The leadership styles, experience, personality and temperament of Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and John Kennedy played a role in intensifying involvement and commitment of the United States in Vietnam. Both presidents vowed to stop the spread of communism, seen as a direct attack on democracy, human rights and capitalism. (Tucker, 1999) Both presidents also subscribed to the domino theory, which is the belief that if a key country were to fall to communism, it would have a trickle-down effect on other countries converting to communism. (Divine, 1981) This theory was used by many presidents as a reason to continue supporting efforts in Indochina. After World War II, the French began a fight over their former colony of Indochina, which included Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. The French and other countries then failed to see the will and desire of the Vietnamese people to gain independence from foreign rule and unify their country. Ho Chi Minh, a Vietnamese nationalist, fought the French and captured the North Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, with his followers, the Viet Minh, declaring the area the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. (Anderson, 2002) The French were unwilling to give up their colony and drove the Vietminh from many of the larger cities in the south. The United States entered the Vietnam struggle in 1950 when France was promised $15 million in aid to fight the Vietminh. (Anderson, 2002) The rationale was to align with France and prevent the Soviet Union from expanding into Europe and to prevent another country from falling under communist rule. Despite $2.6 billion in aid to the French over four years, they might not defeat the Viet Minh. (Miller Center, 2009) During a siege by the Viet Minh… middle of paper… do not go to war at any time, anywhere in the world. For this reason the American people want to have confidence in the abilities of their leader. Furthermore, the actions of the President and his staff have a direct influence on people's thoughts and perceptions regarding interference in foreign countries. Most people did not find the threat of Vietnam falling to communist rule to be justification for the number of lives lost. Works Cited Anderson, D. (2002). Columbia's guide to the Vietnam War. New York: Columbia University Press.Divine, R. (1981). Eisenhower and the Cold War. New York: Oxford University Press. Miller Center. (2009, May). American President: A Reference Resource. Retrieved November 2, 2011, from University of Virginia: http://millercenter.org/president/eisenhower/essays/biography/printTucker, S. (1999). Vietnam. London: UCL Press Limited.