How successful was the USA policy of containment

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How successful was the USA policy of containment?

• Why did the USA become increasingly involved in
  Vietnam?

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Learning Objectives

• Today I will..
• Gain an understanding of what happened between
  1962 to 1964 to cause America to go to war in
  Vietnam.
• Produce a timeline to consolidate my chronology
  of this event.

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1962-1963

• By 1962 Kennedy was sending military personnel
  (he always called them advisors) to fight the
  Viet Cong.
• As tensions between the North and the South
  increased so did American involvement.
• 11,500 troops by the end of 1962 23,000 by the
  end of 1964.
• However, Kennedy was determined that the USA
  would not blunder into war, unclear about aims
  or how to get out of there.

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The removal of Diem

• By 1963 the Americans had decided that Diem was
  too corrupt to support and too unpopular to
  defeat the Vietcong.
• So they organised a coup detat.
• Both Diem and his brother were eventually killed
  and replaced. Three weeks later Kennedy was dead
  also!
• The new military leaders of South Vietnam tried
  to improve relations with all the groups Diem had
  treated badly or ignored, such as Buddhists,
  students and professional people.
• They took what was known by the Americans as the
  softly, softly approach. This was very
  unpopular with the new President, Lyndon Johnson.

If you let a bully come into your front yard
(garden) one day, the next hell be on your
porch, and the day after that hell rape your
wife in your own bed.
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The Last Straw

• In 1963 Kennedy was assassinated. His successor,
  Lyndon Johnson, was more prepared than Kennedy to
  commit the USA to a full-scale conflict in
  Vietnam to prevent the spread of Communism.
• His determination was soon tested.
• In August 1964, North Vietnamese patrol boats
  opened fire on US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin.
• In reaction, the US Congress passed the Tonkin
  Gulf Resolution which gave Johnson the power to
  take all necessary measures to prevent further
  aggression and achieve peace and security.

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America at War

• It effectively meant that Johnson could take
  America into a full-scale war if he felt it
  necessary, and very soon this was the case.
• On 8th March 1965, 3500 US marines, combat troops
  rather than advisors, came ashore at Da Nang.
• America was at war in Vietnam.

US Marines landing at Da Nang, March 1965
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Your Task How did the USA get involved in
Vietnam?

• Draw a timeline of the period from 1945-1965.
• Mark on it the events leading to increased
  American involvement using photocopied sheets.
• Separate your timeline into four sections using
  the following headings
• No direct American involvement
• Financial Support
• Political involvement
• Military involvement