The policy of containment would soon be severely tested upon a number of battlegrounds. What were the goals of U.S. involvement in Vietnam? Discuss the events that led up to and contributed to increased U.S. involvement and the end of the “conflict.” (You should discuss the Johnson and Nixon administrations).
The Containment policy is an American policy that was formulated by President Truman after the Second World War as a means to eradicate communism created by the Soviet Union. The policy held that only the United States was in a position to block the territorial ambitions of an ‘aggressor nation’ like the Soviet. The policy soon stood several aggressive tests in some battlegrounds such as Vietnam. Therefore, this paper discusses the objectives as well as events that led up to and amplified United States involvement in Vietnam ‘conflict.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The United States’ chief objective concerning Vietnam was to assist in controlling the extensive spreading of Communism. The United States did so by assisting South Vietnam’s independent nation. With communist victory in Vietnam being imminent, President Kennedy sought to assist stop the communists from being victorious by using an indirect approach. Instead of deploying U.S. military, President Kennedy provided financial support to the Vietnamese army to purchase weapons.
Nevertheless, after President Kennedy got out of power, the policies he advocated for were modified. His predecessors Johnson and Nixon preferred a more direct approach rather than President Kennedy’s indirect approach. For instance, President Johnson preferred to increase the military activity in Indochina as a response to Vietnam’s Gulf of Tonkin’s firings. After passing the idea, the Johnson’s and Nixon’ administrations put it into effect with hopes to curb the Vietnam War.
Moreover, President Johnson sought after protecting the U.S. military in Southeast Asia after a second attack occurred. Additionally, President Johnson initiated a bombing campaign with the notion that it would destroy Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. The campaign dubbed ‘Operation Rolling Thunder’ lasted from 1965 till 1967. Lastly, President Johnson carried out military operations that were aimed at defeating the Viet Cong.
