To negotiate or to bomb? That was the controversy between Senators J. Stennis on how to get the United States to exit from Vietnam. Fulbright was the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), while Stennis was the chairman of the Preparedness Investigation Subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SPIS). Each of these senators had their own way of wanting to settle the conflict in Vietnam. In fact, these two committees held public hearings of national debate in order to investigate U.S. policy in Vietnam.
On January 27, 1966, U.S. Senator John C. Stennis of the SPIS, announced that the United States' involvement in Vietnam was no "police action," and also stated that what had been "called a 'dirty little war' has become a 'dirty big war.'" (1) Stennis's main concern was not only how to end the war, but how to win it as well. He believed the best way of doing this was to bomb the North Vietnamese port of Haiphong and to stop the flow between the North and the South. He made it clear that the United States would not back down from retaliating with every weapon they had. (1) Senator J. William Fulbright of the SFRC agreed that the United States was involved in a "dirty big war," but he disagreed with virtually every other aspect of Stennis's view on the Vietnam conflict. Fulbright was not a supporter of Stennis's idea of using nuclear weapons against China because of the possible six hundred thousand U.S. troops in Vietnam. (2) He believed it was better to improve the nation's relationship with the Soviet Union and to accept defeat rather than to do something that would create tension. .
Not only was Fulbright worried about bombing Vietnam, but he and antiwar colleagues on the SFRC realized that there were even more frightening indications that the war was getting out of hand. Fulbright knew the United States needed to make a quick decision, so he and most of the SFRC members voted for public hearings on U.
Intense debate was started in the U.S. government. ... The trail was not one stationary trail, it consisted of many smaller trails, that lead to different places. ... Then they are going to stop dropping bombs on Vietnam, 10,000 miles away, and tend the war in America." ... Johnson does not seek reelection. ... Viet Cong crosses the border into South Vietnam, but was stopped by heavy bombing. ...
The debate over Vietnam occurred when this highly sensitive mixture of ideas seemed, to large numbers of Americans, to divide into its component parts, the parts each drawing the nation toward differing courses of action. ... The French were losing and were not able to control the communist North Vietnamese from invading South Vietnam. ... Vietnam was not a major issue yet when President John F. ... Even with this said, the president wasn't ready and did not want to send American combat troops to Vietnam but however, he did send more advisors. ... He was not favored by the people of Viet...
However, after both resolutions were enforced, Congress would later state that they were not made fully aware of the situations or that they did not believe the President of the United States would actually use the resolution. ... President Johnson viewed the war in Vietnam as an extension of the Cold War and felt it was necessary to defend South Vietnam from communism. ... After the resolution passed the committees, it was put on the floor for debate. ... The House of Representatives took about an hour to debate the resolution before passing it unanimously. On August 10th President Johnso...
But what most of us do not realize is what the United States government has done to other countries, for better or worse. ... The United States responded by saying that the United States government would not tolerate any form of communism within the Western Hemisphere. ... In 1954 France surrendered Indochina and Vietnam. Vietnam was divided into North Vietnam and South Vietnam; also Laos and Cambodia were given full independence. ... Most of the time Vietnam became the main point of discussion and Kennedy felt obligated to do something when he came into office, about Vietnam. ...
The U.S. ordered sustained bombing on Northern Vietnam, when that did not work Johnson sent in enough troops to take over from the Southern Vietnamese. ... The war had shown that even America's vast military might could not stop the spread of Communism. Not only did the USA fail to stop South Vietnam going Communist, but the heavy bombing of Vietnam's neighbors, Laos and Cambodia in secret CIA wars, actually helped the Communist forces in those countries to win support. ... Berkeley students as well as residents gathered for more than thirty hours to debate the war issue. ... They we...
Cuba, Santo Domingo, Chile, Grenada, Vietnam, Iraq, and Kosovo, are some of the locations of conflicts that U.S. troops have trained for in Vieques. ... It is not only a geographical location that places this island in debate, but also it's need for training and practice purposes. ... While this issue can be debated for months, one has to take into consideration all different aspects, good and bad. ... "If you're not, that means casualties. ... A logistical problem such as the disruption of wildlife habitats should not be of concern when wherever you go and bomb, you will always be...
On June 10th, the 75th day of debate, the senate voted. ... As Johnson ordered bombing raids and sent small numbers of combat troops to Vietnam in August of 1964, he made the most fateful decision of his presidentency in July 1965. ... LBJ halted the bombing with a well-publicized diplomatic offensive. ... Accordingly, I shall not seek, and I will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as you president. LBJ's decision not to run for reelection had stunned the nation. ...
