Why did Johnson escalate key involvement in Vietnam
Why did Johnson escalate key involvement in Vietnam Charlotte Woolcott
Johnson’s escalation in Vietnam was a defining moment of his presidency. Many things influenced him to escalate, including the cold war context, the advice from the working group, the weakness of the South Vietnamese Government, and protecting the US bases. I think that the main factor which influenced Johnson to escalate US Involvement was the advice given to him by the Working group because these were his closest and most trusted advisors.
Johnson felt that if Vietnam became communist, then American interests and security would be threatened by a stronger communist network. Politically, Johnson would lose the mid-term elections if he lost to Vietnam, like Truman did in 1949 after losing to china. So he had to escalate in order to secure Vietnam. The Domino theory suggested that if South Vietnam fell then the rest of South East Asia would fall so Johnson felt that to secure South Vietnam he needed to send more troops in. The Truman doctrine was believed by Johnson that he had to contain communism in South East Asia or else it would spread across Asia.
Between 1963 and 1967 there were six South Vietnamese leaders. This led to instability and corruption as they lacked a strong leadership and direction. This influenced Johnson to feel that increasing the number of American Troops would strengthen the government. The weaker Saigon government led to a demoralised and inept ARVN, which meant that American troops had to be brought in to strengthen it. The weaker government also meant that American Troops were less safe due to poor leadership, so Johnson had to escalate to protect the Americans who were fighting out there.
In 1965, Viet Cong attacks on the U.S. forces were becoming increasingly violent, and although the Viet Cong obviously had many soldiers in South Vietnam, the MACV was still having difficulty locating any bombing targets at all. In February
Johnson’s escalation in Vietnam was a defining moment of his presidency. Many things influenced him to escalate, including the cold war context, the advice from the working group, the weakness of the South Vietnamese Government, and protecting the US bases. I think that the main factor which influenced Johnson to escalate US Involvement was the advice given to him by the Working group because these were his closest and most trusted advisors.
Johnson felt that if Vietnam became communist, then American interests and security would be threatened by a stronger communist network. Politically, Johnson would lose the mid-term elections if he lost to Vietnam, like Truman did in 1949 after losing to china. So he had to escalate in order to secure Vietnam. The Domino theory suggested that if South Vietnam fell then the rest of South East Asia would fall so Johnson felt that to secure South Vietnam he needed to send more troops in. The Truman doctrine was believed by Johnson that he had to contain communism in South East Asia or else it would spread across Asia.
Between 1963 and 1967 there were six South Vietnamese leaders. This led to instability and corruption as they lacked a strong leadership and direction. This influenced Johnson to feel that increasing the number of American Troops would strengthen the government. The weaker Saigon government led to a demoralised and inept ARVN, which meant that American troops had to be brought in to strengthen it. The weaker government also meant that American Troops were less safe due to poor leadership, so Johnson had to escalate to protect the Americans who were fighting out there.
In 1965, Viet Cong attacks on the U.S. forces were becoming increasingly violent, and although the Viet Cong obviously had many soldiers in South Vietnam, the MACV was still having difficulty locating any bombing targets at all. In February