Kennedy’s Assassination: a Turning Point for the Vietnam War
In 1961 President Kennedy was elected. In his inaugural address, he states that the U.S. will “pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, and oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty” (Moss, 2010). This was directly geared at China and Russia. Kennedy supported the suppression of communism, as did his predecessors. Kennedy and his advisors continued to fear the domino theory, the possibility of global communism, as a response to South Vietnam winning the war. It is a shame that neither Kennedy nor previous presidents could see that Vietnam only wanted to be a free and independent country ruled only by themselves (Moss, 2010).
Kennedy’s assassination was a turning point in the war for many reasons. Under Kennedy there had been talks about removing troops from Vietnam. Kennedy wanted to lessen American’s involvement into the war. When he was assassinated, this led to yet another leader taking charge of the war in Vietnam. With this came another’s opinion on what American’s involvement should be. At this point we were already on third president, now going into our fourth. I believe that this put more pressure on Johnson to get this war over with and to bring our troops home. Within 48 hours after Kennedy’s death, Johnson met with his senior foreign relation advisers and drafted the National Security Action Memorandum (NSAM 273). This was a way to connect both Presidents’ administrations together in their responses to the Vietnam War. In his first year of office, Johnson followed suit with the Kennedy administration of sending advisers to gather Intel and sending economic and military aide to Vietnam. In this time he began a massive war on social reform and poverty, which would have lasting effects on the United States (Moss, 2010).
Kennedy’s assassination led to Johnson having an increased need to bring something positive to the grieving American people. In his response to this he began his battle
Kennedy’s assassination was a turning point in the war for many reasons. Under Kennedy there had been talks about removing troops from Vietnam. Kennedy wanted to lessen American’s involvement into the war. When he was assassinated, this led to yet another leader taking charge of the war in Vietnam. With this came another’s opinion on what American’s involvement should be. At this point we were already on third president, now going into our fourth. I believe that this put more pressure on Johnson to get this war over with and to bring our troops home. Within 48 hours after Kennedy’s death, Johnson met with his senior foreign relation advisers and drafted the National Security Action Memorandum (NSAM 273). This was a way to connect both Presidents’ administrations together in their responses to the Vietnam War. In his first year of office, Johnson followed suit with the Kennedy administration of sending advisers to gather Intel and sending economic and military aide to Vietnam. In this time he began a massive war on social reform and poverty, which would have lasting effects on the United States (Moss, 2010).
Kennedy’s assassination led to Johnson having an increased need to bring something positive to the grieving American people. In his response to this he began his battle
References: Moss, G. D. (2010). Vietnam: An American Ordeal (6th ed.). Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.