Lyndon B. Johnson and the Vietnam War

Lyndon B. Johnson was a believer of the Domino Theory, which means that he felt that Communism would spread through the world like dominoes if it wasn’t challenged. He famously said that “If we allow Vietnam to fall, tomorrow we’ll be fighting in Hawaii, and next week in San Fransisco.” Therefore, the President focused on the American millitary effort in Vietnam, and by 1968 over 550 000 American soldiers were inside Vietnam fighting. In 1967 and 68, the Americans were killed by a rate of 1000/month. After the incident at the Gulf of Tonkin, the president was allowed the right to use millitary force without consulting the Senate. Johnson later admitted that that it was he who began America’s involvement in the war. During the fighting, Johnson payed close attention to polls at home, and he tried to keep the American people pro war. However, as the war progressed Americans went against it, and it kept splitting the Democratic Party. The President then found support in the Republican Party as well, as they didn’t have a clear stance to the war. When it became clear that Vietnam was impossible to win, the President’s popularity fell to the ground, and he was ordered not to attend the Democratic National Convention in 1968 because there were so many hippies, yippies and Black Phanters that protested against him.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_B_Johnson