The second challenge the United States encountered surfaced roughly two years after the armistice agreement in Korea. As one would presume, US-Soviet tensions grew and political rhetoric intensified leading into what became the Vietnam War. Involvement in the region commenced the way most proxy wars do — foreign aid to an opposition and militaristic assistance. What began as a President Eisenhower initiative was solidified through his successor. During his inaugural address in 1961, John F. Kennedy stated the Us should “pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any for, in order to assure the survival and success of liberty.” When the opportunity presented itself, Kennedy began sending foreign aid and placing boots in South Vietnam to counter the Chinese backed Northern Vietnamese. The proxy war policy continued through the Kennedy administration and intensified during the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson.
As with any war, public opinion often plays a major role in the direction policymakers go, this is no exception. The war in Vietnam had become so unpopular that the once defeated Richard Nixon managed to make his way to the White House on the promise to end the war. Once elected, his administration undid the proxy war policy of the previous two administrations had built. A new policy of furnishing military assistance when requested emerged bringing the end of the Vietnamese War into sight. Nixon’s “Vietnamization” meant that US troops would help train South Vietnamese troops in fighting against the Vietcong allowing the US to withdraw its troops from the region.
Although the policy did not work, the withdrawal of American troops remained in full effect. The resulting failure served as fuel for round three.
The International Review 