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Like the Korean War, the battles in Vietnam which stretched from the 1950s to the mid-170s is considered to be a proxy war between the United States and Russia stemming from the tensions of the Cold War period.

 

The Truman Doctrine, presented to Congress in 1947, held  that the U.S. should do everything possible to prevent the spread of communism around the world by supporting pro-democratic governments. Truman’s “Domino     Theory” included providing financial aid and military intervention to prevent nations from being toppled by communist revolutionary forces.

 

Colonialism and colonization by Europeans extended into the late 19th century in Asia and resulted in resentment and resistance by native citizens to foreign powers. Adding to the unrest was the rising influence and annexation of territories by Japan. 

 

Following the defeat of Japan in World War II, France asked the United States for assistance in regaining control of Vietnam. This move by the West helped to bring to power revolutionary opposition led by the communist-backed leader Ho Chi Minh. French forces had met with defeat in battling the revolutionary armies. As a result, at a conference in Geneva in 1965, the country of Vietnam was divided in two at the 157th parallel. Ho Chi Minh took control of North Vietnam and the western-backed Ngo Dinh Diem was installed as the leader of South Vietnam.

 

Through the administrations of Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon, the military “advisors” were heavily involved in Vietnam providing both equipment, troops and financial aid to ostensibly stop the spread of communism. President John F. Kennedy increased the military troops in 1960. Following the assassination of JFK in November of 1963, his successor, Lyndon Johnson with the advice of Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, moved to escalate military action. In Washington, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution giving President Johnson approval to deploy American troops to Vietnam.

 

The Vietnam War proved to be costly and complicated. Nearly 60,000 American troops were killed and more than 3 million total lives were lost – mostly Vietnam civilians. Opposition to another proxy war in Southeast Asia was being used in America along political and social lines. Unlike the support by the American people for World War II, the anti-war movement in the U.S. and in the media, in particular, led to demonstrations and widespread calls to end the war and bring the troops home.

 

In 1973, after 19 year               s of war in Vietnam, Republican President Richard Nixon in a move he cited as “peace with honor” ordered the withdrawal of all American troops from Vietnam. Immediately, communist-backed forces took control and established a unification program to create the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

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