JFK and the Vietnam War
analytical Essay
1800 words
JOHN F. KENNEDY IN VIETNAM There are many critical questions surrounding United States involvement in Vietnam. American entry to Vietnam was a series of many choices made by five successive presidents during these years of 1945-1975. The policies of John F. Kennedy during the years of 1961-1963 were ones of military action, diplomacy, and liberalism. Each of his decision was on its merits at the time the decision was made. The belief that Vietnam was a test of the Americas ability to defeat communists in Vietnam lay at the center of Kennedy¡¦s policy. Kennedy promised in his inaugural address, Let every nation know...that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty. From the 1880s until World War II, France governed Vietnam as part of French Indochina, which also included Cambodia and Laos. The country was under the formal control of an emperor, Bao Dai. From 1946 until 1954, the Vietnamese struggled for their independence from France during the first Indochina War. At the end of this war, the country was temporarily divided into North and South Vietnam. North Vietnam came under the control of the Vietnamese Communists who had opposed France and aimed for a unified Vietnam under Communist rule. Vietnamese who had collaborated with the French controlled the South. For this reason the United States became involved in Vietnam because it believed that if all of the country fell under a Communist government, Communism would spread throughout Southeast Asia and further. This belief was known as the domino theory. The decision to enter Vietnam reflected America¡¦s idea of its global role-U.S. could not recoil from world leadership. The U.S. government supported the South Vietnamese government. The U.S. government wanted to establish the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO), which extended protection to South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos in case of Communist subversion. SEATO, which came into force in 1955, became the way which Washington justified its support for South Vietnam; this support eventually became direct involvement of U.S. troops. In 1955, the United States picked Ngo Dinh Diem to replace Bao Dai as head of the anti-Communist regime in South Vietnam. Eisenhower chose to support Ngo Dinh Diem. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born in Brookline, Mass., on May 29, 1917. Kennedy graduated from Harvard University in 1940 and joined the Navy the next year.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the united states' involvement in vietnam was a series of choices made by five successive presidents during the years of 1945-1975. kennedy's policies were one of military action, diplomacy, and liberalism.
- Explains that the decision to enter vietnam reflected america's idea of global leadership. the southeast asia treaty organization (seato) extended protection to south vietnam, cambodia, and laos in case of communist subversion
- Explains that kennedy's cabinet members were made up of many different thinkers, including dean rusk, walt rostow, mcgeorge bundy, and george ball.
- Explains how taylor and mcnamara were sent on a series of trips during 1961-1963 to vietnam.
- Analyzes how the civil rights movement created a climate for protest. the cuban missile crisis raised doubts about kennedy's leadership ability.
- Explains that south vietnamese troops are defeated by a much smaller vietcong force despite u.s. assistance.
- Opines that there is speculation about what president kennedy would have done in vietnam had he not been assassinated.
Related
- opinion
- analytical
- explanatory
- comparative
- John F. Kennedy was arguably one of the best presidents and most powerful man we have experienced in the short life of America. As a leader of this country, he was a part of major events and made great progress in the timespan he spent in office (1961-1963). Some of these events include the creation of the Peace Corps, the ratification of the 23rd amendment, and the Cuban Missile crisis. (Kelly) Although, there is one undying question that has been asked by many. Possibly one of the most vexing questions left unanswered about JFK’s presidency, as well as the era of the Vietnam War. If JFK had lived out his term, rather than to be struck down by an assassins bullet, how would the outcome of the Vietnam War have been different?
In this essay, the author
- Opines that john f. kennedy was arguably one of the best presidents and most powerful man we have experienced in the short life of america.
- Explains that john's plan to withdraw from vietnam was laid out by secretary of defense robert s. mcnamara and joint chiefs maxwell d.
- Explains that john f. kennedy did not support the conflict in vietnam. he had always believed in the containment of communism. the cuban missile crisis was probably the closest that the united states had come to nuclear war.
- Explains that kennedy knew the toll of war and did not take it lightly. he was not easily persuaded by the corrupt companies that urged the war to continue.
