The Eisenhower Administration's Vietnam Policy

The Vietnam War, which is a terrible tragedy in American diplomatic history, is another hot war after the Korean War during the cold war period. The Eisenhower administration takes a crucial step and plays an important role in the involvement of the war. According to containment strategy, the Eisenhower administration has inherited and developed Truman administration's Vietnamese policy, realized the radical change of this policy, and formed a policy which followed and served its cold war policy and the global strategy. This policy makes U.S. involved in Vietnamese war deeply, which causes American comprehensive interference in Vietnam affairs. This thesis attempts to reveal the influence of cold war on Eisenhower government's policy through analyzing its Vietnamese policy, and points out that during Eisenhower administration period, America takes the first step towards Vietnamese war, which carries a foreshadowing of Kennedy and Johnson administration's involvement of the war.This thesis includes three parts. In the first part, by reviewing Truman administration's Vietnamese policy, it points out that under the influence of cold war, Truman admim'stration undertakes more and more responsibilities to Vietnam which leaves an unabandonable inheritance to Eisenhower administration. In the second part, it analyzes the process and reason for the transformation of Eisenhower administration's Vietnamese policy carefully. Under the guidance of the Domino theory, America realizes the radical transformation from indirect interference of limited aid to France to undertaking the responsibility of shaping France into "US'S child" actively. It points out this transformation leads to the close connection of the destiny between US and South Vietnam which causes America's getting stuck in the mire of Vietnam. In the third part, it states the influence which the Eisenhower government exerts on Vietnamese policy. It also points out the support and investment of Eisenhower government towards Vietnam makes America shoulder a burden which can not be laid down easily. And its Domino theory provides the theoretical foundation forKennedy and Johnson administration's taking the responsibility and launching thewar.