Eisenhower Post Vietnam War

Vietnam: The Eisenhower and Kennedy Years

Post World War II
The years following World War II were a time of economic boon and prosperity for most Americans. At the same time, the Iron Curtain was firmly in place, the cold war was heating up, and the fear that communism would take over the world like a zombie apocalypse was almost palpable. In international politics during the post-war years the United States sought to establish itself as the leader of the free world. We no longer took the isolationism position that had been established as far back as George Washington and generally maintained until December 7, 1941.We began to consider ourselves the “world’s policemen”.
President Eisenhower
In 1953, after assuming the presidency,
Dwight Eisenhower tried to encourage the French to finish what they had started and take control over the Vietminh in Vietnam. He felt the French failed because they had not fought hard enough or long enough and they did not have enough resolve or military capability to defeat the determined soldiers of North Vietnam (Moss, 2010 p.43). During a press conference in 1954 the president spoke about the “domino theory” and the spread of communism:
Finally, 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 the certainty that it will go over very quickly. So you could have a beginning of a disintegration that would have the most profound influences. (As cited by National Park Service).
Eisenhower and his aides believed in military power over political influence in preventing the spread of communism.
Eventually Eisenhower became the first U.S. president to be directly involved in Vietnam. Eisenhower felt that American forces had the wealth, weaponry and determination to help build and support a modern democratic state. It was decided at the Geneva accords that Vietnam should be divided at the 17th parallel, with North Vietnam controlled by the Viet Minh and South Vietnam becoming a non-communist nation. Eisenhower supported this initiative by providing resources to Ngo Dinh Diem, the President of South Vietnam. Diem, while entirely dependent on U.S. aid for his country’s continued existence, resented interference by American advisors. Nonetheless. Diem was allowed to continue with his own
agenda.
President Kennedy
John F.
Kennedy was elected in a time of stagnant growth in America and he was determined to “get the country moving again” (Moss, 2010. p.87). Kennedy assumed office in 1961 and with it he inherited the growing unrest in Southeast Asia. After the Bay-of-Pigs disaster in Cuba, he could not afford to be soft and his administration sought to show strength against the Russians and communism in general. The president and his aides did a fair amount of chest pounding to prove U.S. power and dominance to Khrushchev and other world leaders. While he initially continued Eisenhower’s policies in Vietnam, eventually these factors led President Kennedy to enhance American presence and significantly increase the number of aircraft there. As turmoil escalated Kennedy reaffirmed our commitment to Vietnam. Shortly before his death in 1963 Kennedy spoke on Southeast Asia and the domino theory to CBS
news:
Those people who say we ought to get out are wholly wrong, because if we withdraw from Vietnam, the Communists would control Vietnam. Pretty soon Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaya would go and all of Southeast Asia would be under the control of the Communists and under the domination of the Chinese. (Moss, 2010. p. 113)
Conclusion
While Eisenhower and Kennedy had very different leadership styles, both men were unwavering in their resolve to prevent communism from spreading throughout the world. Eisenhower was a republican known for his military expertise and supporter of traditional American values; the democratic Kennedy was a liberal visionary and the charismatic king of Camelot. Kennedy was very aware of the importance of showing strength as the leader of the United States, particularly in walking the delicate tightrope of foreign relations during the cold war. Both the actions and inactions of these presidents in Vietnam show us how important the direct leadership of the President is. Only the president can set clear goals for our country. Otherwise, efforts become confused and unfocused as military leaders or government bureaucrats set goals instead of our elected commander-in-chief.

References
Moss, G. D. (2010). Vietnam: An American Ordeal (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
National Park Service. (n.d.) The Quotable Quotes of Dwight D. Eisenhower. Press conference, April 7, 1954. Retrieved from http://www.nps.gov/features/eise/jrranger/quotes2.htm