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The U.S. was attempting to keep Communism from spilling over from North Vietnam to South Vietnam (one of the other posters referenced the "Domino Theory," which suggested that if one country became Communist, another could become Communist, and so on and so forth, like toppling dominoes).

We first got involved in the 50s by providing relatively small amounts of economic and military aid to the French, who were involved in fighting in Vietnam before we were. When the French failed and a Communist government in North Vietnam arose, Eisenhower sent "advisors" to South Vietnam to train their military to resist the North's.

In the 60s, JFK sent Green Berets/special operations forces clandestinely into Vietnam to train counterinsurgency forces there. By the time JFK was assassinated, we had over 10,000 advisors ("advisors" generally equals "special forces") in Vietnam, and over 100 Americans had already been killed.

In 1964, the Gulf of Tonkin incident occurred in waters adjacent to North Vietnam, where an American warship and a North Vietnamese vessel exchanged gunfire. There was controversy as to who shot first, but it eventually led to a push for Congress to approve the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which allowed for further U.S. military escalation into Vietnam. There was no formal declaration of war, and military forces just kept getting incrementally larger and larger until their peak in the late 60s.

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10y ago
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13y ago

Support of the French efforts in Indochina. US involvement in Vietnam began long before the actual Vietnam War.

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15y ago

The cold war/communist aggression.

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Q: What two factors led to US involvement in the Vietnam War?
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Continue Learning about General History

Belief of the domino theory led to involvement in what conflict?

Vietnam


Diem bien phu Vietnam war relation?

The battle of Dien Bien Phu led to the direct involvement of the US in Vietnam in the hopes of curbing communist expansionist policies .


What controversial incident began American military involvement in Vietnam?

American involvement in Vietnam actually dates back to 1953, at the request of the French. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident is what led to an escalation of US involvement in 1965.


What American policy also led to involvement in Vietnam?

which resolution allowed president johnson to increase us involment in vietnam


What policy led to US involvement in the Korean conflict?

Part of the Cold War; communist containment.

Related questions

What led to the ending of the war?

The TET offensive of 1968 is considered by many to have been the beginning of the US's end of involvement in Vietnam.


Belief of the domino theory led to involvement in what conflict?

Vietnam


Diem bien phu Vietnam war relation?

The battle of Dien Bien Phu led to the direct involvement of the US in Vietnam in the hopes of curbing communist expansionist policies .


What controversial incident began American military involvement in Vietnam?

American involvement in Vietnam actually dates back to 1953, at the request of the French. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident is what led to an escalation of US involvement in 1965.


Lyndon Johnson fell from popularity mainly due to his handling of?

the Vietnam War. Despite implementing significant domestic policies like the Great Society, his decision to escalate U.S. involvement in Vietnam led to a prolonged and costly war that resulted in a high number of American casualties. This led to widespread protests and public discontent, causing Johnson's popularity to decline significantly.


What is the basic issue that led to the Vietnam war?

Vietnam was part of the cold war.


What American policy also led to involvement in Vietnam?

which resolution allowed president johnson to increase us involment in vietnam


Which statement about the gulf of tokin incident is true?

it led to increased u.s. involvement in vietnam - apex


What led the Vietnam war?

Communist infiltration into South Vietnam.


Why was Canada part of the war 2?

Britain's involvement in the war led to the involvement of Canada, because it's a Commonwealth Nation.


What event led the us in the Vietnam war?

The French Indochina War most likely led to the (so called) American Vietnam War. Because the French war divided up the country into TWO nations; North & South Vietnams. When the communist led North Vietnam attempted to take over (conquer) South Vietnam... this led to US involvment.


What policy led to US involvement in the Korean conflict?

Part of the Cold War; communist containment.