Before Lyndon Johnson made his decision to increase American involvement in the Vietnam conflict, he had received written recommendations from the National Security Council and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. These documents are key in understanding Johnson’s decision but they only comprise part of the decision making process. While well-written and thoughtful position papers can make a persuasive argument, they are not the most important factor in making a decision. The most important factor in decision-making is the schema of the decision maker.
The use of a variety of tools can provide insight into how Johnson made his decision. Allison’s three models of decision-making are all useful to build the picture and try to gain an understanding of why Johnson decided to increase America’s military role in the Vietnam War. Each model can provide an added layer of insight, which combined with an analysis of Johnson’s schema, can help explain why Johnson made the decision he did.
Allison’s Model I, The Rational Actor, serves as a good starting point for analysis. This model provides an initial outline of the stated “goals and objectives” . These stated objectives can offer insight for what decision makers and advocates see as important. The position paper from the executive committee makes the objectives clear. First, to have “...North Vietnamese (DRY) support and direction removed from South Vietnam….” Second to “Re-establish an independent and secure South Vietnam….” Lastly to “Maintain the security of other non-Communist nations in Southeast Asia….”
While Model I illustrates the stated goals and objectives, it does not give the whole picture. As Allison explains, it neglects to take into account Bounded Rationality . Th...
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White House Executive Committee, “Position Paper on Southeast Asia” 2 Dec 1964 (School of Advance Warfighting 7190 Writing Assignment Reader) 17. Cited hereafter as White House, “Position Paper on Southeast Asia”
White House, “Position Paper on Southeast Asia” 17
White House, “Position Paper on Southeast Asia” 17
Allison, 20
Allison, 145
Joint Chiefs of Staff, JCSM-982-64 “Memorandum regarding Courses of Action in Southeast Asia” 23 Nov 1964 (School of Advance Warfighting 7190 Writing Assignment Reader) 15. Cited hereafter as JCSM-982-64 “Memorandum regarding Courses of Action in Southeast Asia
National Security Council Working Group “Course of Action in Southeast Asia” 12 Nov 1964 (School of Advance Warfighting 7190 Writing Assignment Reader)
JCSM-982-64 “Memorandum regarding Courses of Action in Southeast Asia, 17.
Allison, pg 264
Chris Appy’s s American Reckoning is a book-length essay on the Vietnam War and how it changed the way Americans think of ourselves and our foreign policy. This is required reading for anyone interested in foreign policy and America’s place in the world, showing how events influence attitudes, which turn to influence events.
This shows that not only did Russell not feel intimidated by LBJ, but LBJ welcomed Russell’s opinions. Even though LBJ welcomes Russell as an advisor, in this tape LBJ is questioning sending American troops into Vietnam because even the loss of one American life is a loss. Looking back on the situation, although LBJ was wary about becoming more involved in the war and Russell argued why America should not get involved, LBJ did not take Russell’s opinion and inevitably sent American troops in. Thus, it can be assessed that President Johnson is interested in hearing Russell’s opinions but is still stubborn because he argues that other individuals are not in his position. Russell disagreed with entering Vietnam because he believed the Vietnamese were not doing much to help themselves and thus, did not deserve American help. However, he believed that if the President put American troops in Vietnam then the nation becomes involved and the war needs to be one by extensive military
The Vietnam War: A Concise International History is a strong book that portrays a vivid picture of both sides of the war. By getting access to new information and using valid sources, Lawrence’s study deserves credibility. After reading this book, a new light and understanding of the Vietnam war exists.
A momentous decision would soon follow. On July 1965 175,000 U.S combat troops were to be sent by the end of the year to defend South Vietnam, and again, by the years end in 1966 another 200, 000 to be sent, understanding the likelihood of the wars coming to an end was slim to none, however, the fundamental logic expressed throughout was that Laos is the present Key to the entire area of South East Asia.
As part of his campaign, Linden B. Johnson directed his efforts toward the improvement of life of those in poverty, focusing little attention to the Vietnam War. Yet once elected, he brought upon “the escalation of the Vietnam war to an intensity that few Americans expected when they cast their ballots for him” (Walsh). Johnson’s increased interest and support for the war created a major issue of misrepresentation, his election came from his ideas aimed at the “Great Society,” yet he authorized the increase of the original “20,000 U.S. troops to more than a half million” to serve in Vietnam (Walsh). The policies that the former president was elected under was what the general public hoped would come from his stay in office, yet his legacy would go on to be almost entirely regarding his involvement in the war. Not only did he bring the United States deeper into the war, he also failed “to honestly discuss how badly the war was going and to reveal the true costs of the conflict” (Walsh). This duplicity on the part of the former president, forged for a severe difference in preference and policy between him and the majority of United States public that had elected him into office for his first official presidential term in
At the start of the movie, photos of the medium-range ballistic Soviet missiles in Cuba are revealed to President Kennedy. This new information the United States possessed was unbeknownst to the public, press and the Soviets themselves. Therefore, a team of advisors known as exComm, including special assistant to the President, Kenneth O’Donnell, Robert Kennedy, and Joint Chiefs of Staff, are assembled to discuss the next course of action privately. The various public administration theories of decision making are useful in analysing the president and his team’s various deliberations on actions that should be taken to tackle the crisis as portrayed in the movie. Ideally, the President should have adopted the rational comprehensive approach in his decision making process; engaging a systematic ana...
