19th Annual Student Research Conference
Social Science
The Making of a Meltdown: The Johnson Administration's Feelings During Escalation in Vietnam, 1964-65
Sean T. Foley
Dr. Thomas Zoumaras, Faculty Mentor
Much has been made about the futility of the Vietnam War and the men of the Lyndon B. Johnson administrations who commenced large scale escalation in 1964-1965 and entered their country into a war that seemingly had no ends. Scholars have shown Johnson and his brain trust to be insensitive and absent-minded about the Vietnam conflict. However, the administration was terribly concerned with and understood the consequences of their actions. They, because of unfortunate historical consequences following the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations, felt that they had no options other than staying the course in Vietnam even though they felt they had little shot at outright victory. Their belief in the domino theory and unsuccessful nation building efforts led Johnson to see no other effort than escalation. Escalation was not done with malice or without much discussion and it eventually led to the collapse of the entire Johnson administration.
Keywords: Escalation , Johnson , Vietnam War
Topic(s):History
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 28-2
Location: VH 1232
Time: 10:00