1Policy of Containment
The U.S. adopted containment as official policy after WWII
2Domino Effect
U.S. leaders believed that if one Southeast Asian country fell to communism, others would follow.
3Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson.
Presidents who all justified aid, advisors, and eventually full military intervention in Vietnam under the logic of containment.
4Qoute about the Policy of Containment from Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1954.
"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."
5President of South Vietnam from 1955 until 1963
Ngo Dinh Diem
6Issues with President Ngo Dinh Diem's appointments
Diem ran South Vietnam as a dictatorship, filled government posts with family members.
7Issues with President Ngo Dinh Diem's incompetence
Because Diem's regime lacked legitimacy, the U.S. felt it had to step in with more financial and military support to keep South Vietnam stable.
8Strategic hamlets
Forcing villagers into fortified villages to cut them off from Viet Cong influence. Alienated the population and increased support for the Viet Cong, making the war harder to win.
9Coup in November 1963
When Diem was assassinated, tacitly supported by the U.S.
10Result of Diem's assassination
South Vietnam became even more unstable, dragging the U.S. further into direct involvement. The U.S. felt it had no choice but to take greater control of the war effort, leading to Johnson's escalation after 1964.
11Location of North Vietnamese attack on American Boats
Gulf of Tonkin, off the coast of North Vietnam.
12Time of attack of American boats in the Gulf of Tonkin.
August 1964
13Nature of attack in Gulf of Tonkin
Alleged attacks by North Vietnamese torpedo boats on U.S. destroyers (USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy).
14Gulf of Tonkin resolution
The resolution which gives President Johnson broad powers to escalate U.S. military involvement in Vietnam without a formal declaration of war.
15Angle taken by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident as a justification for escalating U.S. involvement in Vietnam.