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Why did the US get directly involved in Vietnam? (Kennedy) - Coggle Diagram
Why did the US get directly involved in Vietnam? (Kennedy)
Fear of communism spreading
China had recently become communist
Believed in Domino theory
Had to stop it
Eisenhower set up SEATO ( South East Asia Treaty Organisation)
USA, Britain, France and 5 others
Aim to stop Communism
Diem wasn't a powerful enough leader
He didn't have enough support from Vietnamese
He couldn't fight off Vietnamese communists and China/Russia
Wasn't going to win any elections
Had little respect for Buddhists and most of South Vietnam was Buddhist
Eisenhower sent advisors to train ARVN to fight VC ( South Vietnamese Communists ) but not troops
Dien Bien Phu 1954
French were forced to surrender
French eventually withdrew from Vietnam
Vietminh were growing in strength
Geneva accords divided the country into two
North Vietnam = Ho Chi Minh
South Vietnam = Bao Dai until 1955 when
Ngo Dinh Diem
became president
French Withdrawal 1954
Dien Bien Phu forced French withdrawal from Vietnam
Now no one was stopping it becoming communist
US could no longer indirectly support through France
US left with choice of leave it or go in directly