In one of history’s great ironies, Lyndon Johnson portrayed his 1964 Republican challenger as a warmonger. By 1968, Johnson’s war splintered America and ruined his presidency. The president systematically steered the country’s war effort from an advisory role to full scale combat operations. He believed that if Vietnam fell to the communists, the rest of Southeast Asia would follow suit. Once embroiled in the conflict, Johnson lacked a clear victory strategy and the war bogged down effectively ending his presidency.
In the early sixties, many in the foreign policy establishment believed in the domino theory. Essentially, they believed if one country fell to the communists, then its neighbors would quickly follow suit. In Southeast Asia, China and North Korea fell to the communists. America saved South Korea from a similar fate with decisive action. Shortly thereafter, the French were evicted from Vietnam. To many Americans, that nation remained threatened. Senator John Kennedy warned that if Vietnam fell, then Laos, Cambodia, Japan, India, Thailand, and the Philippines were at risk. Johnson shared this view.
At the time of Kennedy’s death, the United States stationed 16,000 military advisors in Vietnam. Some have suggested that Kennedy planned on a full scale pullout at the time of his death, but there is no evidence for this. It would have been politically perilous. The Republicans savaged the Democrats over the loss of China and gained a dramatic electoral advantage on that issue. Kennedy and his successor remained leery of looking weak on communism.
The communists provided President Johnson an excuse to escalate American involvement in Vietnam. On August 2, 1964, three North Vietnamese torpedo boats engaged the USS Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin. All three North Vietnamese vessels received battle damage. Two days later, Johnson alleged a second engagement. In 2005, the government released a classified report which indicated that North Korea did not launch a second attack. The rough seas led to false sonar readings which led the jumpy crew to believe they were under attack. Shortly after reporting the incident, the captain warned Washington that the crew may have been hearing their own propeller.
After the second incident, Johnson addressed the nation and received congressional approval to wage war. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was a significant departure from precedent. It provided the president war powers without declaring war which essentially guaranteed an open ended commitment. While Johnson painted his 1964 opponent as a warmonger, he began a massive military buildup in Vietnam. By 1968, 550,000 Americans served in Vietnam.
At the outset, Americans overwhelmingly supported the war. Johnson generally downplayed Vietnam preferring to focus on his Great Society programs and Civil Rights. As the war dragged on, the nation focused more on the inner cities as they began to burn providing further distraction. For all anyone knew, inside government and out, the war effort was successful.
Success or failure in the war fell on the president since Johnson micromanaged from Washington. He joked that the air force could not bomb an outhouse without his approval. Additionally, the administration forbid an invasion of the north. In 1950, Harry Truman approved an invasion of North Korea which led to Chinese intervention. Johnson feared a recurrence with Vietnam. This bound the military’s hands and provided the North Vietnamese the ability to survive.
Despite the prohibition of a full scale invasion, the military did bomb North Vietnam with impunity. However, without troops to follow up the attacks, the North Vietnamese were able to muddle through. They built extensive underground networks that allowed them to store supplies, hide, and ride out the bombs. Additionally, they refused to respect international borders and often supplied their troops in the field via detours through neutral third countries.
The war began to weigh on Johnson. Slowly, the antiwar movement began to build. Protests grew larger and larger. By the end, people were shouting “Hey hey LBJ, how many babies have you killed today?” He could not figure how to get out of the war. In Johnson’s view, if America lost, it would look weak. Also, he was concerned about losing Southeast Asia. Years later, David Brinkley recounted how Johnson did not want “to be the first American president to lose a war.” The president continued to warn that if America lost in Vietnam, then they will be fighting in San Francisco.
Lyndon Johnson’s position and presidency became untenable on January 31, 1968. The North Vietnamese launched an offensive attacking every major city in the south. They hoped to spark a general uprising. The attack failed spectacularly. Militarily, the Tet Offensive was a major American victory. However, one of the communist goals with the offensive was to influence American public opinion. In this, they proved successful. Fighting took place in the American embassy. These images appeared on American television. America’s preeminent news broadcaster, Walter Cronkite, told the public he believed the war was not winnable.
Politically, Cronkite’s assessment was correct. The American public had enough of Vietnam. They also had enough of the Great Society and Civil Rights. This meant the end of the Johnson Administration. After a poor showing in New Hampshire, Johnson withdrew from the race.
The Vietnam War helped destroy Lyndon Johnson. He entered the war in order to stop the spread of communism, but lacked a clear victory strategy. When the war bogged down, in part because of his military strategy, Johnson appeared helpless. As the war grew unpopular, Johnson dug in. Following the Tet Offensive, America decided the war was no longer worth the effort. In the end, the war helped end the Johnson presidency.
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