a. JFK to LBJ

JFK: 

  • JFK was driven by the upcoming elections which influenced US policy decisions in Vietnam  

  • Kennedy confessed to a journalist about the deteriorating situation in Vietnam: "I can't up a piece of territory like that communists, and get the American people to re-elect me." 

  • As democrats, both JFK and LBJ worried that the loss of S. Vietnam to communism would ignite a political firestorm in the US that would destroy their reflective presidencies. 

  • The Second Indochina War was overwhelmingly fought in S. Vietnam. It was a war between the US-backed S. Vietnamese government and the communists in the South.  

  • JFK took office in 1961 and Indochina immediately became an important foreign policy issue – JFK was determined to stand firm in Vietnam.  

  • He stepped up to aid Diem and strengthened the US military presence in Vietnam – he was intent on containing the spread of communism.  

 

LAOS: 

  • Was in deep turmoil in 1961 – US military advisors were proving unsuccessful (e.g: Operation Pincushion) 

  • In July 1962, JFK backed a Soviet-sponsored initiative to convene a Geneva conference on the situation in Laos 

  • A deal was signed – it did not bring everlasting peace but it did remove Laos from the list of Cold War hotspots as it was declared neutral. 

  • For JFK, diplomacy seemed the only viable option in Laos, but he feared that by choosing this he had opened himself up to charges of being 'soft on communism' 

  • He stepped up to aid Diem and strengthened the Us military presence in Vietnam to show his determination in containing the spread of communism. 

 

JFK'S STRATEGY: 

  • Increased the number of military advisors from 800 to 16,000 and created the 'Military Alliance Command, Vietnam' (MACV) to supervise them 

  • Created a counter-insurgency force, the 'Green Berets' who cooperated with the ARVN 

  • US helicopters used for transporting ARVN troops, fire support and dropping defoliants. 

  • Encouraged Diem to introduce 'Strategic Hamlets' 

  • Sanctioned operation Ranch Hand.  

 

AFTERMATH OF DIEM'S ASSASSINATION: 

  • A relatively stable anti-communist government had been overthrown, and in the aftermath of the coup, Hanoi responded by greatly intensifying the war in the South  

  • The assassination revealed how clumsy the US often was in handling their 'client' leaders – they were often out of touch with reality and poorly managed 

  • Less than 3 weeks later, JFK was also assassinated.  

 

1963 – A TURNING POINT: 

  • By 1958, Le Duan had become the Party Secretary in the North, and by 1960 was officially named Party Leader, leaving Ho as a figurehead.  

  • Le Duan was a much more aggressive communist.  

  • He claimed the creation of the NLF (the Viet Cong) would 'rally all patriotic forces' to overthrow Diem's regime and ensure 'conditions for the peaceful reunification of the Fatherland.  

  • After the assassination of Diem in 1963, Le Duan encouraged the NLF to become much more militant.  

 

LYNDON B. JOHNSON: 

  • Was not familiar with foreign policy issues, but had inherited the legacy stance of seeing the US as a 'global policeman' for the free world. 

  • Was patriotic and had a firm belief in the superiority of the US military, especially against less powerful countries such as Vietnam 

  • Believed the US should fight communist aggressors and was opposed to appeasement in any  form 

  • Believed in the 'domino theory' (one country falls to communism, the others follow suit) 

  • Misunderstood foreigners despite having travelled extensively. Believed Ho Chi Minh was another Hitler 

  • Believed his country had fought to defend freedom and democracy in Korea and the two World Wars 

  • Felt the continuation of US involvement in Vietnam was a question of national honor 

 

LBJ AS VICE PRESIDENT VS PRESIDENT: 

  • As VP, Johnson was opposed to greater involvement in Vietnam – he was against the assassination of Diem as he knew it would further draw the US into the conflict 

  • As President, Johnson was motivated by the guilt of Kennedy's assassination, claiming 'I would continue for my partner who had gone down ahead of me'. 

 

LBJ'S STRATEGY: 

  • LBJ's focus was on domestic issues  

  • However the timing and suddenness of JFK's death ensured that Vietnam would be a particularly controversial aspect of his legacy 

  • In the early months of his presidency, he viewed all Vietnam options through the lens of the 1964 presidential election (he was desperate to be elected in his own right, instead of just being remembered as Kennedy's replacement) 

  • 'Stay the course' appeared to be his initial strategy 

 

LBJ'S ADVISORS: 

Robert McNamara 

  • Secretary of Defense  

  • Outspokenly in support of US involvement in Vietnam 

  • His solutions to the war were invariably military ones 

Dean Rusk 

  • Secretary of State 

  • Believed it was the fault of appeasement that led to the outbreak of war in the Pacific in 1941 

  • Was a very influential advisor 

  • Was known to take a hardline approach against communist aggression 

Curtis LeMay 

  • Chief of the Airforce 

  • Frequently advocated the bombing of Vietnam 

 

1963/4 - JOHNSON'S APPROACH: 

OPLAN 34A 

  • A strategy based on covert action progressively escalating pressure to inflict increasing punishment upon N. Vietnam 

  • Designed to force Hanoi to 'desist from its aggressive policies' 

Counterinsurgency Strategy 

  • Johnson increased the number of military 'advisers' from 16,300 to 23,300 

 

LBJ – AN ARCHITECT OF HIS OWN DOWNFALL: 

  • Johnson surrounded himself with advisers who agreed with him 

  • He had a bullish personality 

  • He did not want to be the first US president to lose a war 

  • Despite private misgivings, he announced on 20th April 1964 that the US was 'in this battle as long as S. Vietnam wants our support.'