The plan was for operation rolling thunder to last eight weeks but it lasted for the next three years this operation caused major casualties it was mainly an air bombing campaign that started on the 24th of February 1965 and lasted until the end of October 1968.
The purpose of the speech I think to try and get the American people on side and President Johnson was basically just trying to justify his reasons and actions to the American people about the war.
One of the reasons why the Americans got involved in Vietnam is because they have a promise to keep that they would support any country threatened by communism this was called the Truman doctrine it was a public announcement given by President Harry .S Truman in 1947 promising to give military and economic aid to any country under threat of communism.
Every American president has offered support to the people of South Vietnam. For independence, freedom and to let them govern there own country.
They also became involved to strengthen world order.
Johnson said that “From Berlin to Thailand” people can rely on them.
If the Americans did not help in South Vietnam then people and countries would not be able to trust them.
They also got involved to prevent more war and to keep world peace president Johnson was basically saying to the communists to stay where they are because he is trying to stop the spread of communism.
Source B is a private conversation between President Johnson and an unknown person in may 1964 making it a primary source.
The source talks about president Johnson having doubts about the war and it is saying he got involved in south Vietnam to stop the spread of communism because if they don’t stop it communism will spread and become a major problem.
Source C is an interview made in October 1982 with Professor Noam Chomsky this is a secondary source.
Aaron Locke
Vietnam coursework
Noam Chomsky contradicts what source A and source B are saying he says that American didn’t want an independent South Vietnam because they were worried about how much power South Vietnam could exercise.
America could not allow South Vietnam out of its control because it would undermine American influence in the area.
My conclusion on each of the sources is:
Source A is useful because it is by the American president at the time (Lyndon Baines Johnson) and it is a speech that gives many of reasons why America entered the war.
One of the problems with this source is that it is from an American point of view and may be biased or it could have been used as propaganda during the time and may have limitations on the context of the speech.
Source B is a private conversation and is useful and is useful in many ways and reflects what the president feels about the war but because of what his feelings were at the time he could have said something that he did not mean which says that some of the information could be inaccurate and the private conversation could limit the details.
Source C is by a critic of the war who believes it should not have happened so the information could be biased and only expressing his opinion on the war.
