Explain why the United States became increasingly involved in the war in Vietnam
Explain why the United States became increasingly involved in the war in Vietnam
Saturday 31st January 04
Before Word War II Vietnam was known as Indochina and was a French colony. But, in 1940 France was defeated by Germany and Vietnam came under the control of Japan, Germany's ally. However, during the Second Word War, a strongly anti-Japanese resistance movement emerged, The Viet Minh. The were under the leadership of a communist, Ho Chi Minh. By the end of the war, the Viet Minh controlled the North of Vietnam, and in 1945 they entered the city of Hanoi, and declared Vietnamese Independence.
However, the French, now liberated from German control, had other ideas. In 1945 they came back to Vietnam claiming they were the rightful leaders. But, The Viet Minh had not fought off the Japanese, to just hand the country back to the French. By 1946, war had broken out between the two opposing forces.
At first, America was sympathetic towards Minh, seeing him as a freedom fighter, throwing off the foreign oppressors, as once America had done in its own history. Also, Ho had lived in The US, Britain and France, so America saw him as a product of Western upbringing. This meant America was completely oblivious to Minh communist regime.
But, In 1949 the cloud covering Ho Chi Minhs communist intensions lifted. A communist regime was now installed within China, and they began to provide aid to there neighbour, Ho Chi Minh. Now America clearly saw the Viet Minh as puppets of Communist China. They began to pump $500 million a year into the French war efforts, to help fight the communist regime. This was America's first step in becoming involved in conflict in Vietnam.
America's fear of a communist Vietnam stemmed from a belief, which the military Joint-Chiefs strongly held. This was, that if Vietnam fell ...
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But, In 1949 the cloud covering Ho Chi Minhs communist intensions lifted. A communist regime was now installed within China, and they began to provide aid to there neighbour, Ho Chi Minh. Now America clearly saw the Viet Minh as puppets of Communist China. They began to pump $500 million a year into the French war efforts, to help fight the communist regime. This was America's first step in becoming involved in conflict in Vietnam.
America's fear of a communist Vietnam stemmed from a belief, which the military Joint-Chiefs strongly held. This was, that if Vietnam fell to communism, and was successful as a communist satellite, then the rest of Far East would follow. This was known as the "Domino Theory".
The French continued the war until 1954, when Minh's fierce guerrilla tactics finally had got the better of them. By the end of this war America had paid for 70% of the French side of the war, which had committed them to their cause of stopping the spread of communism across Vietnam.
This commitment meant that when it was time for Vietnam to hold its free elections, as stipulated by the terms of the cease fire, America - the leaders of the 'Free World' stopped the elections from happening in fear that the Communists would win. This was an aggressive political move, which was another wrong step, locking America into a bloody conflict with Vietnam.
America began to support a bitterly anti-communist Christian, called Ngo Dinh Diem. He ran a extremely corrupt government, appointing members of his family or other supporters to power, refusing to hold elections. America while being concerned of Diem's regime, now, having helped Diem gain all his power, had no other choice but to continue supporting him. In 1963, Diem was overthrown by his own army leader, but this government was equally corrupt. In full knowledge of this, America still gave massive support. This was yet another financial commitment which the US would later have to justify to the American tax payer, by going to war with Vietnam.
The action taken by the corrupt anti-communist governments against ordinary peasants, increased support for the Communist-led National Front, otherwise known as the Viet Cong. They began to wage war against the Southern Vietnamese government. They used crude but affective guerrilla tactics, attacking government buildings and officials, and also attacking American air force and supply bases.
For America, it began to look as if the Viet Cong were within sight of victory. In 1962, President Kennedy saw financial aid as not being sufficient, and began to send military personal, under the title of 'advisers', to conceal the fact American force was being put into Vietnam to help fight the Viet Cong. Although Kennedy stated that the USA would not 'blunder into war, unclear about aims or how to get out', by putting military personal into Vietnam, this is exactly what he had set America up for.
In 1963, Kennedy was assassinated leaving his successor - L. B. Johnson - to face the on going catastrophe of Vietnam. As soon as he came to office, Johnson was greeted by the military Joint-Chief naive desire to go to war, and 'stomp out' the possible threat of the 'Domino Theory'. Johnson did not share the chiefs lust for such action. He was a 'Dove' not a 'Hawk', meaning he wanted to help the Vietnamese people by building hospitals and schools, gaining there respect and trust, rather than shredding their country with guns and bombs. However, Johnson's most trusted adviser, McNamara, also agreed with the chiefs, that military action was inevitable. As Johnson was heavily outnumbered he began to succumb to the chiefs, and in 1964, when North Vietnamese patrol boats open fire on US ships in the Gulf Of Tonkin. In outrage to this, the US Congress passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution which gave Johnson the power to 'take all necessary measures to prevent further aggression and achieve peace and security'. On March 1965, the inevitable happened. Johnson, being under constant pressure from the Joint-Chief, sent 3,500 US marines, under the title of Combat troops rather than 'advisers'. America was now at war with Vietnam.
America was sucked into war with Vietnam due to the ongoing naivety from 1949, of the Military Joint-Chiefs and the Presidents, as they over estimated the power of fanatical aid, and sending 'advisers'. I do not believe the common view, that President Johnson was the sole reason America went to war with Vietnam, as I believe the Precedents that came before him locked America into war, and that Johnson was almost forced into war by the Chiefs and his advisers.
