Saxon King

Modern History: Mr Creighton

Word Count:1200

Nature and Development of U.S. policy towards Indochina generally and Vietnam in particular.

America originally showed next to no interest in Indochina after the Second World War. However due to certain which included the Communist Takeover of China in 1949 and the Korean War, American concerns towards indo-china and the power of communism escalated rapidly, specifically in Vietnam. This was due to the Vietnamese communist fighters, under Ho Chi minh, ability to expel the French forces from Indo-china. In the march of 1947 President Truman established the policy of communist Containment . This Containment was to ensure that communism didnt escalate into a world-wide ideology. The Truman Doctrine was a policy that the US would provide political, military and economic assistance for to all democratic states under threat from all authoritarian forces.

American Policy towards Indochina from 1953-1961:

President Eisenhower:
-

Communism:
President Eisenhower was an individual who not only believed in President Trumans theory of containment but also added to it through his development of the Domino effect/Theory. In this theory he states that should a single nation or state fall to communism then all neighbouring states and governments were at risk of also falling to communism. President Eisenhower stated that, You have a row of dominoes 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. This was used as an explanation and also evidence for the use of this theory.

Vietnam: President Eisenhower view Vietnam as the First Domino, stating that it would be the piece to possibly cause the collapse of the eastern and western world to communism. Due to this he sent aid to the South Vietnamese government so that they may stabilised their position in the world as a democratic nation and also an Opponent of Communism.

President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Policies: 1961-1963

Opinion/Policies:
Communism: Kennedy viewed communism as a threat to the capitalist way of life however he did not view it with as much aggression as Truman as LBJ would later do. Vietnam:

Saxon King

Modern History: Mr Creighton

Word Count:1200

Kennedy believed that Vietnam was the perfect battlefield for the superpowers of the world without resulting to nuclear means to win the war. He came to this conclusion after the Cuban missile crisis. Kennedy feared how close mankind had come to extinction after the near miss of nuclear war with the USSR. Diem: Diem was viewed by Kennedy as corrupt and untrustworthy however this was still better than a communist in Kennedys eyes. However this did not stop Kennedy turning on Diem when there was enough support for Diems removal. Ho Chi minh and the North Vietnamese: JFK viewed Ho Chi Minh and the North Vietnamese as a threat to the South Vietnamese and their Capitalist government (this government more closely resembles an Autocratic Government under Diems leadership).

Assassinations and their effect on policy: On the 1st of November 1963, Diem and his brother were executed/assassinated by the South Vietnamese generals. This was supported by the United States, who provided funding for the Generals. Three weeks later however, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas Texas. Diems death had no effect on the policy change except for the fact that USA now had support from certain religious organisations within the country. Kennedys Death allowed President Johnson to take power. At the start of Kennedys term there was only 800 American military personnel in Vietnam by November 1963 there was over 16000.

President Lyndon Baines Johnson and Policies: 1963-1969 I guess weve got no choice, but it scares the death out of me. I think everybodys going to think were landing marines, were off to battle Lyndon Baines Johnson Opinion/Policies:
Communism: LBJ held a view of communism which was almost identical to that of President Truman and Eisenhower. He feared that if Vietnam fell it would lead to a conservative backlash in America which would lead to the repeal of his domestic reforms. Vietnam: LBJ was extremely reluctant to continue the war in Vietnam. However, according to the Robert Dallek (author of Johnsons biography, The Flawed Giant), Johnson felt that Vietnam was a situation for America yet he was extremely proud and insecure man, this led to his inability to justify leaving Vietnam to himself and his nation. American Involvement: Before the Tonkin incident US involvement and policy was to only send advisors to Vietnam, however after the Tonkin Incident in which a US Destroyer was fired upon by Vietnamese patrol boats, Jonson was able to convince the houses of parliament to engage in war with North Vietnam. Most importantly this was done legally with both the houses backing Johnson and his decision.

Saxon King -

Modern History: Mr Creighton

Word Count:1200

South Vietnamese Government: LBJ aimed to solidify the South Vietnamese government by giving them aid in the form of money, munitions and materials for the building of a solid infrastructure. He hoped to be able to leave the South Vietnamese in a position of strength after the war was won. It was to be used as a representation of Capitalism and democracys power. Ho Chi Minh and the North Vietnamese: LBJ viewed the communist North as Bullies and believed that stiff resistance could stop them.

President Richard Nixon and his policies: 1969-1971

The greatest honour history can bestow is the title of peacemaker. RICHARD NIXON, Inaugural Address, Jan. 20, 1969 Opinions/Policies:
Vietnamisation: This was the term used by Nixon in relation to the US policy in Vietnam, it changed what the Truman policy had established. This policy had two key parts: 1. Firstly U.S. forces would be withdrawn, this was done quite quickly so as to maximise its effectiveness 2. The South Vietnamese military would continue to e funded by the U.S. in their struggle against the NLF/North Vietnamese.

The Madman Theory:

This was a technique used by the U.S. at the peace accords, it was used so as to make it seem President Nixon was absorbed by his hatred of communism and was such a firm believer in domino theory that he would resort to nuclear means to overcome the North Vietnamese if they didnt comply with the peace agreement. America/China: President Nixon was able to re-open extremely successful negotiations with the Peoples Republic of China during the closing years of the war. This caused the Chinese to minimise their amount of imports into North Vietnam for e.g. the amount of weapons they supplied the NLF with.

The Policy Changes?:

Overall the United states approach to communism didnt change til it was time for them to withdraw and due to this it seemed that the only major changes in policy over time was the resources a President was willing to employ in Indochina. Vietnam was a front for the U.S.s war against communism and it was a war of Ideals and beliefs as much as a war of territory.

Saxon King

Modern History: Mr Creighton

Word Count:1200

Bibliography:
Cawthorne, N 2010, Vietnam: A War Lost and Won, Arcturus Publishing Limited, London Curtis Le May and LBJ quotes, Brainy quote, Accessed 19 August 2013 <http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/american> Chomsky, N 1993, Rethinking Camelot, South End press, Boston, USA Dallek, R 1998, Flawed Giant: Lyndon Johnson and His Times, 1961-1973, Oxford University, England. Domino Theory, 2012, Illustration, Domino Theory, accessed 17 August 2013, <http://apushcanvas.pbworks.com/w/page/53332911/Domino%20theory>. Lyndon Johnson's Presidential recordings, 2013 Professional Presidential recordings, accessed 19 August 2013, http://presidentialrecordings.rotunda.upress.virginia.edu/essays?series=Vietnam Office of Historian, 2013 Milestones, Bureau Of Public Affairs, accessed 19 August 2013, http://history.state.gov/milestones/1961-1968 Presidents of America, 2013 The White House, accessed 17 August 2013, http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/richardnixon Trueman, C 2013 John F Kennedy and Vietnam, History learning site, accessed 17 August 2013, http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/kennedy_vietnam.htm