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US involvement in Vietnam, 1954 to 64

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After the French were defeated in 1954, the USA stepped in to stop Vietnam becoming communist. Step by step, its involvement grew.

Why the USA got involved

The French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu (1954). The Geneva Agreement (1954) split Vietnam at the 17th parallel: communist North under Ho Chi Minh, non-communist South. Elections planned for 1956 never took place.
Domino theory: President Eisenhower feared that if Vietnam fell, other countries in Asia would follow, like falling dominoes.

Eisenhower and Kennedy

The USA backed Ngo Dinh Diem, the unpopular, Catholic leader of the South, with money and advisers.
In 1960 the NLF (Vietcong) was set up to fight Diem, supplied along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
Kennedy sent many more advisers and began the Strategic Hamlet Programme (1962), moving villagers into fortified villages; it was very unpopular.
Diem's attacks on Buddhists caused crisis, and he was killed in a coup in November 1963.

Escalation under Johnson

In August 1964, the Gulf of Tonkin incident: US ships reported attacks by North Vietnamese boats.
Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, letting Johnson take military action without declaring war.
In 1965 came the bombing campaign Operation Rolling Thunder and the first US combat troops.
Worked example

Explain why the domino theory led the USA into Vietnam.

  1. US leaders believed communism would spread from one country to its neighbours.
  2. If South Vietnam fell, Laos, Cambodia and others might follow.
  3. So the USA felt it had to support South Vietnam to contain communism.

Answer: The USA feared that losing Vietnam would cause communism to spread across Asia.

Key idea

Dien Bien Phu and the Geneva Agreement (1954) split Vietnam. Fearing dominoes, Eisenhower backed Diem. The NLF formed (1960), supplied via the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Kennedy sent advisers and Strategic Hamlets; Diem was overthrown (1963). The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964) let Johnson escalate.

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