Domino Vietnam War

Vietnam War: Brought about by Fear

The Vietnam War was not started because of a direct or immediate threat to the United States. It was started by the build up of a perceived threat of expanding communism,which was promoted by President Eisenhower. Overall, President Eisenhower was primarily responsible for setting the stage and culture of fear that put the United States on a direct path towards war in Vietnam. Although President Johnson officially brought the United States into the Vietnam war, President Eisenhower’s articulation of the “Domino Theory” heavily influenced his decision making as well as the decision making of President Kennedy and Johnson(Anderson 28). President Eisenhower began the United States involvement

by supporting the French both economically and militarily. The goal was to help them keep control of their Indonesian Colony which included Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam(K. Gay, M. Gay 10). Importantly, Eisenhower then laid the foundation by pledging to the American people that he would take a strong stance against the Cold War and the evil of communism. President Kennedy agreed with Eisenhower’s strategy of fighting communism and decided to increase the United States’ involvement by providing economic aid, military training, and support to South Vietnam(Dougan 23). After President Kennedy’s assassination, President Lyndon Johnson also utilized Eisenhower as an adviser on the United States involvement in Vietnam(Petrini). Overall, Eisenhower set the culture of fear of the spread of communism which impacted the decision making, leading the United States into a War in Vietnam.
When President Eisenhower came into office in January of 1953, he began with an anti-war stance(Bradley 44). He did not want to engage the United States troops into another major war like that of War World II. In February 1954, President Eisenhower continued his strong stance against committing any American troops to the Franco_Vietnamese War. Eisenhower stated, “I cannot conceive of a greater tragedy for America than to get heavily involved now in an all-out war in any of those regions" (Bradley 44). However, that stance quickly changed as the fear of communism began to take hold and expand. Just a few short months later, in April 1954, Eisenhower reviewed again if the United States should get directly involved in the conflict in Vietnam. After careful review, he decided to authorized military aid to the French but continued to refrain from committing troops(K. Gay, M. Gay 13). Eisenhower’s speech on April 7, 1954 was critical in setting the tone and rationale for United States involvement in Vietnam for decades to come.
President Dwight D.

Eisenhower, being a powerful and historical military man, sets the culture around the United States thinking about the threat of communism and the importance of Vietnam. On April 7, 1954, Eisenhower articulated one of the most famous Cold War phrases when he suggests the fall of French Indochina to the communists could create a “domino” effect in Southeast Asia(Anderson 28). This “domino theory” was the core and center stage of United States thinking and decision making from President Eisenhower to Johnson. Eisenhower stated: “You have broader considerations that might follow what you would call the ‘falling domino’ principle. You have a row of dominoes set up, you knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is a certainty that it will go over very quickly. So you could have a beginning of a disintegration that would have the most profound influences"(Anderson 28). The fear that the loss of Vietnam to communism would quickly lead to the fall of Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, and Japan(Anderson 28). This would not only affect the important south pacific trade area but could eventually lead to a challenge of the United States way of life. The strong belief in the “domino theory” guided Eisenhower’s decision making especially as the likelihood the area would become communist

increased.
President Eisenhower’s fear of expanding communism grew substantially as the French efforts to maintain control of their territory failed.

On May 7, 1954, approximately 10,000 French soldiers surrender at Dien Bien Phu(Anderson 44). At this point, the death tolls included approximately 8000 Viet Minh and 1500 French (Anderson 44). Sadly, many of the French survivors were sent to prison camps where they died. The French had lost control their colony which included Vietnam. In July of 1954, attempts were made to bring peace to the area through the Geneva Accords(Cuddy 354). This attempt was destined to fail because of the growing mistrust and paranoia of the communist threat to the western lifestyle. The United States and South Vietnam recognized the Geneva Accords but refused to sign them. The Geneva Accords called for the country of Vietnam to be unified through an election for one leader(Cuddy 354). This stipulation could not be supported by Eisenhower because the leader he supported in South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem, would lose to the Communist Leader of North Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh(Cuddy 354). The unified country of Vietnam would almost certainly become communist. The United States worked strategically behind the scenes of the international recommendations brought upon in the Geneva Accords because Eisenhower did not like the likely outcome(Cuddy 355). At this point, the fear of communism caused the United States to intervene and assert their beliefs plus

fears on the world. As a result, Eisenhower increased the United States involvement by supporting Ngo Dinh Diem in establishing a new government and building a military. He sent American soldiers to serve as advisors to this process (Brands 590). In October 26, 1955, The Republic of South Vietnam is announced with Diem as its first president . Eisenhower immediately recognizes the new country and leader. Unfortunately, Diem turned out not to be the leader that the United States hoped. As of matter of fact, Diem utilized the United States training and equipment to attack Viet Minh sympathizers in his country(Brands 590). Theses sympathizers were called the Viet Cong. Ultimately, he arrested over 100,000 people whom many were tortured and killed (Cuddy 357). Further, Diem’s regime was full of corruption which added to his unpopularity. Eisenhower meets with new elected to President John F. Kennedy to brief him on the growing threat of the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. This heightened the fear of communism as a threat to US way of life and set the tone for the Kennedy Administration.
President Kennedy had a great deal of respect for President Eisenhower and believed fully in the Domino Theory. Kennedy made it clear in his early speeches that the threat of communism is one of great concern for his administration. He expressed commitment to defend against the Domino Theory coming true(Dougan 23). He was unwilling to contemplate a world where countries were falling to communism and eventually threatening the core values of the United States and the way of life. Kennedy turns his commitment to action. Kennedy stated: “Pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend…to assure the survival and success of liberty”(JFK Library).
After Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963, President Johnson immediately turned to President Eisenhower for advisement. It was the day after President Kennedy’s death that President Johnson requested a meeting with Eisenhower(Cuddy 357). Johnson believed he needed a strong and trusted American to guide him through the turbulent times. President Johnson quickly responded by stating he would not lose Vietnam and sent over 16,000 military advisors(Cuddy 365). In March of 1965, Johnson made the decision to send United States forces into direct battle with North Vietnam. By June of 1965, there were over 82,000 troops stationed in Vietnam. Johnson authorized another 100,00 by the end of July 1965(Cuddy 365). In August of 1965 Johnson stated,“The President with whom I counsel often and who has had the greatest experience in not only political and diplomatic matters, but in matters of a military nature, President Eisenhower, has been a tower of strength to me, to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to the Secretary of Defense, and to the leaders of the Congress”(Petrini). The United States was fully engaged in fighting the war they believed would prevent the Domino Theory and protect their way of life.
In the end, The Vietnam War was not started because of a direct or immediate threat to the United States. It was started, over three administrations, by the build up of the perceived threat of expanding communism. Eisenhower, set the culture and the tone for his presidency and those of Kennedy and Johnson. Eisenhower escalated the fear of communism by articulating the Domino Theory. The fear that if one country turns communist it will definitely mean many other countries would follow. Further,this expansion of communism would eventually threaten the way of life in the United States. Most importantly, Eisenhower had the opportunity to work cooperatively through the Geneva Accords but his fear of the Domino Theory caused him to separate from international recommendations. This culture of fear of a different type of government was also passed onto the Kennedy and Johnson Administration. It was this fear of a different type of government, communism, which led three Presidents into an unwinnable war in Vietnam.