The goal here was containment, a key word for the Cold War ...
The goal here was containment, a key word for the Cold War years, especially for both Korea and Viet Nam. We wanted to stop the Soviet Union and other communist countries where they were and not allow them to take any additional lands. They were anxious to take them – the Soviets were always looking for what they considered warm weather ports so they could build up a deep water navy and if it was a country with other resources, all the better.
While the United States military had been in Korea on and off since 1871, the main situation arose as part of the Russo-Japanese War in the early 1900’s and then World War II’s end in 1945. When communist Russia became re-involved in the war, it fought against Japan, pushing against the Japanese invasion of Korea, and fighting down as far as the 38th Parallel. This gave the United States (after capturing Japan and taking responsibility for its invaded territories) and the Soviet Union (after being involved in the Japanese defeat and taking responsibility for the territories they held) a joint trusteeship in Korea.
The United Nations wanted free elections for all of Korea, but the Soviet Union would not agree to it. Eventually, in 1949, both sides agreed to remove themselves from the peninsula, and all troops were pulled back. That ended by 1950 when the Soviets pushed the North Koreans (who eventually were joined by Communist Chinese “volunteers”) into South Korea. They had captured almost the entire country when the United Nations decided a joint military operation would be needed to remove the communists from the country. They never did succeed, but pushed them back to the original line, the 38th Parallel, when a truce was signed that has kept the US Military there ever since. There is a demilitarized zone separating the two sides that, after decades without humans living there, has become practically the only area of the country that looks like it did before the war, and is a refuge to many animals (and during the last North Korean famine, was visited by North Korean soldiers to kill some of those animals for food.)
In all of this, the goal of the Soviet Union (and later China) was to reduce the influence of the United States on different areas of influence, while the U.S. and its other World War II allies tried to maintain influence over areas that could quickly become new communist territories. ()
Viet Nam is a bit tougher to explain. If you go back into old maps, you will find the country labeled “French Indo-China,” and indeed, it was a French colony up until World War II and the Japanese invasion. The predecessor to the CIA, the Office of Strategic Services, sided with Ho Chi Minh and his guerrilla forces to harass the Japanese invaders and rescue downed U.S. pilots. After the war, the country is split into two at the 16th Parallel so that the Communist forces could drive the Japanese out of the North and the British drive them out of the South. Later, France demands that all its former territories be returned to it and along with Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia become colonies again. Ho instead declares the North a free nation under his leadership and tries to be recognized, perhaps even is expecting recognition for his work with the OSS, and is ignored by Truman, who wants to contain the enemy communists wherever possible.
When the U.S. doesn’t recognize him, he appeals to the new French leaders. They ignore him too, and an 8-year war begins. (History Place)
This all evolves into a huge shooting war where the French are constantly on the retreat, slowly, from the peninsula. In 1964, it has devolved to a situation where the U.S. felt they had to get involved. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State John Forster Dulles called the Senate leaders in to discuss how close the French were to being defeated and to ask for planes from Japan and two air craft carriers to become involved to get the French out of Dien Bien Phu air base. The Senate minority leader asks a few questions: How many of the Joint Chiefs agree with this strategy? None but the Chairman. Does the U.S. have guarantees of support from other countries? No, but Dulles asks to be given the chance to get the support. After 2 weeks Dulles ahs failed, 10,000 French have surrendered to communist forces, and the French are almost completely driven from Viet Nam. Once thee French leave Hanoi, Ho Chi Mihn comes out of hiding and again wants one free country under his leadership. The last French soldier leaves in 1956, and military advisors for South Viet Nam are loaned to the government there by the United States. The first two Americans killed occur in 1959, murdered by Viet Cong Guerillas. U.S. involvement in what will be called ”The Viet Nam War” begins in earnest. (Shenkman and Reiger)
In 1961, the Soviets support “wars for independence” around the world, supporting North Viet Nam’s communist leadership and Kennedy increases the use of military advisors as a result. 400 Green berets join the fight against the insurgents. By 1963, President Kennedy is dead, Johnson moves up to become President and declares that he will not lose Viet Nam. The man who stopped U.S. involvement in 1954 as the Senate minority leader is now the man who increases military involvement (over 16,000 soldiers) and financial backing ($500 million) for South Viet Nam. In part, this is because he is informed that “If we lose Viet Nam, it will be hard to control the rest of Asia.” (History Place)
In the end, the theory of containment fails, and it is not until the 1980’s that Americans learn that straightforward freedom and capitalism will be able to take most communist and anarchical governments and remove them from office, but that it is a long process that you need to let develop by itself over time.
REFERENCES
. “U.S. Military Involvement in Korea.” . Accessed 12/14/09.
Shenkman, Richard and Kurt Reiger. (2003) One-Night Stands with American History. HarperCollins. New York.
The History Place. “The Vietnam War.”
vietnam/index-1945.html. Accessed 12/14/09.
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