Assess how far the sources support the interpretation that the main reason America began and continued its involvement in Vietnam was to defend democracy
All of the sources provide differing interpretations for the reasons for America’s involvement in Vietnam. Sources A and D provide evidence that supports the interpretation that America’s involvement in Vietnam was to ‘defend democracy’ while sources B and C provide evidence that refute it.
Source A shows a letter from the formidable source of President Dwight Eisenhower to Diem the President of South Vietnam at the time. The letter shows Eisenhower expresses his support and his concerns for the new South Vietnamese government. The letter mentions the US sending aid to Diem and emphasises their support for the relocation of Vietnamese people away from places ‘ruled by a communist ideology they hate’. Source A emits the idea the US began its involvement in Vietnam for quite noble causes such like the aiding the protection Vietnamese to rescue them from a communist regime they despise. The letter portrays the US supporting Diem out of the goodness of their hearts shown in the final sentence: ‘I am glad that the United States is able to assist this humanitarian effort’ as far as this letter is concerned it would appear that US just wants to help a struggling democracy with no apparent benefits towards them .Eisenhower was a firm believer in ‘Domino theory’ and thought it as vital to prevent Vietnam from becoming yet another Asian communist state and to halt the spread of communism further. There were far more reasons at play which led Eisenhower to begin involvement in Vietnam, far more reasons than were conveyed in source A. There was a hatred of communism and crucially, the issue of the US’s national security and Eisenhower did not want to make the same fatal mistake as his predecessor and ‘lose Vietnam’. The source also goes far to say how important Vietnam was to the US: They disobeyed the terms of the Geneva Accords by giving aid to Diem and essentially became South Vietnam’s guarantor and invested $7 billion and 1500 advisors. Source A shows President Eisenhower’s motivations in Vietnam to be both a hatred of communism and to defend democracy. When we consider the provenance of source A we remember it came from the President a seemingly credible source however we must keep in mind that Eisenhower would have known full well that the letter would come out and thus skews the integrity of source. Furthermore the letter was to Diem, a volatile individual and the President would have chosen his words wisely in order to appease Diem. Source D also provides evidence that supports the interpretation that the reason for American involvement in Vietnam was to defend democracy. Source D is a speech from President Lyndon Baines Johnson to explain why US continues to be involved in Vietnam. In the speech Vietnam is portrayed as a helpless little country that is just trying to make a democracy work but is being thwarted by a communist regime and that it is America’s duty to defend democracy as it has done in the past. Johnson mentions the Presidents before who have supported the Vietnamese these Presidents escalated the US’s involvement in Vietnam to such a point that a new reason comes into play: America invested so much money and resources that there became a ‘commitment trap’ they couldn’t back out and the only way forward was escalation. Defending American prestige also came into play and is evident in Source D here: ’believing they can count on us if attacked’ Johnson did not want to be the first President to lose a war and didn’t want America to e seen as weak by backing out of a fight. Johnson also cites the influence of Eisenhower and his Domino Theory as a reason for American involvement. Even from this speech it is clear that there are many factors at play for the US’s involvement in Vietnam and whether defending democracy is the main one becomes increasingly unlikely. When considering the provenance of source D we must remember that this speech was broadcast to the American people in a time where certain groups were beginning to show opposition towards America’s involvement. Johnson was keen not to lose approval ratings which his true beliefs and concerns about Vietnam were not expressed which detracts from source D’s reliability.
Equally it can be argued that the defence of democracy was not the main reason that the US began and continued its involvement in Vietnam. Source B is from a programme from the National Liberation Front of South Korea and its general message is that Diem’s government is just a puppet of the Americans and that they are controlling the Saigon government completely for their own imperialist gain. Source B definitely refutes the interpretation but also plays up American imperialism, perhaps there is a shred of truth that America wanted to extend its power to south east Asia however it was not a driving factor. The US certainly supported Diem and his government and heavily advised him on his future government policies however it was Diem who made the final decision and it was often against US advice. When considering the provenance of this information we must consider its source, it is essentially NLF propaganda which we know contains inaccurate information about US motivations however it does give us some helpful information about what the Vietnamese thought of America’s intervention and that it wasn’t obvious to them that they were defending democracy. Source C has a definite anti-American theme throughout, the statement by President De Gaulle almost seems sarcastic and was clearly disgruntled about American domination. De Gaulle also seems think that Vietnam was better off under French rule and also condemns the US for their own colonialism here: ‘their disapproval of other countries colonialism, and the natural desire among such powerful people to expand’. Furthermore in his speech President De Gaulle belittles and outright insults the American when he says: ‘the American conviction of fulfilling a sort of vocation’ it makes sound like Vietnam is some kind of pet project for the Americans. The US had supported the French during Vietnam however it was limited and they refused offer much support at Dienbienfu which Dulles described as a ‘blessing in disguise’. The Americans and the French were uneasy allies at this time, and President De Gaulle at least, felt that America got involved in Vietnam due to its own self interest and seemingly not to defend democracy. When considering the provenance of Source C we must remember it came from a credible source: President De Gaulle and that he were expressing his own views without taint of others. Source C is highly reliable and therefore very useful as it provides clear evidence that people opposed the premise that American involvement was due to the defence of democracy.
In conclusion it is clear that there were many factors which led to the US involvement in Vietnam. The US got involved in Vietnam due to a hatred of communism, the fear that communism would continue to spread; they also wanted free markets for Japan, t0.h ey feared the world balance of power would shift: American prestige was at risk and perhaps most importantly US involvement had escalated so much that there became a commitment trap, the US had put in far too much money and resources to turn back. Defence of Democracy of course was a factor and it was reason the US promoted through Johnson’s speech but in many ways it was their excuse, it was what they told people to make it seem as if the US was doing it for a noble cause. American self-interest was the main reason for Vietnam and definitely not the defence of democracy.