- Concludes that the vietnam war would not have lasted as long as it did had jfk still alive his whole term. john would have pulled out of vietnam rather than let the war continue the way that johnson had.
- Describes the works cited, including "cuban missile crisis" and "john f kennedy and vietnam."
617 wordsRead More - Lbj And Its Impact On The Vietnam Waranalytical essayWith the assassination of Kennedy in 1963, LBJ became president after being sworn in the same day. LBJ promised the nation he would continue to pursue the very essence of what Kennedy was striving for. LBJ, who had his own agenda as well, is noted for his triumphs with Medicare and Medicaid programs as well as for signing the Civil Rights act in 1964. However, even with those certain triumphs, LBJ is and was examined closely with his dealings in how he handled the Vietnam War.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that lbj became president after kennedy's assassination and promised the nation he would continue to pursue the essence of what kennedy was striving for.
- Explains that lbj, like his predecessors, was committed to maintaining an independent south vietnam and achieving success in southeast asia against the rising tide of communism.
- Explains how lbj pushed through a national security agency memorandum on november 26, 1963, which directed the u.s. government to assist the people of south vietnam to win their contest against the externally directed and supported communist conspiracy.
- Explains that lbj was hesitant due to 1964 being an election year. in august 1964 in the gulf of tonkin, u.s. naval ships were attacked.
- Explains that lbj set out to establish a peace process in vietnam, and truly did not want the war to escalate.
- Describes how lbj ordered "operation rolling thunder", which was the continual bombardment of north vietnam. the tet offensive failed miserably, but showed the u.s back home what was going on
- Analyzes how lbj's popularity in his own party plummeted, and he declined any nomination to run. the conflict in vietnam brought him nothing but pain and frustration during his last months in office.
718 wordsRead More - The U.S. Contained Communism In Vietnamanalytical essayThe true answer to why the United States got involved in Vietnam lies in part in the Truman Doctrine. This statement is true for two reasons. First, the Truman Doctrine set forth a policy that was applied the international spread of Communism. Second, the Truman Doctrine was brought up when the conflict in Vietnam was increasing. The first United States involvement in Vietnam began in the late 1940's, long before it escalated to include the United States Military. Because of the basic terms or the Truman Doctrine, the United States was drawn in the Vietnam conflict. The Truman Doctrine dealt with fears of Communism, the domino theory, and a feeling there was a need for containment. All of Vietnam was in danger of falling into the hands of Communism.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that in 1949, mao zedong led the peoples revolution, which established a communist state in china.
- Explains that the truman doctrine set forth a policy that was applied the international spread of communism and was brought up when the conflict in vietnam was increasing.
- Describes how john f. kennedy took the presidential oath of office in 1961. he felt the united states needed to contain the spread of communism.
- Describes how one of the advisors, james t. davis, was riding in a truck with some ten south vietnamese soldiers when he ran over the viet cong land mine buried in the road.
- Explains that the american advisors were not able to give the south vietnamese a fighting spirit that was equivalent to the viet cong.
- Explains that the united states' plan to contain communism in vietnam failed. the south vietnamese officially surrendered to the north vietnamese on april 30, 1975.
- Cites charlton, michael, many reasons why the american involvement in vietnam.
- Analyzes how the truman doctrine called for an anti-communist foreign policy.
1513 wordsRead More - Vietnam And The Vietnam Waranalytical essayThe United States involved themselves in Vietnam for four main reasons: they wanted to contain communism, prevent the domino effect, support a very weak South Vietnam, and get retaliation for being attacked. After seeing China fall to communism in 1949, Lyndon Johnson did not want to watch the same thing happen in Vietnam. He decided that the United States must fight to contain communism in Vietnam and prevent the domino theory. The domino theory simply stated that if one country fell to communism, neighboring countries would soon follow suit, falling like a set of dominos. Essentially, Americans believed that if South Vietnam fell, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand would follow. Also, South Vietnam could not stand against the Vietcong alone because they were too weak and ill-equipped to fight. The United States believed that with good government, a large scale and ...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the longest war in the history of the united states took place in vietnam during the cold war.
