Therefore, due to the nearly all positive aspects of being labelled a ‘super-power’, it would be wise for Kennedy to continue onwards in the Cold War with hat status. Since it is much more difficult for a country having a passive foreign policy to keep the status, increasing US commitment to South Vietnam would have made America appear to be very active on the world stage, and Kennedy can use other motives for invading such as the USA is the upholder of democracy and will help developing countries and old colonies get a foothold in democracy.
On the other hand, Kennedy’s values and religious beliefs to him were more important than keeping the USA a Super-power. Kennedy was a devout catholic who despised Communism. Not only that, but he was the youngest US President and had a humiliating disaster in the CIA backed Bay of Pigs rebellion/invasion in Cuba on April 17th-19th 1961. Kennedy had alot to prove, he only just won his election against Republican candidate Richard Nixon several months before and Kennedy was desperate to prove himself as a capable President, especially to win the election coming up in 1964.
This is a reason as to why Kennedy would increase US commitment in Vietnam, to prove himself and to stop Communism spreading. Kennedy believed in the Domino Theory. This was where Communism in a Communist country would spread out of that country and onto other countries, eventually making them fall to Communism. This were particularly a worrying prospect for Kennedy, Laos had fallen several weeks before Kennedy’s inauguration, January 20th 1961, and now Vietnam looked a likely country that would fall next. But the worrying thing was also that countries of key American interest were at risk (according to the theory) of falling to Communism. Countries like The Philippines and Australia were at a potential threat from Communism.
The USA also had reasons for increasing commitment that was not to do with Communism prevention or because it wanted to keep its Super-Power status. The USA was capitalist, and its economy thrived when the country was at war, so long as that war was far from home, big businesses that specialised in military equipment, vehicles etc would have needed a war or some USA military involvement in a country to make a healthy business. Stimulating the economy and gaining lots of income through tax for the government was a big bonus for the USA. However, it may have been that the USA maybe originally planned, if the health of military arms producing businesses was a problem, that USA involvement would not escalate into a war as that would eventually become too costly and possibly too unpopular with the American people.
However, one of the most important facts to look at, along with Kennedy’s will of containment of Communism, was the current South Vietnam government. All of Kennedy’s plans and ideas for South Vietnam would prove completely fruitless unless he could find a way to stop Ngo Diem from being a corrupt and loathed leader. Kennedy was escalating in South Vietnam for reasons other than Diem’s regime from late 1961-early 1963, sending in total a force of around 16000 military advisers by 1963. However, after the Buddhist crisis and the self immolation of Thich Quang Duc, 11th June 1963 and the complete alienation not just the Buddhists “Buddhist Barbeque”-Madame Nhu, but the majority of Vietnamese peasants, Kennedy and his administration were having their doubts about Diem’s competence to run South Vietnam alongside the best interests of the USA. Therefore November 2nd 1963, Diem is captured during a CIA backed coup by discontented ARVN members and killed, thus effectively turning control of South Vietnam to Kennedy’s administration.
In Conclusion, Kennedy seems to have increased US involvement and commitment in Vietnam because he wanted it to become a stable country with minimum Communist influence. Perhaps he thought that this would lead as an example to the rest of the world, to show what America could really do in order to help old colonised countries, which then would be the USA increasing and maintaining its Super-power status. However, I would have to say that i disagree with the statement. Kennedy’s main reason I believe of increasing US involvement was to contain Communism, but in doing this, America also showed the world what its stance on Communism was- that it would not stand idly by while what it saw as a threat to its very constitution was left to ravage the world. So it can be said that Kennedy did also increase US involvement because of wanting to maintain that status, but while that might be partly true, I find it more likely that the Super Power status was a less pressing thought and indeed maybe an advantage that came from showing an aggressive stance against Communism.
