Why Did The Us Enter Vietnam

To begin, what caused the Vietnam war and why did the United States get involved? In the early 1880’s, France conquered Vietnam and combined it with the neighboring countries Cambodia and Laos. This created a colony called French Indochina. However, in World War II the Japanese drove the French out of Indochina and occupied Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh, a communist leader in Vietnam, didn't want to be controlled by another foreign power. Thus he lead a revolt against the Japanese in 1945. Not soon after, Ho and his army defeated the Japanese and declared Vietnam independence. Vietnam was still not controlled by a foreign power. France believed that Vietnam was still a French colony so, France sent troops to regain power in Vietnam. United States presidents Truman and
In May of 1954, the Vietminh trapped a French force at Dien Bien Phu, and the French surrendered. In July of 1954 the Vietnamese and French leaders made an agreement called the Geneva Accords. This compromise divided Vietnam into a North and South region. North Vietnam became a Communist dictatorship under the command of Ho Chi Minh.South Vietnam became a Liberal government led by Ngo Dinh Diem and was supported by the United States. Unfortunately, Ngo Dinh Diem was quickly a disappointing leader of South Vietnam. As the 1956 reunification elections were held, more and more South Vietnamese citizens supported Ho and the Vietminh. Diem arrested anyone who supported Ho. In 1960, the North Vietnamese government formed the National Liberation Front (NLF) which recruited the South Vietnamese to join the Vietminh. President Eisenhower began to send more military aid and supplies to South Vietnam by 1960. Not long after in 1961, President John F. Kennedy sent even more U.S military advisors and troops. By 1963, there were about 16,000 military personnel in