Posted on May 12, 2017
Lyndon B. Johnson visits South Vietnam - May 12, 1961 - HISTORY.com
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Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson meets with South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem in Saigon during his tour of Asian countries. Calling Diem the “Churchill of Asia,” he encouraged the South Vietnamese president to view himself as indispensable to the United States and promised additional military aid to assist his government in fighting the communists. On his return home, Johnson echoed domino theorists, saying that the loss of Vietnam would compel the United States to fight “on the beaches of Waikiki” and eventually on “our own shores.” With the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963, Johnson became president and inherited a deteriorating situation in South Vietnam. Over time, he escalated the war, ultimately committing more than 500,000 U.S. troops to Vietnam.
@ SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas Capt Christopher MuellerCOL Mikel J. BurroughsSgt Joe LaBrancheSSgt (Join to see)Capt Seid WaddellSrA Christopher Wright LTC Stephen F.PO2 Ed C. SFC(P) Hercules Lobo MSG Tom EarleyPVT James Strait Alan K. PO1 William "Chip" NagelSGT John " Mac " McConnell SFC William Farrell LTC (Join to see) SPC Britanny *Winnie* Balthaser SSgt Robert Marx PO1 Tony Holland
@ SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas Capt Christopher MuellerCOL Mikel J. BurroughsSgt Joe LaBrancheSSgt (Join to see)Capt Seid WaddellSrA Christopher Wright LTC Stephen F.PO2 Ed C. SFC(P) Hercules Lobo MSG Tom EarleyPVT James Strait Alan K. PO1 William "Chip" NagelSGT John " Mac " McConnell SFC William Farrell LTC (Join to see) SPC Britanny *Winnie* Balthaser SSgt Robert Marx PO1 Tony Holland
Lyndon B. Johnson visits South Vietnam - May 12, 1961 - HISTORY.com
Posted from history.comPosted in these groups: 
Vietnam War
Military History
American History
Office of the President (POTUS)
Vietnam War Military History American History Office of the President (POTUS)
Posted >1 y ago
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Thanks of reminding us about the day Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson met with South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem in Saigon during his 1961 tour of Asian countries SP5 Mark Kuzinski. It was incredibly sad that we backed away from supporting Diem and that he was assassinated.
Image: 1961 As part of his Goodwill Tour of Southeast Asia American Vice President Lyndon B Johnson met with Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem; 1961-05-13 Saigon May - Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson's Far East Trip. Farewell breakfast with Ngo Dinh Diem; 1963-11-02_Diem_Murdered
LTC Stephen C. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown CW5 Charlie Poulton SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SGT John " Mac " McConnell SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris RamseyCPL Eric Escasio CPT Gabe Snell LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq.
Image: 1961 As part of his Goodwill Tour of Southeast Asia American Vice President Lyndon B Johnson met with Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem; 1961-05-13 Saigon May - Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson's Far East Trip. Farewell breakfast with Ngo Dinh Diem; 1963-11-02_Diem_Murdered
LTC Stephen C. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown CW5 Charlie Poulton SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SSG James J. Palmer IV aka "JP4" SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SGT John " Mac " McConnell SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris RamseyCPL Eric Escasio CPT Gabe Snell LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq.
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Sgt Bob Leonard
I have to respectfully disagree with you about withdrawing our support of Diem. He had too many strikes against him from the git-go to be an effective leader of the Country.
1. The War began in the first place as Viet Nam's Revolutionary War to gain their freedom from French colonial rule. Diem had been for years willingly subservient to the French. Under the French he had been appointed (not elected) Prime Minister just before France's defeat at Dien Bien Phu.
2. The Geneva Accords of 1954 stipulated there would be Nationwide elections in 1956 to choose the leadership of the entire Country. In violation of that agreement, in 1955 Diem orchestrated a bogus election that 'created' South Vietnam and got him elected President. (He claimed he received more than 98% of the votes cast. A claim that even our own CIA tried unsuccessfully to convince him to tone down a little.)
3. He practiced blatant nepotism and favoritism in appointing unqualified people to various gov't positions and responsibilities.
4. He was a Catholic in a culture that was less than 8% Catholic.
5. At the end, he was assassinated by his own Generals.
1. The War began in the first place as Viet Nam's Revolutionary War to gain their freedom from French colonial rule. Diem had been for years willingly subservient to the French. Under the French he had been appointed (not elected) Prime Minister just before France's defeat at Dien Bien Phu.
2. The Geneva Accords of 1954 stipulated there would be Nationwide elections in 1956 to choose the leadership of the entire Country. In violation of that agreement, in 1955 Diem orchestrated a bogus election that 'created' South Vietnam and got him elected President. (He claimed he received more than 98% of the votes cast. A claim that even our own CIA tried unsuccessfully to convince him to tone down a little.)
3. He practiced blatant nepotism and favoritism in appointing unqualified people to various gov't positions and responsibilities.
4. He was a Catholic in a culture that was less than 8% Catholic.
5. At the end, he was assassinated by his own Generals.
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In retrospect, comparing Ngo Dinh Diem with Churchill is comparable to declaring that the Titanic was unsinkable. With both meeting equally tragic and avoidable ends.
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Thank you Mark for this short insight into LBJ's trip to Vietnam, good morning to you and yours.
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