Vietnam Essay Research Paper FOSTER1The Vietnam War

Vietnam Essay, Research Paper

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The Vietnam War is probably the most questionable of all American wars. First, it is morally deceptive. It was both a war against communism and a war to suppress nationalist self-determination. Second, it can be (and was) very confusing. American objectives were not always well defined. As a result, United States policy often wondered: the United States would Americanize the war only to Vietnamize it later. Third, things in the Vietnam War were often not what they seemed. To attempt to make sense of the United States involvement in Vietnam, the war must be considered in a larger context. With the fall of North Vietnam to communism in 1954, the United States became committed to stopping the further spread of communism in the region. During this commitment, there were many men who would take part in the conflict, but two who stood out were John F Kennedy and Lyndon B Johnson. It is not possible to grant those men with responsibility for all of Americas war effort, but with majority of it.

During the escalation period of the Vietnam War, which lasted between 1955-1965. The United States would antagonize the North Vietnamese by stepping into the footprints left by the French. The United States would also step into the hated role of imperial master in Vietnam. Unfortunately for the United States, while they backed them, the South Vietnam government was weak and corrupt, while the North Vietnamese government was a proud and independent group of nationalists willing to fight against foreign control for Vietnamese unification.

In 1961 John F Kennedy would be elected into Presidency. Kennedy had to appear tough on Communism. He needed to show that He had the edge, and refuse to

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back down to his enemies. Some of his most famous confrontations were the Berlin Crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1961 Kennedy was involved in another Crisis, a

crisis over Vietnams neighbor, Laos. American policymakers began to worry that Laos would fall. For a brief time, the tiny country of Laos became an important reason for a global Cold War confrontation. Kennedy s first thoughts of contributing to Americas war effort in Vietnam had just happened, He began to realize that if he did not do something, that communism was sure to take place. Once Kennedy accepted responsibility for Americas war effort in Vietnam, he began to increase American soldiers, as well as American conflict in Vietnam.

During the increased conflict, in 1962 the United States established the Military Assistance Command of Vietnam (MACV), which, provided American command assistance in the training of ARVN. The creation of MACV meant that many additional American advisors were moved into South Vietnam. Kennedy has added to Americas war effort in order to prevent communism. He has now made a major American commitment to Vietnam. Within one year, American soldier s presence rose from one thousand soldiers to over fifteen thousand. Kennedy kept increasing American involvement. In 1963 Kennedy s increasement would no longer lay in his hands, but in the hands of Lyndon B Johnson. Kennedy would be assassinated. During Kennedy s reign as president, He would make a number of errors, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis. At this time the United States mind was focused on the Domino Theory, which was a theory, that if one country falls to communism, then the next will, and so on and so forth (Dr. Statler/notes). Though Vietnam was in many ways a Vietnamese issue, it was for

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Americans, an issue of non-communism in the United States. Once Americans began to show their involvement, they could not turn back.

Johnson would soon realize what Kennedy went through. He saw himself as a tough anti communist. Though Kennedy had begun to show a slight increase in men, Johnson raised the number of American advisors to around twenty seven thousand men. Johnson began to show his increasement of American war effort, which was almost double the amount of Kennedy s. Although Johnson does not bear primary responsibility for American war effort, he does bear majority of it. Nonetheless, Johnson tried to handle the Vietnam situation very moderately, striving to continue Kennedy s early programs without escalating the war. Under Johnson, in attempt to frighten the North Vietnamese, He increased the use of Agent Orange, a tree killing herbicide meant to destroy the Vietcong s jungle camouflage (Herring 168). Rather than give in, the North Vietnamese responded by preparing for war.

In August of 1964, two American ships in the Gulf of Tonkin, the USS Maddox and the USS C. Turner Joy, reported attacks by North Vietnamese vessels. The Senate quickly passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, a resolution that did not formally declare, but which gave the President war deciding powers (Dr.Statler/notes). Though he was given the power to do so, President Johnson did not employ full powers in which he was granted through the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Johnson prolonged openly, escalating the war until after his re-election in 1964. Meanwhile, Vietcong attacks on Americans became very violent, killing American officers and destroying many soldiers. With America upset with the amount of American deaths, it would lead to the United States

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bombing against North Vitenam, known as Rolling Thunder, the expan