- Analyzes how the united states fought to contain communism, prevent the domino effect, support a weak south vietnam, and get retaliation for being attacked.
- Explains that the united states did not lose the war as much as they failed to win it. they lost their support back home because the public didn't like what they were seeing in the media.
- Explains that the vietcong fought what is known as a guerilla war, in which they ambushed american vehicles in small groups of three to ten troops.
- Explains that the united states was not prepared to fight in the type of war they had gotten themselves involved in. the vietcong used the ho chi minh trail to transport supplies to their armies.
- Explains that the vietcong were fighting for their freedom and independence, which gave them the will and determination to fight, something the united states lacked.
- Explains that the vietcong were protecting their way of life and their choice of government from an aggressor that was trying to keep them from gaining independence.
1099 wordsRead More - John Kennedy Assassinationanalytical essay...nd the approach taken ultimately failed. The turning point of the US involvement was the assassination of JFK. Foreign policy in the United States had been extremely straight forward following WWII. There was no question that the standards for foreign policy would have dictated the massive involvement in Vietnam had two other people been in office during Kennedy and Johnson’s era. The Uniqueness of Kennedy’s foreign policy, and his approach which made him so loved would have dominated over the opinions of McNamara in 1964. But because Kennedy was killed, and the country was in turmoil, and Johnson’s less strict foreign policy, the advice of McNamara was taken more seriously and the US went to very violent conflict in Vietnam. John F. Kennedy would have been more focused on diplomacy and the result would have been a more steady resolution to the communism in Vietnam.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that kennedy's assassination was a miserable event in the timeline of the united states. kennedy would have handled the situation in vietnam differently.
- Explains that the cold war started in 1947, two years after hitler's death and the freedom of europe. the race to berlin is representative of the constant pressure the two world powers put on each other.
- Explains that dwight d. eisenhower's foreign policy standards paralleled the standards that america experienced during the majority of the cold war.
- Explains that kennedy was more collected and had a smart grasp on the handling of situations. dulles convinced kennedy that the invasion would remain secretive and that it would be incredibly successful.
- Analyzes how the bay of pigs was a crucial moment in the kennedy administration. kennedy learned valuable lessons that he would use throughout his presidency.
- Explains that kennedy handled all of his decisions with caution following the bay of pigs failure. the cuban missile crisis was another massive event during kennedy's presidency that was a conflict with communists.
- Analyzes how kennedy was different from eisenhower. he was quicker to look for a diplomatic resolution and to allow time to lessen tensions.
- Analyzes how johnson's domestic prowess, which defined him as a brilliant leader, led to the assassination of john fitzgerald kennedy on november 22, 1963.
- Analyzes how the strong national feelings were enough to push the us into a strong commitment in vietnam. johnson's popularity was dismantled by the decreasing approval of the war.
- Explains that the war in vietnam was a bloody and messy war for the united states. the turning point of the us involvement was the assassination of jfk.
2275 wordsRead More - Lyndon B. Johnson in Officeanalytical essayThe conflict in Vietnam was a situation where no matter which path taken, more negative than positive effects would hit the US and their allies. President Lyndon B Johnson took office after the assassination of JFK and now controlled a grieving nation. During the mid 1960s, Unites States President Lyndon B Johnson was forced to make a decision about the future in Vietnam. Any action he took would significantly affect those in the US who were still recovering from the death of a beloved president. Johnson and his advisors quickly narrowed their options down to three distinct options, all with what seemed to provide minimal benefit to the American people. Those three avenues of approach included pulling out all troops already in Vietnam, inserting thousands of more troops into Vietnam, or seeking neutralization over the countries of North and South Vietnam. President Johnson, while considering his options, was highly concerned with “The Domino Theory,” the threat of communism in Southern Asia; however he was also concerned about his image as president. With that being said, he knew that this was a deteriorating situation in Vietnam and no matter what path was chosen, he would face criticism. President Johnson, along with his advisors, procrastinated as long as they could to “pick their poison,” deciding that inserting combat troops was the best way to obtain economic and strategic value in Southern Asia.