The Vietnam War was the longest and most expensive war in American History. The toll we paid wasn't just financial, it cost the people involved greatly, physically and mentally. This war caused great distress and sadness, as well as national confusion. Everyone had that one burning question being why? Why were we even there? The other question being why did America withdrawal from Vietnam. The purpose of this paper is to answer these two burning questions, and perhaps add some clarity to the confusion American was experiencing.
President Dwight Eisenhower conditionally pledged to support South Vietnam’s new nation in 1955. In the time period between 1955-1961 the United States pumped seven billion dollars in aid so that Vietnam would not “go over quickly” like a “row of dominoes” (McNamara 31). In the next 6 years Vietnam would cost America billions of dollars, thousands of lives, and the disaffection of much of the United States public. Yet in the end, South Vietnam would fall to the North less than 2 years after the United States military involvement ceased.
This book details the discussion of government policy in the stages of the Vietnam crisis from 1961-July 1965. It examines the main characters of President Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert McNamara, in addition to the military, which included the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It began in the Kennedy era amidst the Bay of Pigs incident and how that led to mistrust of the military planning by advisors and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It continues with Johnson and his administration making decisions over and over that continued to commit more and more involve...
So many things influenced our involvement in the Vietnam War, and Lawrence examines the decisions we made in a greater context than just our own. He argues that international pressures controlled the attitudes and ideas of the United States, for the most part.
方玥雯[Fang Yue Wen] (2009). 北韓核武研發與東北亞安全：2002-2007. [The North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons and the Security in Northeast Asia: 2002-2007] in台灣[Taiwan]: 國立政治大學[National Cheungchi University] Retrieved 18 July, 2013 from http://nccuir.lib.nccu.edu.tw/handle/140.119/37029
In the early 1960s the U.S. began sending military advisors to South Vietnam beginning the Vietnam War, arguably the most controversial war in United States history. This incident followed Vietnam gaining its independence from the French Empire’s Indochina in 1954. The nation soon split, creating a communist North Vietnam, and a noncommunist South Vietnam. In fear of communism spreading the U.S. supported South Vietnam and sent troops. As the incident dragged on it caused a huge anti-war movement and a lot of political turmoil.The troops were withdrawn in 1973, the whole country fell to communism, and the U.S. failed. How did a superpower such as the U.S. take defeat from a small country like Vietnam? Many have wondered and continue to wonder
The Vietnam War (1954-1975) was, and continues to be, a contentious issue around the world. Many analysts of the war attribute it to Lyndon B. Johnson, who was president of America from 1963 until 1969, because under his administration, the American Army became involved in combat in Vietnam. Although there were many facets that lead Johnson to make his decision and there were three other presidents, in power during the course of America’s involvement in Vietnam, who also played key roles, it was Johnson who made the decision to escalate US intervention in Vietnam.
The conflict in Vietnam for the United States started when President Dwight D. Eisenhower went along with the domino theory and sent in military advisors in South Vietnam to stop the communist movement from taking place in South Vietnam. The Vietnam conflict was between the communist’s and the United States. North Vietnam was led by Ho Chi Minh, and Ho Chi Minh led the Viet Cong, a guerilla group to help spread communism. The United States were supporters of the South Vietnam because they wanted them to maintain their government rather than falling to the domino theory of communism. After Eisenhower’s term ended John F. Kennedy became president and took control of the situation of Vietnam but on November 22, 1963, Kennedy was assassinated. Lyndon B. Johnson succeeded presidency and the problems of Vietnam were left to himself. In 1963, the Tonkin Gulf incident occurred where, the U.S.S Maddox was attacked by North Vietnamese naval ships on august 2 1964. Two days later an even more controversial attack happened where it was reported another ship was attacked again but has later been proven false. Johnson used these events to gain congressional approval to enter into Vietnam. However the Tonkin Gulf Incident was questioned to have even happened which makes the war undoubtedly questionable Immediately after the incident . Many troops were killed in Vietnam and the United States eventually lost the war and does not achieve their goal to stop communism. Despite the large amount of conflict in Vietnam that needed to be resolved, escalating the war was the wrong idea by Johnson, as the many consequences of the war for the United States outweighed the potential spread of communism.
Steinberg, David I., and Donald N. Clark. "Review of The Kwangju Uprising: Shadows over the Regime in South Korea." The Journal of Asian Studies 47.3 (1988): 662-63. Print.