1. American Intervention
Vietnam 1950s-60s

2. Why go to Vietnam? Domino Theory!!!
“You have a row of dominoes set up. You knock the first one, and what will happen to the last one is a certainty, that it will go over very quickly”
President Eisenhower 1954

3. “Propping Up the Domino”
US leader of the Free World?
The popular view of the time that if the US did not intervene then Communism would spread.
Therefore the US had no alternative to support South Vietnam?
Financial Aid
Military Aid

4. Problems in The South Active Communist guerrilla movements
Very Strong nationalist side to these movements
Strong opposition to the regimes like that of President Diem
Vietnam was a domino on the verge of being knocked over

5. Limited Intervention Increased during the Kennedy administration
US Military advisors
1961 – 3,000 Military advisors
1962 – 11,000 Military advisors
Slowly these advisors were drawn into conflict with the Viet Cong

6. What was the US advisors Role?
Improve the Training of the South Vietnamese forces to counter the growing threat from the Viet Cong

9. Kennedy-LBJ
After Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963 his Vice-president Lyndon B Johnson (LBJ) was sworn in as President
Johnson was convinced the Soviets and the Chinese were behind the growing problems in Vietnam.
He believed the Domino Theory was correct and losing Vietnam and the area would weaken the international position of USA

10. Full Scale involvement
Assistance