History Gcse Vietnam Coursework Essay

rise A is by US President Johnson, speaking in April 1965, star month after the start of Operation Rolling Thunder. It is a primary extraction. Johnson had a difficult conjecture he had to live up to be popular. The former president JFK was very popular. Johnson was a new president. He launched the direct involvement former president only sent weapons and advisers. In the seminal fluid, Johnson says the States got involved in Vietnam because we have a promise to keep. By saying promise he is referring to the Truman Doctrine. It is the promise do by Truman president of USA after World War Two, they promised to send money, weapons and advisers to the countries outside the urge cape if they be over the threat of collectivism. Johnson feels that he has to carry on the promise. the Statesns expect Johnson to help out southernmost Vietnamese. Ameri backsides think communism is evil, and they are the defender of democracy and capitalism. They think it6 is their job to contain comm unism. They have showed to the domain that they exit stand up over communism in Korea, Cuba and Greece it is vital that they carry on containing communism to make America appear strong.The bug is give tongue to to earthly concern in America. It is utilitarian because it is from the president himself who pass off the war which makes it is primary first because it was give tongue to at the time the war was going on. In addition, it gives us the reasons that Johnson told the mankind. It also tells us the official reason of why America was involved in the war. Because Johnson took them to war, many humankind believed him. Direct involvement has upright begun and the incidents at gulf of Tongking and Pleiku were the excuses for America to bomb North Vietnam.The source is little useful because he doesnt give a specific reason on why America was involved he does non talk about the direct involvement, he is trying to justify his reasons on bombing Vietnam. He believes it is th e right thing to do he hides his private feelings. He also says the inverted comma from the bible to back him up. Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further he says that the god will say he is doing the right thing. He is trying to make people feel it is the moral thing. He also path that he dont want communism to be over the Iron Curtain. Because the weighs from the Vietnamese people are missing it make the source less useful. It is biased because we only position Johnsons point of view.The date is significant and it is said to persuade the public and it makes the source much in all probability to be propaganda. Johnson is desperate to put the public on governments side. Because if the government does not build up the support from the public there will be a massive protest. The source only shows Johnsons point of view so we dont live on if the Vietnamese wanted America there. Johnson has just started to bomb Vietnam which makes it less undeviating because he is trying to put the public on governments side.This is not uncommon because it is what the other leaders have done in the past to put the public on their side. Because it is common that makes it les reliable the politicians can exaggerate the reasons why they have gone to the war. Propaganda has been used in World War 2 and more recently in Iraq and Afghanistan and the public have to be cagy when listening to propaganda speeches. The media is trying to make the public believe that communism is bad.The source on its own is not very useful. Perhaps if it was cross-examined with other sources we will be able to understand more about the reasons of why America got involved in the Vietnam War.Source B is a private conversation said by us President Johnson in May 1964. The source tells us that Johnsons fear of communism of melody if you start running from the communists they may chase you into your own kitchen which is similar to source A in the situation that he talks about communism spreading to the West and America. He also tells us that he has a fear of losing power which he doesnt mention in source A because it is a public conversation.He says that the politicians and advisers are giving him pressure to start the war which means that JFK was doing is not operative anymore. The source was spoken in May 1964 but then the Operation Rolling Thunder hadnt started. The USA was only helping the Vietnamese indirectly. The date is significant because it shows that he had thought about bombing Vietnam, it wasnt a decision which was taken straightaway. He says that he is not confident that they will bring in the war I dont think it is worth fighting for. And I dont think we can get out which contradict with what he has said in source A.Source B is useful because it displays his true thoughts and feelings about going to war in Vietnam. Because the decisions to go into war are done by Johnson it makes the source more reliable. However, because the source only tells us one point of vie w as to why they are involved in Vietnam War it limits its reliability and its not right-hand if youre looking for why they are involved in Vietnam. The source is privately said which makes it more reliable because its trustworthy and because there is more chance of it being the truth. It is more useful because it shows what he really think about Vietnam we acre a hell of a lot less it again contradicts with source A where he said we should act up on Vietnam this makes source A less useful. just on the other hand source B is less reliable because we dont go to bed who he had this private conversation with.I think source B on its own is not very useful because he doesnt say many reasons of why they got involved in Vietnam. notwithstanding it is useful in way that it contradicts with source A and helps us think more about if source A is reliable.Source C is by Professor Noam Chomsky, he was an American critic of the war which means that he is not going to be positive about what th e government is doing. He is less reliable because we dont k this instant his background. He ahs got his own agenda possibly he can be Anti-American. Because he is a professor, people are more likely to believe what he says because he is knowledgeable. However, it doesnt mean what he says must be true. The source is less useful because we dont know where he got the information from, to make it more useful we need to know the derivation of his information.The professor emphasises the event that the government didnt go to the war to help the sec Vietnamese its our official truth now he is saying that this is what the public was told by the government, it was what everyone believed at that time. Its just not true in these lines what the professor actually means is that President Johnson is a liar. The US did not want an independent South Vietnam that was no longer dominated by America in these lines the professor is telling us that USA got involved in Vietnam because they did not wa nt to lose the control over Vietnam and they wanted took powerful to the Soviets during the frigorific War.The source tells us that the US got involved in Vietnam for trade and money because if the South Vietnamese male factor communist they wont trade with America, which means that they will have less economy. It could not cease South Vietnam out of its orbit in these lines what he is saying is that America want to show the demesne its strength and it wants to keep control over Vietnam. It is about America being selfish and its greedy motives. This supports what Johnson said in source B, he only says he cares about Vietnam in source A.The source is said to public because he is being interviewed, the source is not very reliable because it only shows his point of view. The professor wants the public to know the truth or what he thinks is the truth. There is less chance that the media has changed the source. The source is useful because it shows us a different viewpoint about Amer icas involvement in Vietnam War. The fact that the professor has said it in public shows that he is trying to achieve publicity for himself by exaggerating the reasons.The source is useful because it displays that not everybody agreed to the war and some people criticised their own government. It is also good because it shows a different opinion on Vietnam War something we havent considered before. The source was spoken in October 1982 after the war has finished in the 1970s. Chomsky is criticising the government because they have lost the war, there is more chance of public believing Chomsky than government and they will think that the government has made a mistake. It is less reliable because it is a secondary source and he doesnt know what the real reasons were, he wasnt there at the time nor he wasnt part of the government.In my opinion, source C on its own is not very useful because ewe only get one persons viewpoint. But if it was interrogated with other sources it can be more reliable.In conclusion, I think from all these sources I have studied source B is more useful because it shows us what president Johnson felt at that time of war and he was the one who sent out soldiers to Vietnam. But in source A he could be untruth to the public to justify his reasons because he cant say he sent troops mound to Vietnam for his selfish motives. I havent chosen source C because I think that he is trying to gain popularity by criticising the government and that is his job.