This document answers the question "To what extent was President Johnson responsible for the US’ involvement in the Vietnam War?"
Cambridge International AS/A Level – May/June 2016
Depth Study 3: International History, 1945–1991
Theme 1: The Cold War, 1950–1975
Syllabus 9389
Paper 41
To what extent was President Johnson responsible for the US’ involvement in
the Vietnam War?
Cambridge International AS/A Level – May/June 2016
Depth Study 3: International History, 1945–1991
Syllabus 9389
Paper 41
President Johnson was not fully responsible for US involvement in the Vietnam War.
Presidents before and after him continued to involve themselves in the war. In fact, Truman
was the first president who intervened as he gave the French aid to help them maintain
control over their colony against socialist guerrilla fighters within the country. Eisenhower
continued this aid policy up until France’s defeat in 1954. Kennedy's flexible response policy
increased the US’ involvement as the number of US military advisers raised to over 17,000 by
his death in 1963. President Nixon escalated tension and finally withdrew US troops from
Vietnam due to social and political discontent amongst those in the US and Vietnam.
However, President Johnson did drastically intensify US involvement as he was the first
President to directly involve the US in the war.
President Johnson drastically increased US involvement in the war by the time he came to
power in 1963. As a result of France's defeat, he was determined to prevent the spread of
Communism to the rest of Asia. Johnson saw Vietnam as a keystone, if it fell to Communism
the Domino Theory would take place. By 1964, Johnson believed he had to increase US
commitment to the war to prevent this spread. He needed a justifiable reason for the US
public and Congress to support their involvement. The Gulf of Tonkin incident, where the
Maddox destroyer was allegedly fired at by North Vietnamese troops, gave Johnson the
perfect excuse to involve his country. He described the incident as an example of “open
aggression” by the North Vietnamese. The day after the Gulf of Tonkin Incident Johnson
signed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave him authority to take necessary action. In
retaliation the US bombed North Vietnamese installations and factories to damage their
supplies and help Diem in the South. This Bombing campaign was given the name, “Rolling
Thunder”. For the next six years this resolution was used as the legal basis for US involvement
in the Vietnam War. Furthermore, Johnson also sent 100,000 US ground forces to help Diem
win the war against North Vietnamese guerrillas. In 1965 ‘Search and Destroy’ missions were
carried out and by 1968 over 520,000 US troops were stationed in Vietnam. Johnson also
bombed targets in South Vietnam to serve as air support for ground troops fighting the Viet
Minh. This led to hatred towards Americans throughout Vietnam amongst the locals even in
the South. In 1967 Johnson stated that there was “light at the end of the tunnel” as the US
began to win the war. Nevertheless, as a result of the Tet Offensive, Johnson announced that
he would not run for re-election as he realised that Vietnam was a war that the US could never
win.
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