America's Longest War: United States and Vietnam Term Paper

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America's Longest War: United States and Vietnam 1950-1975," by George C. Herring. Specifically, it will discuss three topics from Chapter 6, and then explain each according to what the author writes. It will cite specifics from the chapter and explain them. The Vietnam War is being compared increasingly to the current war with Iraq, and as this chapter clearly shows, there are many reasons for the comparison. President Johnson began fighting an uphill battle as public opinion about the war began to swing against it, just as President Bush is facing growing opposition to the war with Iraq.

America's Longest War

The President's Decisions." President Johnson, partly on advice from such advisers as Clifford, Westmoreland, and Bunker, decided in late 1967 that new forces should not be sent to South Vietnam, and the country should be more prepared to fight on its own. The author writes, "Johnson's advisers agreed that from a long-range standpoint the key to achieving American objectives was south Vietnam's ability to stand on its own" (Herring 239). By early 1968, the President had informed South Vietnam that we would continue to send assistance and equipment, but "limited manpower." During this time, President Johnson also agreed, heavily leaning on the advice of Dean Rusk, that bombing in Vietnam should be cut back, and peace talks should open again with the North Vietnamese. It seems that many of the President's decisions were based on guidance from his closest advisors, and somewhat on public opinion. These are important considerations for a man who may be looking toward reelection in a time when public opinion was turning against the war and our involvement in it. The President's decisions seem soundly based on the information he had, but not all of that information may have been the most correct, and so, his decisions were not based totally on fact and evidence.

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Johnson may have relied too heavily on his closest advisors, and not enough on what was really going on in Vietnam at the time. His decision not to send more troops seems wise now, but at the time, the South Vietnamese were simply not ready to totally defend their own country, and perhaps, they never were.

Public Opinion and Politics." The media can often sway public opinion, and the Vietnam War was no exception. The media consistently portrayed Vietnam negatively and with "an atmosphere of doom and futility" (Herring 241). Thus, the American people began to look at the war the same way. Even though President Johnson had decided against sending large numbers of more troops, a magazine story suggesting he was set off protest and anger in many Americans. This massive outpouring of public outcry against the war convinced many, including Dean Rusk, that the U.S. must "scale down involvement" in the war at all costs. It was during this time, early 1968, that Senator Robert F. Kennedy announced he would run against President Johnson on a "platform of opposition to the war" (Herring 243). There was a serious rift in America, but more and more Americans were turning against the administration and the war in Vietnam,….....

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