Vietnam help.. Lyndon Johnson?
Lyndon johnson moved toward full scale war in vietnam for all of the following reasons except:? Connor asked 3 year ago a. he had promised a the voters a victory in the 1964 campaign. b. he had accepted the idea that U.S security was at stake. c. he feared the communists were near victory in 1965. d. he wanted to avoid the political blame for not winning. e. the recollection of Truman's policy in china and Korea weighed heavily on Johnson.
How is Lyndon B. Johnson not responsible for the Vietnam War starting?
The first American Military advisors arrived in the newly partitioned South Vietnam in 1955. Prior to that we had advisors in country helping the French effort, and before that during WW2 trying to help the resistance fight the Japanese.The US already had a long history of involvement in Vietnam before President Johnson escalated the conflict in the mid 60’s.Politics, and public opinion turned against the war following the Tet offensive in 1968. The Paris peace accords were signed in 1973, and the US was largely out of the country by the end of the year.In the end, South Vietnam was not as committed to their way of life as was North Vietnam, and they were defeated in 1975 with the fall of Saigon. President Nixon had promised the government of South Vietnam, that we would stand by them if attacked by the north.However, because of the water gate scandal, and President Nixon's subsequent resignation of the presidency…This never happened, and the ford administration, congress, and the American people had had enough of Vietnam.
Did Lyndon Johnson have any choice but to send troops to Vietnam?
I am a Viet Nam veteran. I can tell you now what I did not know then. No one did.John F. Kennedy agreed to send a limited number of military advisers during his time. Before he was assassinated he had figured out that he was not going to get involved in a land war in Asia. There is an old saying about Western powers not getting involved in land wars in Asia. Rudyard Kipling wrote a famous poem “Here Lies a Fool” that although written for a different period and a slightly different locale, fits this situation completely.Lyndon Johnson used the excuse of some small gunboats (the Gulf of Tonkin Incident) supposedly firing on a U.S. destroyer to start planting combat U.S. troops in South Viet Nam. There was never a plan to conquer North Viet Nam, (as like the Korean conflict). The U.S. only wanted to arm and train the South Vietnamese initially, but they were not very interested in actually winning. The North was a very determined and dedicated foe, who were not going to quit until final victory.It was said then that the south Vietnamese were willing to fight til the last American was killed in battle. The North following Ho Chi Minh’s beliefs were willing to keep fighting til the Americans finally got weary and left. Then the North was going to switch from fighting a backyard guerrilla conflict to a massed uniformed invasion of the south by the north. Which is exactly what occurred.For the Vietnamese it was a war for unification as one nation for the Vietnamese people. For the western powers it was a proxy war to slow down and thwart the spread of communist during the Cold War.
Why did Lyndon B. Johnson escalate the Vietnam War?
I believe that everyone responding have hit upon the reasons LBJ escalated.LBJ was not a bad man. He was a champion of civil rights. I believe that he fell victim of the USA’s mantra that we are always winners, and no suck-ass pip-squeak Ho Chi Minh is going to win against the might of America.Just as Bush needed weapons of mass destruction President Johnson needed the Gulf of Tonkin.It is always easier to blame one person for a fuck-up. In reality, Johnson had some bad advisors; advisors who wanted war.I don’t let Johnson off the hook entirely though. I have read about him. On Air Force One (President’s Jet), his desk was loaded with hydraulics so that during meetings, it would rise above everyone so that they would have to look up at him. And, when he went #2 (took a shit), his staff had to follow him into the bathroom—farts, plunk-plunks breathe through your mouth and all—for meetings. GEEZE! I don’t care where you are on the political spectrum, that is troubling.I sincerely believe that had Kennedy lived, he would have drawn the line, and not escalated much beyond advisory and supply. I truly believe that Kennedy would have just let the Commies have that God forsaken place. Seriously, if Kennedy was that kind of President, he would have gone full-tilt-boogie on Cuba. Come on(!). Which was a bigger threat to the USA: Cuba or Vietnam?Johnson was a good man. But, in my opinion, he fucked up with Vietnam.
Did Lyndon Johnson escalate the Vietnam War for personal profit?
One can never be sure what another person thinks. We have to go by their words and actions.The Vietnam War was a prosperous affair for many contractors who had previous ties to LBJ. The construction of the Da Nang Air Base by civilian contractors, turned the War from Americans being advisors to full combat.LBJ had always been rewarded with campaign contributions by contractors he sponsored, Vietnam was no different.But profiteering wasn’t LBJ’s main objective. He actually wanted to win the war. Keeping his contractor friends happy was a side benefit, and a prosperous relationship for Johnson.The escalation of the war actually hurt Johnson’s Great Society plans, that he wanted to be remembered for.The Vietnam War spun out of control. It was a major factor for LBJ not seeking reelection, and Johnson loved being President. In 1968, LBJ went from being a War President, to seeking peace terms with North Vietnam.So no, LBJ main focus in Vietnam wasn’t to line his pockets with contract kickbacks. LJB’s goal was to actually win the Vietnam War.
How did Lyndon Johnson and his advisers lead the United States deeper into the Vietnam quagmire, and why di?
The U.S. was involved in the war in Viet Nam before Lyndon Johnson became president. Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy had sent military advisors to help the South Vietnamese defend themselves against the Communist North Vietnamese. But after an American ship was attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin President Johnson asked Congress for greater powers to take "all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression". On August 7, 1964 Congress approved these powers in the Tonkin Gulf Resolution. Johnson then began to send combat troops to Vietnam. By 1968 there were more than 500,000 troops in South Vietnam. He also began bombing attacks against North Vietnam. As the war dragged on year after year with increasing number of casualties and little or no chance of victory the war became more and more unpopular. Most Americans were divided in their opinions. Some people were "hawks" and some people were "doves" who wanted to bring our troops home and end the war. This led to social unrest and anti-war riots especially on college campusses. I hope that this has been a help to you.
POLL : Was Lyndon B Johnson a Good President?
Had he not had to deal with that Vietnam mess that he inherited from Eisenhower and Kennedy....he would have gone down in history as one of the best Presidents we have ever had. He was able to get legislation passed that FDR had had to stop working on due to World War II. Voting rights, civil rights...and his Great Society...improved our country enormously...including Medicare. FDR had wanted all these things for our country...and Johnson shared his vision.. Reading about LBJ is something worth your time. He was one of the most fascinating figures of the last century. An excellent book which fully explains in a wonderful way the political climate of our country when LBJ assumed the Presidency....is a book called "The Best and The Brightest" and written by David Halberstam. He won a Pulitzer Prize for it...and it is as easy to read as a novel it is written so very well. PS., The problems in Vietnam did not start during the LBJ presidency. They started because FDR was no longer alive to sign the terms of the peace of World War II. It had been the plan of FDR to make the large countries give up all their colonies...including Vietnam. Since FDR was not there to insist, France was allowed to keep Vietnam as a colony. Things got much worse in Vietnam after that...worsened during the Truman administration...and Kennedy discovered that Eisenhower even had military over there doing many things in secret. So...the problem in Vietnam was full-blown by the time it became Tar Baby that Kennedy inherited...and even worse when Kennedy passed it along to LBJ.