Why did the USA send combat troops to Vietnam in 1965?
Why did the USA send combat troops to Vietnam in 1965?
Before 1946 Vietnam, combined with Laos and Cambodia formed a significant part of the French empire, known as Indo-China. Eight years followed of intense fighting and struggle from the Vietnamese for independence from France.
During the Second World War Vietnam had been occupied by the Japanese. An organised guerrilla force, the Vietminh, drove out the Japanese. Ho Chi Minh, who learnt how to organise revolutions in Russia for many years, set this up. Communists controlled the guerrilla force, but the ideology behind Vietminh was to put an end to foreign control in Vietnam.
Ho Chi Minh announced Vietnam that it had become independent in 1945. The French was angered at Ho Chi Minh's declaration, as they had no intention of allowing Vietnam to be independent. Followed, was an eight-year battle by the Vietminh attacking the French in Hanoi. The French were severely defeated in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu, by the organised guerrilla tactics, although the French were supplied with military aid from America. America had seen the eight-year struggle to be another battle between Communists and capitalists.
The Great Powers met in Switzerland for the Geneva peace conference. It was decided that Vietnam should be divided along the 17th Parallel. The North now became a Communist state, ruled by Ho Chi Minh's Vietminh government. Meanwhile, South Vietnam was to be controlled by a non-Communist government, lead by president Diem. Free Elections were due to be held in 1956 on the North and South Vietnam being reunited.
Vietnam has to be seen within the context of the Cold War, as it was during the Cold War period, plus it was an event which there was a struggle between Capitalists and Communists.
During, World War Two USSR and USA had been allies, but their political strategies were of two different origins, which opposed one another. The USSR was a Communist state with state owned industries and agriculture. The USA on the other hand was a democratic and capitalist state where industries and agriculture were privately owned to earn profit. The Soviets believed the West including USA, wanted to destroy Communism. Whilst, the Soviets were believed to be wanting world Communism.
After the war the allied leaders met at the Yalta Conference and agreed to divide Germany into four zones. Berlin the German capital lay deep within the Soviet zone, and was also divided into four. The Soviets used the positioning of Berlin to cause the Berlin Blockade, to ensure that Germany remained economically weak. The Western allies realised that Germany should not remain weak, as Germany would then be prey to Communist westward expansion.
In 1949 the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), was formed including of thirteen West European countries, plus USA and Canada. This was ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
After the war the allied leaders met at the Yalta Conference and agreed to divide Germany into four zones. Berlin the German capital lay deep within the Soviet zone, and was also divided into four. The Soviets used the positioning of Berlin to cause the Berlin Blockade, to ensure that Germany remained economically weak. The Western allies realised that Germany should not remain weak, as Germany would then be prey to Communist westward expansion.
In 1949 the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), was formed including of thirteen West European countries, plus USA and Canada. This was a military alliance and each country agreed to go to war if any one of them was attacked. When West Germany was given permission to join NATO in 1955, the Soviet fears of a recovered Germany had increased. With Germany as part of an anti-Communist military alliance, the Soviets and East Europeans signed the Warsaw Pact, to form a defensive alliance controlled by the Soviet Union.
McCarthyism in the USA, during the 1950's was the search for Communists within the prominent figures of America. Josef McCarthy grabbed his fame by announcing that he knew of fifty-seven Communists in the government. He later took charge of an investigation called 'Un-American Activities,' after the Republican victory in 1952. His witch-hunt for Communists was a simple, but effective way to gather public support for actions against Communists.
In 1947 a speech was made by President Truman, stating that the USA would provide help for any nation threatened by Communism, this was soon known as the Truman Doctrine. The USA would take the lead in the containment of Communist expansion. The Truman Doctrine was based on the American belief that the countries of Eastern Europe had been forced into Communism by the Soviets, and that it was the duty of the Americans to protect other democratic countries under threat. The main purpose of the containment policy was to prevent the Domino Theory. The Domino Theory was an idea that neighbouring countries could quite simply pass on Communism, like a contagious infection. The policy of containment was carried out by the Americans funding millions of dollars of aid into a country. The government of the country would defeat Communism by establishing a firmer democracy, increasing the economy; therefore many would be content with their own government. If the Communists choose to attack directly, then money is not enough; America decides to provide military equipment.
The first true example of the containment policy being used was to defeat the Domino Theory, was in 1950 when the Communist North Korea attacked South Korea. South Korea felt isolated as the surrounding countries were run by Communists. The Americans became increasingly worried of the spread of Communism. When North Korea was seen as the aggressor, sixteen nations headed by the USA took part in the defeat of North Korea. The war ended on a stalemate and both sides agreed on a cease-fire. This prevented the Domino Theory from taking place in the Far East.
