Post on 22-Dec-2015
Explain why the US Involvement in the Conflict in Vietnam changed during the presidencies of Kennedy and Johnson
Explain why the US Involvement in the Conflict in Vietnam changed 1960-68
President Why?Reasons for involvement/decisions
What?Actions/decisions
How important? How did this affect US Involvement?
Truman and Eisenhower 1945-61
• Containment and domino theory • Reaction to China, Korea and Communist expansion
• Advisors sent to Vietnam• Beginning of “strategic hamlets”
Kennedy 1961-63
• Believed in containment and feared Communist expansion
• Diem was a valued opponent of Communism
• Root out support for Vietcong• Win support for US values• Help train S.Vietnam army – in case
H&M was not enough• Diem’s unpopularity in S.Vietnam and
globally
• Support for Diem• “Strategic Hamlets” policy• “Hearts and Minds”• Sent in 11,000 “Military
Advisors”• Tripled financial aid• Overthrew Diem
(assassination?)
Johnson 1963-68 • Stop communist/Vietcong success• Losing the battle for “hearts and
minds”• GT incident and resolution enabled LBJ
to send combat troops and bomb N.Vietnam
• US could not defeat Vietcong or North, so increased US involvement
• Double Military aid• Gulf of Tonkin and GT
Resolution• Rolling Thunder and bombing
campaign• US combat troops to Vietnam
4,500 marines 1964 – 550,000 by 1968
How to create a planIntro: Outline answer to the question and highlight issues in brief
Focus on situation in 1961: Problems facing Kennedy
Why did US involvement change under Kennedy and how
Johnson
Conclusion