In this essay, the author
- Describes how president lyndon b johnson was forced to make a decision about the future in vietnam after the assassination of jfk.
- Analyzes how president johnson's rise to power at home in the us was directly proportional to fall of power in deteriorating south vietnam.
- Explains that lyndon b johnson had three options of how to take on vietnam in front of him, and he took much time consulting with advisors.
- Explains that the president and his advisors questioned themselves constantly about the importance of the countries in southeast asia. the domino theory said if one country falls to communism, others will fall one after another.
- Narrates how the vietcong's attacks against the us troops and what was left of the south became a tipping point for johnson, who realized he needed to bite the bullet despite not having the nerve to do it.
- Explains that president johnson was placed into the vietnam conflict with no way to get around it. after the assassination of john f kennedy, he realized that the ongoing problem in vietnam was worse.
879 wordsRead More - The Causes Of The Vietnam Waranalytical essayThe Vietnam War began in 1954 after North Vietnam’s victory over the French colonial administration of Vietnam. North Vietnam’s goal was to unify the entire country by establishing a central Communist administration with support from the Soviet Union, China, and other Communist allies. By 1957, the Communist Vietnamese, known as the Viet Cong, utilized guerrilla war tactics against all those who were opposed them in the region. The United States government sought to guard against a Communist bloc in SE Asia and seized the opportunity to prevent the unification of the inevitable Communist rule of Vietnam by conducting strategic bombing methods in North Vietnam and surrounding areas suspected of housing the Viet Cong. President John F. Kennedy was a supporter of Dwight Eisenhower’s Domino Theory, which states that a communist victory in one country would cause a chain reaction of Communist rule in neighboring states.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the domino theory allowed for almost full support from washington and entered us into an eight year engagement of massive death and destruction of a small, third world country.
- Explains that the us destroyer maddox was believed to have undergone an "unprovoked" attack by north vietnamese torpedo boats during "routine patrol in international waters."
- Opines that the maddox's attack wouldn't have been "unprovoked" or during "routine patrol in international waters" due to the fact that he was actually operating a spy mission in vietnamese territory.
- Explains that the viet cong's tactic of choice was guerrilla warfare, in which they fought unconventionally ambushed and terrorised their enemies.
- Compares the progress of civil rights in the us and abroad, mcnamara, kennedy quote about paying any price for the success of liberty, martin luther king, government manipulation, ulterior motives, the suffering of the viets.
- Argues that the vietnam war is one of the most polarized wars to date as an infamous example of how the united states government and the will of people stood in direct opposition of each other.
- Explains that us aircrafts sprayed dioxin, a combination of different herbicides, and also known as agent orange, over numerous areas of vietnam, laos and cambodia during the war.
- Analyzes how president lyndon johnson's failure to rally the public around the commitment in vietnam led to the growth of the largest and most effective antiwar movement in american history.
- Explains that many blacks began to identify with the vietnamese since they were both victims of racist aggression and felt that freedom could be won overseas, but others didn't want any part in it.
- Analyzes how president kennedy's explanation of the vietnam war did not include the exploitation of southeast asia for its resources.
1473 wordsRead More - American Wars Abroadopinion essayThe U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War spanned from 1964-1975, and is an example of U.S. foreign involvement drawn out to an unnecessary extent. Throughout The War there were many decisions that the American citizens, and eventually the South Vietnamese, began to resent. Much of the Vietnam controversy could have been avoided if America had acted in a quick manner. America’s involvement in the Vietnam War lasted a total of eleven years from beginning to end making it, “the longest war in which the United States took part in” (Vietnam War). America went into the war to protect South Vietnam from the North Vietnamese Communists. The U.S. entered the war because of the Truman Doctrine, “Truman had declared that the United States must help any nation challenged by Communism” (Vietnam War). The Domino Theory, the idea that if one country fell to Com...
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the lesson of not prolonging foreign involvement can and should be used today in dealing with the war in iraq.
