What happened to give LBJ a reason to send troops into Vietnam?

In early August 1964, two U.S. destroyers stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin in Vietnam radioed that they had been fired upon by North Vietnamese forces. In response to these reported incidents, President Lyndon B. Johnson requested permission from the U.S. Congress to increase the U.S. military presence in Indochina.

Why did Johnson send troops?

On March 20, 1965, President Lyndon B.

Who sent combat troops to Vietnam?

Under the authority of President Lyndon B. Johnson, the United States first deployed troops to Vietnam in 1965 in response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident of August 2 and 4, 1964.

What did William Westmoreland do in the Vietnam War?

5 days ago
William Westmoreland commanded U.S. forces in the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1968. He treated the conflict as a war of attrition, which diminished domestic support. In December 1956 he was promoted to major general; at 42 years old, he was then the youngest person holding that rank in the U.S. Army.

Which president sent the first combat troops to Vietnam?

President Lyndon B. Johnson
Jennifer Rosenberg is a historian and writer who specializes in 20th-century history. Under the authority of President Lyndon B. Johnson, the United States first deployed troops to Vietnam in 1965 in response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident of August 2 and 4, 1964.

Who replaced Robert McNamara as secretary of defense this man concluded that the war in Vietnam was unwinnable?

Clark Clifford
Johnson rejected these recommendations outright. McNamara subsequently resigned; Johnson adviser Clark Clifford succeeded him.

What did McNamara do in the Vietnam War?

Johnson did just that: in 1965, at McNamara’s urging, he ordered the first U.S. combat troops to protect South Vietnam from communist incursions. McNamara also played a significant role in forming and escalating Operation Rolling Thunder, a sustained, massive U.S. aerial bombing of targets in North Vietnam.

What did McNamara call for in his memo?

McNamara called for a boost in American firepower and a troop increase to 200,000 soldiers. By the end of the month, 50,000 additional troops were heading to Vietnam, with 75,000 more to be deployed before 1966. McNamara’s memo was one of the most important policy statements of the entire war.

Who advised Johnson not to go to war in Vietnam?

US Information Agency Fifty years ago, during the first six months of 1965, Lyndon Johnson made the decision to Americanize the conflict in Vietnam. His vice-president, Hubert Humphrey advised him against it. So did his long time mentor and friend, Senator Richard Russell of Georgia.

How did McNamara convince Johnson to pursue the third option?

McNamara convinced Johnson to pursue the third option; though he admitted it would cost money and lives in the short-term, the Secretary believed that military expansion would eventually bring the communists to the negotiating table. McNamara called for a boost in American firepower and a troop increase to 200,000 soldiers.