An executive echo chamber: The evolution of America's Vietnam policy from Truman to Johnson

Four men held America's highest office between the years of 1946 and 1968. Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson would each in their own way pull the country deeper into the quagmire of Vietnam, that much is clear. What has not been given significant scholarly attention is that each administration gave a significant amount of consideration to how closely they followed the path of the previous administration, or at least how closely they appeared to adhere to past policies. This work does not attempt to be a synthesis of America's involvement in Vietnam, but instead seeks to answer some important questions. This dissertation argues that there was an intentional and definite effort to have continuity regarding Vietnam policies, even if that was not always the best choice. Continuity, and its portrayal by the press, were priorities for each administration. By examining these issues, we gain a better understanding of how the U.S. became entrenched in Vietnam, and the relationship between the president and the press.; The seven chapters trace the evolution of the policy of continuity, and the relationships between these four presidents and the press. Extensive archival research at the Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson Libraries serves as the foundation for this study. However, an additional element has been essential to formulating this dissertation. The papers of Ernest K. Lindley have been a previously untapped resource for studying the Vietnam era. Lindley was a prominent journalist for Newsweek during the Truman and Eisenhower eras. Lindley was invited to join the State Department's Policy Planning Council in 1961. He accepted, and began to make public appearances in support of American intervention in Vietnam. By analyzing Lindley's early writings during the Truman and Eisenhower years, we can gain a more clear understanding of the role that the press played during this period. Lindley's writings serve as an example of the type of press that each individual administration attempted to procure. The methods and motivations of these presidents are examined throughout each chapter.