: 640 - Pages: 3
...The Undeclared War Known as Vietnam Akilah K. Berry History 105 Professor Joseph Krulder American Intercontinental University The Vietnam War is considered the longest war. It can also be known as the unnecessary war, the war we lost, and an unofficial war. This war demonstrated to the world that the United States of America will defend its beliefs by any means necessary. It unified yet divided it’s own nation while focusing on the conflict at hand. Despite the fact the US Congress never officially declare war, the most decisive (excluding the Civil War) and America’s longest war is known as The Vietnam War. Around 1950, in efforts to protect the Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia known as the French Empire in Indochina the US initiated their involvement. In addition to protecting the French Empire the prevention of Ho Chi Minh’s Nationalist-Communist Viet Minh forces gaining control of the French Empire was also a key objective. At the battle of Dien Bien Phu, the Viet Minh seemed to achieve independence and national sovereignty in addition to their victory, regardless of great assistance from the US. At the 1954 Geneva international conference, the United States (for whom a Nationalist-Communist Vietnamese government was unacceptable) divided the country in two. The southern half was the birthplace of the Republic of Vietnam (RVN). Americans spent the next twenty years defending the RVN which was an artificial country (Buzzanco, 2010). By 1960 the National Liberation...
Words: 1491 - Pages: 6
...commonly known by his initials JFK, was an American politician who served as the 35th President of the United States from January 1961 until he was assassinated in November 1963. After military service as commander of Motor Torpedo Boats PT-109 and PT-59 during World War II in the South Pacific, Kennedy represented Massachusetts's 11th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947 to 1953 as a Democrat. Thereafter, he served in the U.S. Senate from 1953 until 1960. Kennedy defeated vice president and Republican candidate Richard Nixon in the 1960 U.S. presidential election. At age 43, he was the youngest to have been elected to the office,[2][a] the second-youngest president (after Theodore Roosevelt), and the first person born in the 20th century to serve as president.[3] To date, Kennedy has been the only Roman Catholic president and the only president to have won a Pulitzer Prize.[4] Events during his presidency included the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Space Race—by initiating Project Apollo (which would culminate in the moon landing), the building of the Berlin Wall, the African-American Civil Rights Movement, and increased U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested that afternoon and charged with the crime that night. Jack Ruby shot and killed Oswald two days later, before a trial could take place. The FBI and the Warren Commission...
Words: 14295 - Pages: 58
