How useful are sources A to C in helping to explain why the United States became involved in the war in Vietnam?

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History coursework- how useful are sources A to C in helping to explain why the United States became involved in the war in Vietnam?

Source A

Source A is a speech made by U.S President Johnson. It was a written document which he then spoke to the American audience in April 1965. This was one month after operation rolling thunder. This speech is a primary source/ evidence.

The speech was a justification for going in to Vietnam. President Johnson wanted the American public to rest assured that America was going in to Vietnam for the right reasons. Although we are not told who actually wrote this speech we presume that it was written by President Johnson with the help of his advisors. It is clear that he could not have produced this text alone and must have been influenced by the hawks amongst the advisors.

President Johnson came to power after the assassination of President Kennedy who was shot and killed in Dallas, Texas. Lyndon Johnson had to fight an election in 1964 and he knew that a tough Vietnam policy would go down with the voters. In August 1964 North Vietnamese Torpedo boats attacked a US destroyer in the gulf of Tonkin. The American congress gave President Johnson the power to direct actions in Indo-China. He launched Operation Rolling Thunder against North Vietnam.

America became involved with Vietnam for many reasons. The French faced a humiliating defeat at Dien Bein phu on the 7th of May 1954. The only survivor was a female nurse. The French were driven from there colony, Indo- China by communist nationalists led by Ho Chi Minh in 1954.This led to the Geneva agreement (1954) which meant the division of Indo- china into four states: Laos, Cambodia, north Vietnam (run by the communist regime of Ho Chi Minh) and South Vietnam (ruled by Ngo Dinh Diem and anti communist catholic politician). Ngo Dinh Diem led South Vietnam from 1954 to 1963 until he was killed by him generals in a military coup on the 1st of November 1965. He was an autocratic ruler. Diem’s rule was opposed by Buddhist peasants in South Vietnam. Many Buddhists where executed and imprisoned. The communist Vietcong made guerrillas attacks on Diem’s troops. Ho Chi Minh’s communist regime in North Vietnam supported the Vietcong by supplying them with arms and money. Ho Chi Minh led North Vietnam from 1945 to 1969.

The Americans came up with the domino theory. The American politicians didn’t believe that Vietnam was undergoing civil war between Diem and his followers and the Vietcong. They thought that this was an attempt by North Vietnam to spread communism in to South Vietnam and eventually all of South East Asia. The US feared that if one country fell to communism then the other neighbouring countries will also fall to communism, like a row of dominoes. As president Eisenhower said in 1954: “you have a row of dominos set up, you knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly.” They were not prepared to let this happen. South Vietnam looked like the next country to ‘fall’ to communism. The US therefore supported Diem’s regime by sending in money, supplies, armaments and military advisers. In 1959 the communist government in North Vietnam ordered the Vietminh to begin a terror campaign against Diem’s government.

President Kennedy had dealings with Diem and supported him. Diem’s regime was so corrupt that eventually the US encouraged the South Vietnam army to overthrow him. He was then shot and the generals took control. Kennedy was assassinated in the same month. Due to the fact the Kennedy had made certain promises and deals with South Vietnam, when President Lyndon Johnson came to power he had to stay committed to these dealing and this proposes as another reason as to why America was involved in Vietnam.

A major reason for why America became involved with Vietnam was the American policy bought up by President Harry Truman on the 12th of March 1947 but at this time he was referring to the US supporting Greece and Turkey. The Truman doctrine stated that USA would support any country who was trying to keep its political freedom and who felt threatened by communist aggression. Therefore the US had to get involved in Vietnam if they were to keep this policy running.

America gradually entered the war to limit the flow of supplies from the soviets, to the Vietnamese yet again another reason America became involved in Vietnam.

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The speech gives many reasons as to why the US felt they were doing right going into Vietnam. We already know that America had to keep to its policies and President Johnson also reminds the American public of this when he says “since 1954 every American President has offered support to the people of South Vietnam”, “we are also there to strengthen world order. Around the world, from Berlin to Thailand- there are people whose well-being rests on the belief that they can count on us if they are being attacked”. By saying this President Johnson gave the public ...

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