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