- Analyzes how the u.s. involvement in the vietnam war spanned from 1964-1975, and was drawn out to an unnecessary extent.
- Explains that the nuclear arms race between the united states and the soviet union is another example of america prolonging foreign involvement unnecessarily.
- Explains that the start treaty was signed with the intention of eliminating fifty percent of the nuclear weapons that each country held.
- Compares the cuban missile crisis to the vietnam war and nuclear arms race.
- Explains that the lesson that america should not prolong foreign involvement should be acknowledged with the war in iraq.
- Opines that the cuban missile crisis illustrates the benefits of acting in an expedited and decisive manner to succeed in a short period of time.
1552 wordsRead More - The War that Changed America Foreverexplanatory essayThe reasons for the Vietnam War took place long before the war even began. For years, the Vietnamese had been under French colonial rule. But, when Communist revolutionary Ho Chi Minh came back to Vietnam, he established a group called the Viet Minh, the goal of which was to remove all French occupation from Vietnam. So, the fighting started, and Ho Chi Minh tried to get the US to support them. But, being true to their policies of containment, the US started supporting France. The United States' thoughts about Communism's potential growth can be summed up in one basic idea: the Domino Theory. This theory stated that if one country in a region fell to Communism, the surrounding countries would soon follow. Because of this, the US committed to keeping the North Vietnamese contained once the French withdrew from Vietnam. But, the thing that really pushed the US into sending troops into Vietnam was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. On August 2nd and 4th, 1964, the North Vietnamese fired upon two US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin. Following this, Congress approved the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution on August 7, 1964, which gave the president authority to send military troops into Vietnam without declaring war. So, President Johnson sent troops into Vietnam, which had already erupted into civil war, to aid the South Vietnamese.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the vietnam war changed america forever. it was a long, costly war between communist north vietnam and capitalist south vietnam, aided by the united states.
- Explains the reasons for the vietnam war, which began long before the war began. the us committed to keeping the north vietnamese contained once the french withdrew from vietnam.
- Explains how the viet cong, a guerilla fighting group disguised as south vietnamese citizens, was difficult for the us to find, let alone fight, and developed napalm and agent orange.
- Explains that the war attracted negative attention from many americans, causing them to protest the idea of war. many songs protesting america's involvement in vietnam were written during this period.
- Explains that the end of the vietnam war was marked by the fall of saigon. the gulf of tonkin resolution caused americans to distrust their government.
931 wordsRead More - The Vietnam War: Communist Containment and the Cold Warcomparative essayVietnam was in a state of turmoil during the mid 20th century; after gaining independence from imperialist France, the country was torn between nationalist political parties in the South and Communist ones in the North. Even though the United States had made efforts to support france during the revolution, it was inclined to back the nationalist South Vietnamize after the coup rather than the communist North. In doing so the United States made an unwise political commitment to Vietnam, which would lead to the longest and most unpopular war in the Nations history. Vietnam represents an important chapter in American history, due to its symbolic meaning of the times in an era where the slogan "make love not war" was prominent, its direct relevancy to internal political conflicts during the cold war; and the amount of commitment the United States was obliged to undertake during that time concerning the spread of communism.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that vietnam was in turmoil during the mid 20th century after gaining independence from imperialist france. the united states backed the nationalist south vietnamize after the coup rather than the communist north.
- Explains that the soldiers who fought the vietnam war were the least celebrated warriors of american history. anti-war music illustrated the way the people felt at that time.
- Explains that the vietnam war was the most televised war in u.s history, showing the atrocities of the kill zone. civil rights leaders such as martin luther king jr. expressed their feelings through speeches to the public.
- Explains that the cold war was a competition between capitalism and communism between the soviet union and the united states.
- Explains that the united states' commitment to halt the spread of communism in the world was exemplified by the republican platform in 1952 called the "new look foreign policy".
- Concludes the vietnam war represented the chaos that the cold war bestowed on the world; similar "communist containment" efforts were administered in latin american countries to try and halt the "red tide".
970 wordsRead More