You know, figuring out the whole president during Vietnam War US situation isn't just about names and dates. It's messy. Real messy. I remember talking to my uncle who served in '68 - his voice still cracks when he mentions Lyndon Johnson. That war dug its claws into four different administrations, each handling it differently. Let's walk through what actually happened behind those Oval Office doors.
The Cold War Backdrop That Set the Stage
Okay, so picture this: it's the 1950s. Eisenhower's in charge. The whole "domino theory" thing wasn't just political talk - people genuinely believed if Vietnam fell to communists, the whole region might topple. Wild, right? But that fear drove everything.
Why Vietnam Even Mattered to Washington
- Containment obsession: Stopping communism anywhere became non-negotiable after China fell
- French failure: When France bailed after Dien Bien Phu (1954), guess who stepped in? Yep, us
- Geopolitical positioning: That coastline gave strategic access to the Pacific and Asian mainland
- Credibility concerns: Presidents worried looking weak would embolden Moscow
Honestly? Looking back, we massively underestimated Vietnamese nationalism. Ho Chi Minh actually quoted our Declaration of Independence in '45 when declaring Vietnam's freedom. The irony still stings.
Breaking Down Each President During Vietnam War US Involvement
Each commander-in-chief inherited the mess and made it their own. Let's get into the weeds:
Dwight D. Eisenhower: The First Domino Pusher (1953-1961)
Ike's the accidental godfather of our Vietnam mess. People forget he sent the first U.S. military advisors - 900 guys by 1960. Not troops yet, but the foot was in the door. His "falling domino" speech in 1954 basically became America's Vietnam manifesto.
What Ike Actually Did:
- Bankrolled 80% of France's war costs by 1954 (nearly $3 billion in today's money)
- Refused to sign the 1954 Geneva Accords (big mistake in hindsight)
- Backed Ngo Dinh Diem's corrupt regime because he was "our guy" against communists
That last point? Ugly legacy. Diem's brutal policies fueled the Vietcong insurgency. Ike's team knew he was terrible but figured "better our dictator than their communist." Short-term thinking with long-term consequences.
John F. Kennedy: The Torch Passes (1961-1963)
JFK entered singing hawkish tunes - remember his "pay any price" inaugural address? But Vietnam confused him. He sent more advisors (16,000 by '63) and Green Berets, but hesitated on full combat troops. That "flexible response" doctrine sounded smart theoretically...
...until reality hit. The Buddhist crisis in '63 exposed Diem as a liability. Photos of monks self-immolating horrified Americans. Kennedy approved the coup against Diem in November 1963 - just weeks before Dallas. Diem's assassination shocked JFK. My poli-sci professor found Oval Office tapes where Kennedy muttered "We screwed that up royally" days before his own death.
| Kennedy's Vietnam Dilemmas | His Actions | Consequences |
|---|---|---|
| Advisors vs. Troops | Increased advisors to 16,000; authorized combat roles for some | Blurred lines between advising and fighting; paved way for escalation |
| Strategic Hamlets | Funded relocation villages to isolate Vietcong | Displaced villagers; increased resentment toward Saigon government |
| The Diem Problem | Initially supported, then approved coup (Nov 1963) | Created leadership chaos; JFK assassinated 3 weeks later |
We'll never know if JFK would've pulled out. His last National Security Action Memo (NSAM 263 in Oct '63) planned withdrawals. But insiders like McNamara later doubted he'd follow through.
Lyndon B. Johnson: The Architect of Escalation (1963-1969)
Poor LBJ. Inherited Kennedy's mess and his advisors. His Great Society dreams got hijacked by Vietnam. I've stood at the LBJ Ranch in Texas - the weight of those decisions still hangs in the air.
The Gulf of Tonkin Turning Point
August 1964 changed everything. Reports said North Vietnamese boats attacked U.S. destroyers. Johnson pushed through the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution after only 9 hours of Senate debate. Congress basically handed him a blank check for war.
Problem? The second attack probably never happened. Declassified tapes reveal McNamara telling LBJ "We're not sure of a damn thing." But LBJ saw political gold. "Hell, those dumb sailors were probably shooting at flying fish!" he reportedly told aides privately.
Boots on the Ground: The Escalation Engine
1965 was the point of no return. Operation Rolling Thunder (bombing campaign) started in March. By July, LBJ approved 100,000 troops. By '68? Over 535,000 Americans were fighting in Vietnam. The draft lottery began. Campuses exploded.
LBJ's War by the Numbers:
- Troop deployment increase: 23,300 (1964) → 536,100 (1968)
- Bomb tonnage dropped: 63,000 tons (1965) → 226,000 tons (1967)
- Monthly draft calls: Peaked at 35,000 in 1966
- Cost: $2 billion per month by 1967 (over $20 billion today)
LBJ became trapped. "I can't get out, I can't finish it with what I have," he lamented. His credibility gap widened after Tet '68. Walter Cronkite declared the war "unwinnable". Johnson shocked everyone by announcing he wouldn't run again. His presidency drowned in rice paddies.
Richard Nixon: The "Peace With Honor" Mirage (1969-1974)
Nixon campaigned claiming he had a "secret plan" to end Vietnam. Spoiler: He didn't. His strategy was brutal - expand the war while pretending to wind it down.
