Vietnam and the Johnson Administration

Essay by alphastormHigh School, 12th gradeA+, March 2004

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The Vietnam War brought great tribulation to Americans domestically and abroad. During the climax of the war, our president, Lyndon Johnson, was forced to make many vital decisions regarding our foreign policy and actions taken in the war abroad. Although facts and figures would dictate that America during the time out powered the North Vietnamese, Johnson's political beliefs and military strategies were bound to fail for the reasons that America was becoming a puppet of its puppet country, Johnson preferred to fight a limited war, and the political influence set upon the Johnson administration was often different than what should have been done. Going back a decade or even more, South Vietnam was a democratic country under the military influence of America. Instead of resorting to negotiations sternly or launching an all out war, president Johnson preferred to act limited to the problem at hand. Furthermore, the political influence set upon the Johnson administration, such as the Tuesday Group, acted powerfully in the actions taken by our government.

Soon after the Geneva Agreements in 1954, the United States refused to permit elections in South Vietnam. As a result of this, the United States government constructed a military dictatorship that was supported by American money. Furthermore, none of the many Saigon governments were elected by the Vietnamese people. South Vietnam was in fact, a puppet government. However, when the Vietnam War rolled around, things started to change. As one of the President Johnson's advisors, George Ball, had been quoted saying, the United States was becoming "a puppet of our puppet". The South Vietnamese military was slowly relinquishing responsibility to the American forces. In a small period of time, the war was becoming a responsibility solely of America. For these two reasons, America was at a bind when it...