Why is Nixon blamed for Veitnam? It was Kennedy who sent troop there first?

Answer 1

It always seems strange to me that Nixon is blamed when his involvement in Vietnam was:-

a) to bomb the North Vietnamese to the negotiating table by using the B52s in the Linebacker II Campaign against Hanoi and Haiphong; and

b) Using the advantage gained to extricate the US from a situation that he had not created but merely inherited. And in fact part of his election platform had been to get the US out of Vietnam and in this respect he fulfilled his election promise. Retreats are often more costly and so this one proved.

Kennedy must take some of the blame because he ordered troops there in the first place but in my opinion the real culprits are Lyndon B Johnson and his advisor Robert McNamara who increasingly micro-managed the war from Washington rather than allowing the commanders on the ground to conduct the war in a winnable manner.

Such massive errors as not allowing the bombing of the major logistics centres in North Vietnam and the mining of Haiphong Harbour and the ban on attacking SAM sites until hundreds had become operational and were already taking their toll of US aircraft virtually guaranteed ultimate failure in a war which at times could have been won.

The other major contributor to the debacle of Vietnam is the Press and Media whose one-sided portrayal of the war turned public opinion against the war. The ultimate example was the Tet Offensive which was actually the last desperate throw of the North Vietnamese who realised that they were losing ground. Their defeat in detail was recognised by General Westmorland as a potential springboard towards victory but his plans were scuppered because the Media interpreted the Tet Offensive as a sign that the North Vietnamese were strong, not recognising that they had used all their reserves and were everywhere ultimately defeated. This in turn influenced the armchair generals in Washington to believe that Vietnam was a war that was already lost.

If you want to search further back into the past for a root of the Vietnam conflict then intractible French colonialism and the US policy of arming the communists to fight the occupying Japanese during WWII should also be taken into account.

Answer 2

I don't think Nixon is blamed for Vietnam, but he didn't get out quick enough and didn't out right surrender like the commie news media would have prefered, so he gets the blame. He actually got us out on fairly honorable means and he did it through bombing and mining of the north, which LBJ and Robert (Edsel) McNamara would never have done. Plus the left leaning media doesn't want to talk about our first serious involvement because that would involve the poster boy, actual saint of the Dems (JFK). Of course if JFK were alive and held the same views he did then he would be ostracized by the present day democratic party. They won't it admit it but that the fact, Jack.

Wrong dukalink6 the highest troop level, nearly 600,000 and the highest US death toll 16,000 was in 1968 under LBJ, not Nixon. Nixon fought a tougher, wider ranger war, but by 1972 we had only about 25,000 troops and a little over 300 combat deaths. If you want to get into a war and wage it poorly (or ignore it like Clinton) vote democratic, if you are serious and want to win vote Republican. Examples Korea Truman-Eisenhower; Vietnam Kennedy, LBJ-Nixon; terrorism, Iraq-Carter, Clinton-G.H.W. Bush and G.W. Bush. You could argue that Jimmy (no win "I saw a large white rabbit") actually is more responsible for terrorism than anyone because he let the Shah of Iran fall and be replaced by Islamic fundalmentalist that actually are responsible for much of modern terrorism. Maybe the Shah was a bad guy, but does anywone really think the world is better today with a Iranian nut with his finger on the nuclear trigger?

Answer 3

I am sorry you didn't pay attention in history class. President Eisenhower sent the 1st troops in 1957. This was mainly in the form of instructors and advisers a little later he sent small units to fight along side south Vietnamese troops. It was Nixon after 3 years in office retreated from Vietnam in 1973. The facts are the facts don't blame the libs if your side has only one major war victory to it's credit and that was the civil war.

Answer 4

Quote
"Actually it was Johnson who sent troops there first"

Wasn't Johnson that sent me there
Source
4400th CCTS Bien Hoa AB 1963
Detachment IIA first went to Vietnam 5 Nov 1961 (Operation Farm Gate)
Operation Farm Gate officially ended 21 Mar 1963, (but retained the name until 28 Jul 1963) and the 4400th was disbaned when the 1st Air Comando Wing was formed.
(I then got PCS orders to an outfit that no longer existed and to an AFB that didn't exist yet) LOL

But in actuality Johnson did everything that Berry Goldwater said he was going to do. So it would be safe to say that Johnson kept Goldwater's campaign promises.

It is true tho' that more GIs died during Nixon's presidency than did during Kennedy's and Johnson's combined.

Quote
" I am sorry you didn't pay attention in history class. President Eisenhower sent the 1st troops in 1957"

I think it is you that might need to go back to school
The US started economic & mlitary support in 1954, not 1957

Source
http://www.afa.org/magazine/Dec2005/1205farmgate.asp

Answer 5

Nixon pulled the troops out, but then North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam, even though there was a treaty to end the war.

The US was increasingly involved in Vietnam during Kennedy's presidency, but blame LBJ for taking the troops there.

Answer 6

he's blamed often because of the fact he replaced into president whilst the conflict replaced into desperate to be lost. He did pull troops out, yet slowly, and various of the withdrawls have been below cover so the enemy does no longer locate out. you're ultimate however that he did greater to end the conflict than all of us, yet is the face of the conflict. yet this conflict heavily isn't like vietnam. First, ther eis no draft. So the standard public usually isnt that insistant on troop withdrawl. The president that ends this conflict may be the hero, you're precise. Nixon did what maximum others does no longer have been waiting to, it is end the conflict with lies, yet stored lives.

Answer 7

Nixon is blamed as he got elected and reelected with a plan to get the troops out and more soldiers died during his term than with Johnson or Kennedy.

Answer 8

Eisenhower laid the groundwork for the Vietnam conflict. Kennedy was ready to pull us out altogether when he was assassinated. Nixon used the war as a political ploy when running in the 68 presidential election, saying he had a "secret" plan to get us out. He then delayed our exit until just before the NEXT presidential elections, and used the fact that we were on the verge of "peace with honor", as a campaign theme, and that we needed to re elect him to see this through.

Nixon used the war as a political tool, much more so than his predecessors.

Answer 9

Republican congress, my friend, Prepublican congress. Kennedy constantly worked for peace. Besides...only a few support troops were sent until Johnson took office. Johnson is well known to have been a Lieberman type...follow whatever the Republicans say on any important issues, just voting on enough democratic issues for them not to kick him out.

Get this...a week before he was killed, Kennedy was giving a speech at the university of Ohio, where he said "The office of the Presidency is being used to dupe the American people, and I will make sure everyone in this country knows about it"

Interesting, huh?

Answer 10

Based on the fact that the media is a culprit in being the major facor in creating popular thought they started years ago and still today sway what we think about and believe. Like today; it is Bush's fault the oil and gas prices have gone so high. Reality: Clinton signed a treaty with the OPEC nations in 1998-99 that constrains our domestic oil productions to greater than 50%. This treaty is in effect until 2008. Just recently in the news a find of deep water oil in the Gulf was given mention. The rig built over that oil find wsa completed last year but can not go online into production until 2008. Say thank you President Clinton and hte media for not talking poorly or divulging negative reports on their favored Presidents and candidates.