President Johnson’s Role in the Vietnam War

When Lyndon B. Johnson had to assume the presidency after the assassination of President Kennedy, he was concerned about many issues, including national support and safety, dealing with Kennedy’s death, and the future of Vietnam. In the beginning, President Johnson did not favor the idea of involving Americans in the Vietnamese civil war. He talked to his friends, advisors, and colleagues to gather their opinions about Vietnam and understand what the United States had to do in that country. Among various controversial opinions and thoughts, President Johnson decided to support South Vietnam, resulting in more than two million American military serving in Vietnam.

Despite the country grieving Kennedy’s death, President Johnson could not ignore the deteriorating situation in Vietnam. He consulted with many people, including the newspaper publisher John Knight, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, the assistant for national security McGeorge Bundy, Senator Richard Russell, and Attorney General Robert Kennedy. Knight believed the United States was overcommitted to Vietnam and did not belong there. His opinion made President Johnson think about the possible consequences and the loss of trust among citizens and the government. McNamara was positive about the American presence in Vietnam not allowing Communists to spread their powers across the globe, and it was a strong argument for President Johnson. Bundy shared Johnson’s conclusion that it was easy to get into a war, but it would be hard to extricate the nation from it. Russell compared Americans with a cow over a fence and addressed the psychological standpoint to avoid choosing a particular side about Vietnam. Kennedy did not trust President Johnson and tried to avoid sharp conclusions about anything in international affairs. These opinions helped Johnson formulate several options for developing the US-Vietnam relationship in 1964.

In all his discussions, President Johnson underlined four options for the United States in regard to Vietnam and human freedoms. First, Americans could withdraw from the region, which would result in the dominoes falling and the Communists’ rising. Second, there was an alternative to create a formula and neutralize South Vietnam. Another option was to continue educating and training the South Vietnam forces to promote some future prospects in the political field. Finally, the United States could send its Marines and resist the power of North Vietnam, which was numerically superior. However, the last way was a threat to involving the United States in a Third World War. All options could be well developed and maintained under the presidency of Johnson, but he needed more guarantees and arguments to ensure his final decision was the only right.

Johnson’s decision to escalate the Vietnam War was not spontaneous or unthoughtful. The President wanted to gather as many arguments and opinions as possible and analyze the situation in Asia. He was anxious about American credibility and the possibility of controlling the growth of Communist powers in the region. In addition, Saigon’s representatives expected some strength signs from the United States, while Hanoi could identify any possible weakness. Thus, President Johnson had to take a cool, thorough, prompt, and adequate step to remind the world about the risk of international conflict. Americans did everything possible to the extent of their resources and knowledge. They did not want to lose, and the decision to ask Congress about the increased military presence in Asia was made. The United States could no longer avoid the upcoming threat, and its participation in the war became inevitable.

In general, evaluating President Johnson’s collaborations with different political experts promotes a better understanding of why his decision to escalate the war. Some opposed sending millions of Americans far from their homes to protect North Vietnamese citizens. Still, the United States proved its loyalty to justice and human freedoms and demonstrated to other nations how to unite people and resist the power that destroyed human lives.