Which US president started the Vietnam War?

November 1, 1955 — President Eisenhower deploys the Military Assistance Advisory Group to train the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. This marks the official beginning of American involvement in the war as recognized by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. April 1956 — The last French troops finally withdraw from Vietnam.

What president declared the Vietnam War?

The major initiative in the Lyndon Johnson presidency was the Vietnam War. By 1968, the United States had 548,000 troops in Vietnam and had already lost 30,000 Americans there.

Which presidents were involved in the Vietnam War?

Eisenhower ('59 photo); John F. Kennedy ('63 photo); Lyndon B. Johnson ('68 photo); and Richard M. Nixon ('70 photo).

Which president brought the Vietnam War to a close?

President Nixon announces Vietnam War is ending.

Who started the Vietnam War start?

The Viet Cong (VC), a South Vietnamese common front under the direction of the north, initiated a guerrilla war in the south. The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), also known as the North Vietnamese Army (NVA), engaged in more conventional warfare with U.S. and South Vietnamese forces (ARVN).

President Richard Nixon - Address to the Nation on the War in Vietnam

Why did US start war with Vietnam?

The USA was afraid that communism would spread to South Vietnam and then the rest of Asia. It decided to send money, supplies and military advisers to help the South Vietnamese Government.

Did us ever declare war on Vietnam?

The United States did not declare war during its involvement in Vietnam, although the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution authorized the escalation and use of military force in the Vietnam War without a formal declaration of war.

Did President Nixon end the Vietnam War?

Eventually, Nixon won by just 1 percent of the popular vote. “Once in office he escalated the war into Laos and Cambodia, with the loss of an additional 22,000 American lives, before finally settling for a peace agreement in 1973 that was within grasp in 1968,” says the BBC.

What was JFK's role in the Vietnam War?

Kennedy became president. In May 1961, JFK authorized sending an additional 500 Special Forces troops and military advisors to assist the pro‑Western government of South Vietnam. By the end of 1962, there were approximately 11,000 military advisors in South Vietnam.

Did JFK want enter Vietnam?

Kennedy was concerned at the advances being made by the communist Viet Cong, but did not want to become involved in a land war in Vietnam. He hoped that the military aid would be sufficient to strengthen the Saigon government and its armed forces against the Viet Cong.

Did JFK want to pull out of the Vietnam War?

Many historians, Kennedy acolytes, and celebrities, such as movie director Oliver Stone, have claimed that the withdrawal of 1,000 U.S. soldiers from Vietnam was the beginning of Kennedy's plan to withdraw completely from South Vietnam after he gained re-election in 1964 and cited NSAM-263 as evidence for that plan.

What did Kennedy do in Vietnam in 1963?

From 1961 to 1963, President Kennedy increased the US military presence in Vietnam, establishing the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) and sending thousands of US advisers to assist and train the South Vietnamese armed forces.

How long did Vietnam War last?

The Vietnam War may have defined 1960s and 1970s America, but it lasted 10 years by the most widely accepted metric (and, officially, it was never a war at all). And while World War I and II may have killed far more American troops, the fighting didn't linger for a decade and a half.

Why US Cannot win Vietnam War?

The US army had superior conventional weapons but they were ineffective against a country that was not industrialized and an army which employed guerrilla tactics and used the dense jungle as cover.

Has the US ever lost a war?

The US lost the War of 1812, Powder River Indian War, Red Cloud's War, Formosa Expedition (Paiwan War), Second Samoan War, Russian Civil War, Korean War, Bay of Pigs Invasion, and the Vietnam War.

What did the US call the Vietnam War?

Vietnamese people often call this war “American War” or more formally as Resistance War against America, while Americans and other countries call the war “Vietnam War”, or “Vietnam Conflict”.

What were the 3 main causes of the Vietnam War?

In general, historians have identified several different causes of the Vietnam War, including: the spread of communism during the Cold War, American containment, and European imperialism in Vietnam.

How many Americans died in Vietnam War?

The Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File of the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) Extract Files contains records of 58,220 U.S. military fatal casualties of the Vietnam War.

What if America won the Vietnam War?

So if the US had won, the Cold War would probably have ended a little sooner and the dawn of that unilateral superpower controlling things would have come quicker. In Southeast Asia, everything would be radically different – including a faster and more thorough confrontation between the USA and China.

How many Viet Cong were killed?

In 1995 Vietnam released its official estimate of the number of people killed during the Vietnam War: as many as 2,000,000 civilians on both sides and some 1,100,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong fighters. The U.S. military has estimated that between 200,000 and 250,000 South Vietnamese soldiers died.

What was the shortest US war?

The Spanish-American War (1898): By far the shortest war in American history, the Spanish-American war was the result of U.S. imperialist policies and intervention in the Spanish colonies of Cuba, the Philippines, and other territories, along with the destruction of the USS Maine in 1895, supposedly by Spain.

What is longest war in history?

The longest war in history is believed to be the Reconquista (Spanish for Reconquest), with a duration of 781 years.

Why was Agent Orange used during the Vietnam War?

Agent Orange was a tactical herbicide the U.S. military used to clear leaves and vegetation for military operations mainly during the Vietnam War. Veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange may have certain related cancers or other illnesses.

Why did JFK send military advisors to Vietnam?

May 1961 - President Kennedy sends 400 American Green Beret 'Special Advisors' to South Vietnam to train South Vietnamese soldiers in methods of 'counter-insurgency' in the fight against Viet Cong guerrillas.

Why did Johnson send troops to Vietnam?

In early August 1964, two U.S. destroyers stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin in Vietnam radioed that they had been fired upon by North Vietnamese forces. In response to these reported incidents, President Lyndon B. Johnson requested permission from the U.S. Congress to increase the U.S. military presence in Indochina.