War broke out in Vietnam because of the Allies' refusal to recognize the Democratic Republic of Vietnam led by Ho Chi Minh as a legitimate government. The U.S. as a whole and especially President Harry S. Truman believed that Minh's government was controlled by the Soviet Union in some way. Because of this, Truman refused to become allies with this supposedly democratic government in North Vietnam and started to fund the French in order for them to regain the rest of Vietnam, which they had formerly ruled over. The Truman administration funneled not only money, but ammunition, weapons, and all sorts of military vehicles into the war but the French were losing badly in the early stages nonetheless. By the end of Truman's time in office, the U.S. was funding 40% of a war between a colony and its mother country. Ironically, the U.S. had been on the other side of a similar war against Britain almost 200 years prior.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was elected President of the United States in the 1952 election. As a Republican, he criticized his Democratic predecessor Truman for being too soft on the French and allowing them to be losing the war. Eisenhower, with the support of Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, refused to abandon the French and started increasing military aid to the war in 1953. He believed that it was the United States' "destiny" that had given them the responsibility to stop communism from spreading at all, even to a small country in Southeast Asia like Vietnam. Shortly after
the U.S. increased their aid to the French, the Viet Minh looked as if they had convincingly won the war and the two sides came to a peace agreement. This treaty angered the U.S. as it meant that Ho Chi Minh would retain control of the Northern half of Vietnam, with a possibility of regaining the south as well when elections took place two years from the date of the agreement. For the first time, the United States considered sending American troops to Vietnam and becoming directly involved in the war.
the U.S. increased their aid to the French, the Viet Minh looked as if they had convincingly won the war and the two sides came to a peace agreement. This treaty angered the U.S. as it meant that Ho Chi Minh would retain control of the Northern half of Vietnam, with a possibility of regaining the south as well when elections took place two years from the date of the agreement. For the first time, the United States considered sending American troops to Vietnam and becoming directly involved in the war.
Meanwhile, it was bad news for the current president of South Vietnam, Ngo Dinh Diem, that the 1956 elections were coming up. He would surely lose badly, as he favored the rich in a country that was made up mostly of peasants and farmers. As he could see the end was near for him, he tried desperately to do anything that would keep him in power. He rigged a poll shortly before the elections, making the results say that 98% of people in Vietnam were in favor of his reelection. Diem claimed that this proved there was no need for the elections. As a result, the elections passed and he was still in power. In addition, Diem was a ruthless, not to mention paranoid, leader who executed or imprisoned all those who opposed him. By supporting this tyrant through the funding of South Vietnam in the war, the U.S. was held partially responsible for his actions.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy became president of the U.S. in 1961 and he immediately recognized the turmoil going on in South Vietnam. While he wanted to intervene, the United States had more pressing matters to deal with in Cuba. Communist leader Fidel Castro had struck an agreement with the Soviets to bring Russian missiles to the island, posing a threat to American security. Eventually, the U.S. simply gave permission to the South Vietnamese to execute their tyrant leader Ngo Dinh Diem. On November 2, 1963 Diem was finally killed and the Vietnamese military seized control of the country. "The way that people are assassinated is by taking away the power that had been created to keep them there" said one US Joint Chief of Staff. This is exactly what happened to Diem and, only three weeks later, also happened to President Kennedy who was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas.
JFK's successor Lyndon B. Johnson made a promise to Americans during the 1964 election. He made the bold promise that no American ground troops would ever be sent to Vietnam. Only weeks after, with strong support from the National Security Council, President Johnson waged war by sending American soldiers to Vietnam and breaking his promise. Nearly 500,000 soldiers were sent and more bombs were dropped in four years than in all of World War 2. On March 31, 1968 Johnson addressed the nation saying he would not pursue another term as President.
Former Vice President Richard Nixon was elected in the 1968 election largely due to his promise of a "secret plan" to end the war in Vietnam. It was later revealed that this plan was called "Vietnamization" which called for a steady removal of American troops from Vietnam to slowly shift the responsibility of the war onto the South Vietnamese. President Nixon additionally authorized illegal aerial attacks on the nearby neutral nation of Cambodia to destroy "enemy sanctuaries" in April 1970. In part because of the Cambodian bombings, but also because of the Watergate scandal, Nixon was indicted for perjury, burglary, and conspiracy, and was impeached. With Nixon gone, the South Vietnamese government lost all American aid and were soon taken over by the North Vietnamese in 1975. This finally spelled the end of the Vietnam War on April 30, 1975, a war that five U.S. presidents attempted to control, but a war whose fate was eventually determined by the Vietnamese themselves.