Involvement in Vietnam

For this activity, you will examine the gradual escalation of the American role in Vietnam from 1960 to 1968, starting with American advisors in 1961 and the introduction of American combat troops under President Johnson. What do you consider the positive and negative consequences of American military intervention? Think about both the foreign policy and domestic consequences of American participation in an undeclared war. Think about what impact it had on the 1968 presidential election as well.
Be sure to post your position and respond to at least two other members of the class to get a discussion going on the merits of American involvement in Vietnam and its consequences. As part of the discussion, also consider the impact of the war on the government and people of South Vietnam.
Consult the Discussion Posting Guide for information about writing your discussion posts. It is recommended that you write your post in a document first. Check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors. This is a “post first” discussion forum, which means you must submit your initial post before you can view other students’ posts. When you are ready to make your initial post, click on “Reply.” Then copy/paste the text into the message field, and click “Post Reply.”
To respond to a peer, click “Reply” beneath her or his post and continue as with an initial post.
Evaluation

This discussion will be graded using a rubric. Please review this rubric prior to beginning your work. View the rubric by clicking on the gear icon at the top right side of this page or on the Course Rubrics page within the Start Here module. All discussions combined are worth 20% of your final course grade.

M5D1: National Security Council—Cuban Missile Crisis
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The USSR placed offensive missiles in Cuba and lied to President John Kennedy about the missiles. U-2 surveillance flights discovered the missiles, and President Kennedy called for meetings of the National Security Council, a presidential advisory group, to discuss the options the United States should pursue to get the Russians to remove the missiles from Cuba, while at the same time avoiding a nuclear confrontation with the USSR.
For this activity, you will role play the position of a member of the National Security Council. Decide on which option the United States should pursue in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Take a position for or against the use of a blockade, an airstrike, an invasion, or negotiations.
Before beginning, please make sure you have read the required readings in the text, Thirteen Days in order to understand the background of the crisis. There are two movies about the Cuban Missile Crisis—1974 Missiles of October with William Devane and Martin Sheen and the 2000 Thirteen Days with Kevin Costner, Bruce Greenwood, and Steven Culp. If you have the time and access to them, you might want to watch one of them during this module.
Then, in your initial post, identify the strengths and weaknesses of each choice and explain which option you favor and why you feel it is the best choice. In your post, identify the goals of the President and the American objectives during the crisis and how your choice meets both. Remember to cite any sources in your response, if necessary.
After creating your initial post, read through those of your classmates and choose at least three others to respond to. Posting a single response is insufficient. Please engage in discussion with your peers by evaluating the options and issues of the crisis and by debating your stance. Continue to do this until you either agree or agree to disagree.

Module Notes: Cuba to Vietnam
In this module, you will look at the foreign policy problems of the 1960s with an emphasis on the problems of the Cold War, especially confrontations in Berlin and the escalation of the American involvement in Vietnam. You will consider the impact of the communization of Cuba and American efforts to remove Castro at the Bay of Pigs in 1961 and the Soviet-American confrontation over the placement of missiles in Cuba in 1962 producing the Cuban Missile Crisis.
This module focuses on the foreign policy problems of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. In Cuba and Vietnam, both Kennedy and LBJ were haunted by the twin concerns of avoiding a repeat of the appeasement at Munich or acting too aggressively and producing another Guns of August scenario that would lead to escalation into nuclear confrontation during the Cuban Missile Crisis or to World War III with the Soviet Union and China over Vietnam. The same concerns played out in confrontations over Berlin in 1961 and the construction of the Berlin Wall. For President Kennedy the Cuban Missile Crisis challenged his leadership abilities. Would any of the four options: blockade, air strike, negotiations, or invasion lead to an outcome avoiding appeasement and nuclear confrontation? President Johnson wanted to avoid losing Vietnam to the communists but also avoid a confrontation with the Soviet Union and China and decided on gradual escalation of the American military role in Vietnam from 1964-1968. This policy did not win the war and led to growing domestic dissent that ended his presidency and the Great Society programs he advocated.
Please go to the discussion on the Cuban Missile Crisis at the National Security Council.

Learning & Assessment Activities
During this module you will:
Read:
• Required
o Module notes: Cuba to Vietnam
o Page 45-145 in the text Thirteen Days
o Chapters 13-14 in the text Crucible of Power
o Chapter 6 (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site. in the text, A Problem from Hell
View:
• Required
o Segments 43-49 of the video, Cold War (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site. [length = 13:32 minutes]
o “Why Vietnam? (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site. [WMV 216MB 31:01 minutes]”
Discuss:
• M5D1: National Security Council—Cuban Missile Crisis
• M5D2: Involvement in Vietnam