Vietnamization & Secret Wars
Nixon's big word was "Vietnamization" - training South Vietnamese to fight while withdrawing U.S. troops. Sounds reasonable? Behind the scenes:
- Massive bombing escalation: More tons dropped 1969-1973 than 1965-1968
- Invaded Cambodia (1970) and Laos (1971): Claimed to target supply routes; ignited college protests
- Draft lottery reform (1969): Made conscription "fairer" but extended it
The Kent State shootings happened six months after my dad started college. He still remembers seeing National Guard jeeps on campus.
The Paris Peace Accords Illusion
After years of talks (and Christmas bombings of Hanoi), Nixon secured a "peace" deal in January 1973. Key provisions:
| Term | U.S. Promise | Reality |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Withdrawal | Remove all troops within 60 days | Done by March 1973 |
| POWs | North Vietnam releases U.S. prisoners | 591 POWs returned |
| Ceasefire | All parties cease hostilities | Violated immediately by both sides |
| South Vietnam Survival | Nixon promised "severe retaliation" if North invaded | Watergate destroyed Nixon's credibility; Congress cut funding |
Saigon fell in April 1975. Marines evacuated the embassy roof. Nixon's "peace with honor" didn't even last two years. Pretty shameful when you see the footage.
Beyond Presidents: The War's Tangled Machinery
Focusing only on presidents misses key players. These folks shaped decisions:
The Military Brass
Generals like Westmoreland constantly demanded more troops. His "attrition strategy" assumed we could kill communists faster than they could recruit. Terrible math. Enemy troop estimates kept climbing despite massive body counts. McNamara privately called casualty figures "meaningless".
The Anti-War Movement
Protesters weren't just hippies. Veterans like John Kerry testified before Congress in '71. My neighbor Dan dropped his medals on the Capitol steps. This pressure constrained LBJ and Nixon. Draft dodgers fleeing to Canada? Over 30,000 by '72.
The Media's Role
Television changed everything. Walter Cronkite's 1968 editorial declaring the war "stalemated" stunned Johnson. The Tet Offensive looked like U.S. defeat despite being a tactical win. Pulitzer-winning photos of executions and napalm burned the war into American living rooms. Presidents hated losing narrative control.
Legacies and Lingering Questions
Why does this still matter? Because every modern U.S. foreign policy debate echoes Vietnam. Afghanistan? Iraq? We hear "quagmire" comparisons constantly.
Enduring Presidential Mistakes We Keep Repeating:
- Over-reliance on military solutions for political problems (See: Afghanistan)
- Underestimating nationalism (Iraqis didn't welcome us with flowers)
- Ignoring cultural intelligence (Did we understand the Pashtun any better than the Vietnamese?)
- Letting domestic politics drive strategy (Nixon prolonging war for reelection)
The draft ended in 1973 because nobody wanted another Vietnam-era rebellion. Today's all-volunteer military avoids that pressure cooker. Smart move.
Your Vietnam Presidency Questions Answered
Who exactly was president during Vietnam War US combat operations?
Three presidents commanded troops: Kennedy (advisors in combat roles), Johnson (massive escalation to 535k troops), and Nixon (drew down but expanded bombing). Eisenhower started military aid but no combat troops. Ford was president when Saigon fell but inherited Nixon's withdrawal.
Which president during Vietnam War US years escalated it most?
Lyndon Johnson by far. Troop levels jumped from 23,000 to 535,000 under his watch. He authorized massive bombing campaigns like Rolling Thunder. The monthly draft call peaked under LBJ. That said, Nixon dropped more total bombs after promising de-escalation.
Did any president during Vietnam War US era try to avoid it?
JFK showed ambivalence. He rejected full troop deployments in 1961. His NSAM 263 in October 1963 planned to withdraw 1,000 advisors by year's end. But he also increased military advisors tenfold and backed the disastrous Diem coup weeks before his death.
How did Vietnam destroy Johnson's presidency?
It consumed everything. He couldn't fund his Great Society properly. Anti-war protests hounded him. The 1968 Tet Offensive shattered public confidence. His approval rating plummeted from 70% to 36%. He famously announced "I shall not seek, and I will not accept..." renouncing reelection.
What was Nixon's "secret plan" for Vietnam?
Total myth. Documents show no coherent strategy beyond escalating bombing while slowly withdrawing troops ("Vietnamization"). He secretly bombed Cambodia for 14 months while publicly claiming respect for neutrality. His "madman theory" (pretending to be unstable to scare Hanoi) failed spectacularly.
Final Thoughts: Presidents as Prisoners of War
Studying these presidents during Vietnam War US years feels like watching drivers crash the same car repeatedly. Each thought they could handle it better. Eisenhower feared dominoes. Kennedy wavered. Johnson drowned. Nixon lied. Ford just wanted it over.
Their decisions killed 58,000 Americans and millions of Southeast Asians. Cost trillions in today's dollars. Poisoned our politics for decades. Walking through the Vietnam Wall in D.C., seeing all those names... makes you wonder how history judges leaders who double down on failure.
Maybe the toughest lesson? Sometimes the strongest thing a president can do is admit a war isn't winnable instead of sending more kids into the grinder. Too bad none of them learned that until it was too late.
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