Assess the application of the policy of Containment in Southeast Asia between 1954 and 1975
Containment was a United States policy which involved military and economic strategies to prevent the spread of communism. This was due to the US’ fear of the domino theory, who suggested that if a country becomes communist, the countries around would have a greater risk of becoming communist too. The policy had already been applied in Korea to prevent North Korea from invading South Korea. In Vietnam, the situation was already complicated, before the American intervention as the Vietnamese with Ho Chi Minh leading the Viet-Minh had fought the French for their independence during eight years. In 1954, a year after the end of the Korean War, the Viet-Minh defeats the French at Dien Bien Phu leaving the country to communism.
In 1954 took place the Geneva Conference, a response to the war. It was a conference between many countries who agreed to restore peace in French Indochina and Vietnam. The Geneva Accords, signed by France and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam guaranteed the independence of Laos and Cambodia while Vietnam was to be divided temporarily into two states at the 17th parallel: Ho Chi Minh was the recognized leader of the North and Ngo Dinh Diem ruled the South. Elections were to be held, but Diem always refused to prepare them in fear of the communist victory. The USA, on the other hand, did not push him for the same reason. Clearly, the USA were supervising the zone, and Diem’s actions, as it is seen in document A, a letter from Einsenhower to Diem: “discourage any who might wish to impose a foreign ideology on you free people”. There, the fear of communism is visible. However, why did the Americans get completely involved, to the point of sending troops? They had helped the French, sending arms and equipments, making the balance with the Chinese support of the Viet-Minh, but they had never sent men. They started in 1961, as Diem’s government was not