Despite the threats of Communism from North Vietnam, South Vietnam was suffering immense problems of its own. The president of South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem, did not hold promised elections, as he knew full well that he would lose and reunite Vietnam. America also opposed the elections, because if both sides of Vietnam reunited, the Domino Theory would be put into practice, resulting in a Communist state. President Diem was a Roman Catholic, so he was against Buddhists, who were the majority of his people. He made himself even more unpopular by persecuting the Buddhists, this lead to a Buddhist monk burning himself in the centre of the South Vietnam capital. Shortly, a Communist rebellion occurred by a group of South Vietnamese guerrillas known as the Vietcong. The Vietcong was highly effective because they respected religion and customs. The peasants of South Vietnam supported them as they respected their land. Diem's troops found it increasingly difficult to point out members of the Vietcong, as they hid amongst usual people. President Diem was disliked by his own people, but the American government offered support because Diem strongly opposed Communism. America desperately needed a stable South Vietnam to prevent the spread of Communism. The American government therefore sent economic aid, weapons, military advisers and support troops.
John F. Kennedy was approached by the South Vietnam generals who wanted a coup. The coup would of allowed the generals to take power and get rid of President Diem as a leader. Kennedy gives a cautionary approval to the coup, but the coup was not entirely successful and did not achieve the result he wanted as President Diem was assassinated. No democracy was introduced into South Vietnam, and the change of government failed to change the problem of communism spreading. Kennedy decides to help Vietnam militarily. He accomplishes this by sending 16,000 military advisers, financial assistants and US military hardware. Kennedy chose to send 16,000 military advisers, as he felt that the South Vietnam Army were capable of defeating the Communists with a little help. Kennedy was reluctant to send combat troops as there was not a good enough reason to convince other countries for America's direct involvement.
After Kennedy's assassination in 1963, the new president who won an election by a great margin was Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson had a much more aggressive approach towards Vietnam, partly because the situation in South Vietnam was deteriorating. He felt that the deterioration would give the Communists a simple opportunity to strike and cause the Domino Theory. Johnson was absolutely prepared to commit resources, as he truly believed that the Communism should be contained, no matter what the outcome. Johnson managed to use propaganda to indoctrinate the population, so he could gather public support for America's involvement in the Vietnam War.
The military involvement in Vietnam increased greatly. The use of Agent Orange came into play by the Americans. Agent Orange was a chemical dropped over vast areas of land covered with trees. This was used to aid the South Vietnam Army and the American bombing planes, as the trees would fall off the trees. The deployment of US Helicopters increased, as more and more military resources were needed to be transported to and around South Vietnam.
Johnson needed a justified reason to send combat troops into Vietnam. Finally, his moment arrived when the USS Maddox was attacked twice, just off the coast of North Vietnam. The job of the USS Maddox was to collate information of the North Vietnamese coastal defences. Soon, the Congress passed the 'Gulf of Tonkin Resolution,' which gave Johnson the power to resolve the conflict with any means necessary. He finally took the opportunity to deploy combat troops.
In 1965, Johnson ordered the 'Operation Rolling Thunder' in North Vietnam, after the Vietcong launched a series of damaging raids against the Americans in South Vietnam. The operation was continuous bombing of North Vietnam, designed to bring the North Vietnamese to the negotiating table, as the Americans hoped they would loose the will to fight.
The Communist North realised that for a great chance to spread Communism, they must enter South Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh designed a way of getting into South Vietnam through Cambodia as the Americans heavily guarded the 17th parallel, this became known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The fears of the North Vietnamese entering the South increased greatly, as Johnson knew that combat troops would be needed to attack them when entering South Vietnam.
The main reason for America sending combat troops to Vietnam in 1965, was to follow the Truman Doctrine and contain Communism, the Americans strongly believed in the Domino theory. America had tried previously all other methods of containment through military aid, huge sums of money and resources, but these did not seem to make much difference. The combat troops also used to end the Vietnam War as quickly as possible, so America would not be losing much money through funding. America could of sent combat troops from the start, but the did not as they were awaiting a different reason to deploy combat troops, because they did not want to be seen as an aggressor. A reason was found following the 'Gulf of Tonkin Incident,' and troops were desperately needed to along the Vietnam-Cambodia border to prevent the North Vietnamese from entering into South Vietnam.
Imran Tofail Iqbal
