First Paper Topic
The United States decision to enter war in Vietnam was not based on Paul Nitze’s document National Security Council 68 (NSC-68), but based on both George Kennan’s policy of containment, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower's’ domino theory. The NSC-68’s purpose was to force a retraction of Soviet power--to get the Soviets to recede by creating situations of strength. This was why NSC-68 called for such a massive buildup of U.S. military power. It was not enough to merely balance Soviet power; the drafters of NSC-68 wanted to create such an enormous preponderance of power that the Soviets could be pushed back without a single shot having to be fired. NSC-68’s aim was to attain hegemony which initiated the policy of containment and the domino theory. Eisenhower stated that the United States needed not only to contain the Soviet Union at critical locations but in all locations, for if one nation became Communist, its neighbors were likely to turn Communist too. Such a result led to entering the war in Vietnam since Vietnam was in risk of converting to Communism.
On April 14th, 1950, during the height of the Cold War, The National Security Council 68 (NSC-68) policy was drafted. NSC-68 outlined a variety of possible courses of action, including a return to isolationism; war; continued diplomatic efforts to negotiate with the Soviets; or “the rapid building up of the political, economic, and military strength of the free world.” The latter approach was implemented by President Harry S Truman. By increasing military spending to finance a massive military buildup, the United States were given the sufficient strength to deter Soviet aggression. Following the approach outlined by NSC-68, the United States became increasingly concerned with Communist expansion globally.
When the United States discovered Vietnam’s possibility of conversion to Communism, they entered the war to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam as part of their wider strategy of containment. The policy of containment conducted by U.S.