The wait and see mentality.

It took four different presidents to eventually commit the US completely to war with Vietnam. It began with Truman authorizing aid to the French, shifted to Eisenhower taking control from the French and unleashing the CIA's campaign in Vietnam, and then took on another role as Kennedy sent 2,000 military advisers to train the South Vietnamese army. These were all tactics that didn't offensively commit us in the war, it wasn't until Kennedy's unfortunate assassination that the US was thrust into an offensive mindset when Lyndon B. Johnson gave the go ahead for air strikes and bombing of targets north of the 17th parallel. It took about 15 years from the onset of the conflict until the US was fully involved in Vietnam, some might say a little too long.

All of them had one goal and that was to keep the Communists at bay and keep them from flexing their might. That was the US policy regarding foreign affairs surrounding the Cold War. Each president took a different stance on that approach and I believe it ultimately allowed North Vietnam to succeed. Truman took the initial stance with the Truman Doctrine, which promise U.S. support to countries threatened by communism, spread us too thin as a nation. Truman was ambitious to think that we could prevent its spread, especially following WWII when the world was left with so many voids. (Truman). Eisenhower was the first to take a stance with regards to Vietnam and with his outstanding war credentials decided to allow the CIA, which had been successful in ousting other regimes during his administration, to get involved. I'm not so sure the CIA was the best route to go. Sending spooks and spies into a region already in turmoil and unrest I think did more harm than good. Eisenhower should of sent a military presence over there with the CIA and advisers, if not in place of them. (Eisenhower).

The one president I think that would have best suited the U.S. involvement was President Kennedy. The reason why I think he didn't have a bigger impact was because his focus had to be closer to home with the failed Bay of Pigs operation, set up by the Eisenhower administration, along with the Cuban Missile Crisis. J.F.K. and his hard-lining stance toward the Soviet Union could have proved productive in Vietnam and yet before he got the real opportunity he met his untimely fate. His stance toward Vietnam could be summed up by this quote he gave in April 1963, "We don't have a prayer of staying in Vietnam. Those people hate us. They are going to throw our asses out of there at any point. But I can't give up that territory to the Communists and get the American people to re-elect me". (Kennedy). Then Johnson picked up where Kennedy left off and expanded the military involvement with bombing and more troops on the ground. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident and its resolution allowed Johnson to use the military as he saw fit without the approval of the Senate. America's proactive stance in Vietnam forever changed with Johnson.


http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/vietnam/anderson.htm
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/vietnam/causes.htm