tes role in Vietnam. In his speech he defined the United States’ purpose:There are those who wonder why we have a responsibility there. We have it for the same reason we have a responsibility for the defense of freedom in Europe. World War II was fought in both Europe and Asia, and when it ended we found ourselves with continued responsibility for the defense of freedom. Our objective is the independence of South Vietnam, and its freedom from attack. We want nothing for ourselves, only that the people of South Vietnam be allowed to guide their own country in their own way (Trager 190).The United States involvement in Vietnam was based on keeping Southeast Asia from falling to the communists. We think that our ideas of democracy to be universally applicable. In Vietnam: first the French were dominant, and the Communists out of power were interested in violating the rules that assured French domination. By 1954, the Communists had won, and at Geneva they were able to write a new set of rules. But the United States, interested in reasserting its ideology, broke those rules and succeeded in establishing Diem in power. At that point the rebel reappeared, this time in the form of the Viet Cong (Scheer 78). The United States became involved militarily to show the world that their ideas could not be conquered. ...
