Snake45 said:
TRanger said:
Six presidents served during the Vietnam conflict and five served during US involvement if we accept the entire period extended from 1948-1975.
You're obviously counting Eisenhower, which I wasn't. But we did supply the French with US aircraft and support (AU-1 Corsairs, B-26 Invaders, C-47s and I think even C-119s) during Indochina which I suppose can be counted as US involvement.
Hi,
Methinks Ike must be counted!
In a nutshell:
Truman was President when France, General Giap and Ho Chi Minh got into it--again, after the interruptions of WWII--about 1945-6, which began roughly 30 years of various levels of hostilities involving both the definitions and the realities of "independence" for Viet Nam. It looks like TRanger puts the appropriate asterisk on that issue as a "pre-involvement" conflict. While Ike did not openly support the French in the struggle, he covertly sent Gen. De Gaulle air support under a mutual assistance treaty obligation in anticipation of what would become the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, and De Gaulle's downfall. Two of the thirty-seven US pilots there were killed in action supporting the French at Dien Bien Phu, in 1954. Some will call it otherwise, but regardless of how one colors it, the death of active duty American military personnel in action spells "US involvement" to me. Hence, I'd argue Ike began our "involvement." President No. 1.
Subsequent negotiations led to the 1954 Geneva Accords--what we might describe as a tentative truce for a while--but we were quite involved and thus committed, even if it was "unofficially." Those "peace talks" amounted to something quite similar to the kinds of Israeli-Palestinian talks we're too familiar with: "Let's sign this thing so we can get out of here and start shooting at each other again!" Things in Viet Nam simmered during this time, though the American public didn't see much of them until JFK started sending troops (even if he called them "advisers") almost immediately after becoming President, just as Ike had warned him he would probably have to do. President No. 2.
Of course everyone world wide knew how everything blew all to pieces under LBJ, and continued much the same way under Nixon, the 1973 Paris Peace Accords notwithstanding. Finally, Saigon fell and the US officially pulled out on April 30, 1975. Regardless of the fact much of the public thinks Nixon got us out, students of history will recall he'd announced his resignation on August 8, 1974 and left office the following day. Gerald Ford was President when we ended our involvement in Vietnam as we spell it today. Presidents No. 3, 4 and 5.
So if I were teaching the class, I'd count 'em up exactly as TRanger did!
Rick C
Agree the correct number of Presidents isn't on the list...
