Arguments for and against US intervention at Dienbeinphu

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  • Created by: ex-Roz
  • Created on: 03-02-15 09:36

Deinbienphu 1954

Advantages

  • French strength was being drained in Vietnam. Eisenhower wanted franch to be a strong memeber of Nato
  • Eisenhower rejected Truman's policy of containment. His policy was of 'roll back' but as of yet had not liberated any country from communism
  • Eisenhower did not want the Republicans to 'lose' vietnam
  • The French threatened to be unhelpful about Europe unless USA helped them
  • Secretary of State Dulles feared Chinese expansion in Indochina. He stated the Vietminh were trained and equipped by the Chinese
  • The loss of Vietnam to communism would affect the balance of global power - domino theory

Disadvantages

  • Some in the military thought Vietnam was a pointless division of US resources
  • Eisenhower described the French as 'hopeless' and helpless
  • Some politicians doubted the domino theory
  • A vice-admiral insisted partial involvement would be useless - 'Cannot go over the Niagara falls in a barrel only slightly'
  • The Republican policy of New look concentrated on nuclear weapons at the expense of man power
  • USA did not have British support - congress would not improve US involvement without it
  • Eisenhower had previously stated that not military victory was possible in that theater of war
  • Eisenhower did not want to replace French colonialism with USA colonialism

Evaluation

What was actually happening?1954- The French decided to concentrate their efforts on Dienbienphu - located in a valley in the north of Vietnam -. The French seized Dienbienphu in order to put pressure on the French effort nearby Laos. They built a fortress in the hope of drawing the Vietminh into a set-piece battle. Both the French and the  Americans thought that Dienbienphu could be held. Thousands of volunteers had dismantled heavy long range guns and taken them to the surrounding hills. The comfort afforded by the french was 18 prostitutes and 49,000 bottles of wine - The french garrison did badly in the several months' struggle at Dienbeinphu - French ignorance and Vietnamese ingenuity played an important part in the French failure in Indochina.Vietnam was not two separate countries before this. 

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