Did President Kennedy increase or decrease the role of the us in Vietnam when compared to previous presidents?

Answer 1

Eisenhower's successors (Kennedy, LBJ, Nixon, Ford) were all junior officers during WWII. Only "Ike", as he was called, was a supreme allied commander (amongst the highest ranking officers in the allied command). He wasn't the "supreme allied commander" for nothing! He used his military skills in the White House; and why not? It's still a military job...commander in chief.

What Eisenhower did was covertly operate in SEA (South East Asia); and if anything occurred to upset his operations...he didn't panic...he let his "Allied Supreme Commander" experience take over. Odds are very great that if he had been the US President during any of the following, as a few examples, things would've turned out more positive than they ultimately did:

1. Gulf of Tonkin incident (02 August 1964 action was actually a naval battle)

2. Tet Offensive

3. Operation Rolling Thunder

4. US covert operations Laos/Cambodia/North Vietnam

Eisenhower had replaced Harry Truman as President, and Ike escalated the US's role in SEA when compared to Truman. But remember, Truman had just finished with WWII & had to fight Korea at the very same time France was fighting Vietnam. Eisenhower, as president, didn't have to worry about WWII nor the French fight in Vietnam. He just assisted during the latter stages of France's struggle, and then escalated US troop levels, training, and covert operations. Then Kennedy took it a step further; then LBJ took a giant step forward; then Nixon changed all the rules; then Ford closed up shop (ended it all).

Answer 2

President Kennedy started our involvement in Vietnam. Prior to this administration there was no recognized US presence in the area. This was in the form of advisers. Johnson later increased our presence and created the mess by trying to micro manage a war from the White House.