What actions did the Lyndon Johnson Administration take behind enemy lines in the Vietnam War?

Answer 1

He increased troop strength from 16,000 to 550,000, and developed a policy here we wouldn't actually try to WIN the war, but instead convince the North Vietnamese to call a truce.

He and Robert MacNamara personally directed every single bombing mission during the 3 years of Operation Rolling Thunder, making sure that no important North Vietnamese military targets were bombed, not even an accidental stray bomb. The rule was not to come within 10 miles of military air bases or Haiphong Harbor, or communication centers

They chose every target, decided the number and type of airplanes to be used, the amount of bombs to be dropped, and even the time of day.

They bypassed The Joint Chiefs Of Staff, who SHOULD have been making those decisions.

China and The Soviet Union were sending in MIG fighters, artillery, surface-to-air missiles and all other manner of military supplies through Haiphong Harbor, and we could have totally destroyed all the docking facilities, but Haiphong was on the Don't Bomb List in the Standing Orders.

Permission to take out a military air base was rarely given, but the MIGS that operated from them successfully prevented a LOT of bombing missions just by showing up.

MIGS would appear in the air, and the Phantoms would jettison all their bomb load to gain speed and maneuverability to dogfight.

Then the MIGS would just run away, having scrubbed the bombing mission without ever firing a shot, or getting shot at.

They operated from the airfields that were on the No Bomb List.

The BEST action Johnson took during the Vietnam War was to announce that he would not run for another term, over his handling of the war.

He realized that the entire American public hated him over it, for several different, unrelated reasons, and he had no chance of winning.

The American Public hated him over it, and the Media hated him over it and he knew that the one issue would be enough to kill his election.

This was despite the fact that he had lost The South, which had been his political strength, due to his two pieces of Civil Rights legislation, Gun Control legislation (GCA68), and Immigration policies.

Having lost The South, he probably wouldn't have gotten re-elected, but the Vietnam issue alone was enough to ensure it too, before The South ever even came into consideration.

Any man off the street stood a better chance of election than Johnson.

So not running for office again was his BEST, and SMARTEST action taken during the Vietnam War.

Answer 2

The Lyndon Johnson Administration took what it considered to be proper actions against North Vietnam. This included U-2 spy flights and the parachuting of supplies and reinforcements to anti-North Vietnam forces. Sabotage and psychological warfare were the goals of these teams. The sabotage teams had been successful in blowing up bridges and ambushing North Vietnamese troop patrols.

Answer 3

nothing