American policy makers assumed responsibility for containment of Communism, which was not a
just or noble reason for involvement in Vietnam. Truman’s administration was increasingly
concerned about global Communist aspirations. The administrations of successive presidents from
Truman until Johnson assumed that Communism was looking to expand globally through and
beyond the Soviet’s European domination. Despite the Iron Curtain relaxing after Stalin’s death in
1953, American policy makers maintained their belief that communism was inherently expansionist.
Trotsky had promoted worldwide revolution; the Soviets in Eastern Europe imposed their influence
at gun point. Even before China fell to Communism and the Soviets got the bomb, Communism
seemed a massive threat to American policy makers. Indeed, the outbreak of the Korean War
seemed proof enough that Communism was expansionist. Perhaps policy makers felt a genuine
threat but exaggerated the threat and whipped up public hysteria for political purposes, to exact
change through Congress quicker. Record and Elliott highlighted that the Americans investigated
little into the beliefs of the Vietnamese Communists, from which they inferred that the Americans
assumed that Vietnamese Communism was expansionist and hegemonic to Soviet and Chinese
Communism.
just or noble reason for involvement in Vietnam. Truman’s administration was increasingly
concerned about global Communist aspirations. The administrations of successive presidents from
Truman until Johnson assumed that Communism was looking to expand globally through and
beyond the Soviet’s European domination. Despite the Iron Curtain relaxing after Stalin’s death in
1953, American policy makers maintained their belief that communism was inherently expansionist.
Trotsky had promoted worldwide revolution; the Soviets in Eastern Europe imposed their influence
at gun point. Even before China fell to Communism and the Soviets got the bomb, Communism
seemed a massive threat to American policy makers. Indeed, the outbreak of the Korean War
seemed proof enough that Communism was expansionist. Perhaps policy makers felt a genuine
threat but exaggerated the threat and whipped up public hysteria for political purposes, to exact
change through Congress quicker. Record and Elliott highlighted that the Americans investigated
little into the beliefs of the Vietnamese Communists, from which they inferred that the Americans
assumed that Vietnamese Communism was expansionist and hegemonic to Soviet and Chinese
Communism.
