In 1963, JFK ordered a complete withdrawal from Vietnam

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.bostonreview.net/BR28.5/galbraith.html

Forty years have passed since November 22, 1963, yet painful mysteries remain. What, at the moment of his death, was John F. Kennedy’s policy toward Vietnam?

It’s one of the big questions, alternately evaded and disputed over four decades of historical writing. It bears on Kennedy’s reputation, of course, though not in an unambiguous way.

And today, larger issues are at stake as the United States faces another indefinite military commitment that might have been avoided and that, perhaps, also cannot be won. The story of Vietnam in 1963 illustrates for us the struggle with policy failure. More deeply, appreciating those distant events tests our capacity as a country to look the reality of our own history in the eye.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPNd8Y-3-jM

James Galbraith-Kennedy was pulling out of Vietnam

Pertinent JFK and Vietnam information begins at 2 minutes 30 seconds.

Economist and son of John K. Galbraith, James Galbraith dicusses the matter of historical fact that President Kennedy had set in motion a plan to remove all U.S. troops from Vietnam by the end of 1965. Galbraith's father was serving as ambassador to India at the time.

[Captain Hilts]

1. The State Dept's Foreign Relations Seriess suggest that JFK was skeptical

but not that he'd ordered a withdrawal.

[MineralMan]

2. Well, if he was considering withdrawing from Vietnam,

that couldn't have been popular with a wide range of people.

[rurallib]

3. At that time it sure would not have been.

[madrchsod]

4. now we can buy goods from communist run vietnam

those millions of dead,maimed,and hundreds of billions in costs were for nothing.

[phasma ex machina]

6. Some argue that Britian pressed America into supporting French Indochina

as part of a strategy to restore colonialism and those parts of the British Empire lost during WWII.

I'm a big fan of the British Empire because it seems like a better alternative than deploying American troops all over the world.

[madrchsod]

5. i remember that he was considering leaving

but sadly we`ll never know the truth

[Hangingon]

7. Please post the order for withdrawl.

People have been looking for it for years.

[RaleighNCDUer]

8. Maybe it will come to light when the files that were sealed for 50 years

are finally opened - except that's only 4 years from now, in 2013 (2014, I guess, sealed in '64) and too many players are still alive. The kennedy files won't see the light of day until the second generation is all dead.

[happyslug]

9. No such order exists, for the same reason Johnson never ordered a withdraw

As long as the Majority of Americans supported the war in Vietnam, no President was going to appear "weak" and withdraw. Johnson knew in 1964 that the Situation in Vietnam was hopeless; it had become WORSE since the assassination of Diem in 1963 (Johnson was the only person in Kennedy's cabinet who opposed the Assassination on the Grounds "you do not kill friends" a concept JFK would not even accept as a valid objection).

People tend to forget that Goldwater made Vietnam an important part of his Campaign in 1964. Even Kennedy knew Goldwater was going to be the GOP candidate in 1964 by the middle 1963. Goldwater was for increasing support for the South Vietnamese Government because that was the logical extensive of the anti-Communist dogma that was the dominate theme during that time period. Yes, LBJ decisively defeated Goldwater (And Goldwater was to the left of Ronald Reagan and the Bushes) the attack from the Right that the Democrats were to soft on Communists was an effective attack, even JFK accepted that fact.

We tend to forget the late 1940 and early 1950 Attack on the Democratic party "Who lost China?" which implied was lost by the Democrats for they were to soft on Communists. JFK and LBJ had NOT forgotten that attack and knew they had to address it. Neither could afford to look "Weak" on Communism. That being the case JFK would have done the same thing LBJ, go into Vietnam. He had no other real choice as long as the Majority of Americans supported the war no president, LBJ, JFK, Eisenhower or even Nixon could even think of NOT going in. It is a fallacy to think that JFK COULD have withdrawn from Vietnam, until such time as the Majority of American people supported the war.

As to support for the War, the Majority of Americans supported the war till 1968. It is only after mini-Tet (The second string of attacks that followed Tet about two months after the Tet Offensive) that the Majority of Americans came to oppose the war. At that point LBJ started to pull troops out of Vietnam (Later this pull out was accelerated by Nixon who called in Vietmanization of the War).

My point is simple, even if JFK (and according to the LBJ tapes even LBJ did not want to go in, but viewed it as something he had to do for the American people will support anything a President does EXCEPT appearing weak) would have gone into Vietnam. The Internal Politics of the US, especially the US opposition to Communism and the USSR, would have forced his hand. Not until the majority of Americans came to oppose the war (and that was NOT till mid 1968) could any sitting President NOT go into Vietnam to "save it from the Communists" and not till the Vast Majority of Americans came to view the war as a failure could the US leave Vietnam fall to the Communists (and that was in 1974, over ten years AFTER JFK had been President).

In simple terms the politics of the time period would have forced JFK to do what LBJ did, go into Vietnam. There is an old saying "A School-boy's Hindsight is always better then a General's Foresight" for that is what most people are doing when they say JFK would NOT have gone into Vietnam. They are looking back from today and saying "JFK would NEVER have gone in for he would foresee what my hindsight can see today" while ignoring those facts that shown WHY any President, LBJ, JFK or even Nixon would have been FORCED to go into Vietnam even if they KNEW it was a doomed mission (The scary part is according to the released LBJ tapes even LBJ knew it was a doomed mission by the middle of 1964, before he even sent troops in, but felt he had to go in for political purposes, as did almost all of the Politicians he discussed Vietnam with i.e. it was a doomed mission but the President had to go in so not to appear "weak"). JFK would have gone in for the same purpose, not that JFK wanted to go in, he would have had to go in for the same Political reasons LBJ had to go in.

[Octafish]

10. National Security Action Memorandum 263 -- NSAM 263

Here he orders the beginning of the end:



SOURCE: http://www.jfklancer.com/NSAM263.html

Details: http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/lofiversion/index.php/t6897.html

Complete story: JFK and Vietnam: Deception, Intrigue, and the Struggle for Power by John M. Newman