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
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