1954 - Senator John F. Kennedy speaking against American involvement in Indochina

U. S. Senator John F. Kennedy in 1954 speaking against American involvement in Indochina.

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News & Politics

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• JFK

[Gunnarsguns]

This is a clip for posterity...the record...they cant lie about it. He really didnt want to be there but the military industrial complex criminals had other ideas.They didnt just Kill JFK that day but thousands more americans in a foolish war that didnt have to be and the end result was rich men got richer just as it is today.

[rodni7777]

I read the book JFK and the Unspeakable by Douglas and he has a great story that in 68, RFK was asked how he and JFK were so right about Vietnam (it was obvious in 68 the war was a mistake). RFK slammed his fist on his desk and screamed 'BECAUSE WE WERE THERE!'. Referring to his and JFK's trip in the 50s where they saw the French getting routed by the Vietnamese. JFK knew we would be just replacing the French if we stayed there (same outcome). He was ready to get out in 65 after the election.

[rodni7777]

@gweijai

see observer9670 recent comments, that will answer your questions

[observer9670]

According to Kenny O'Donnell's book, JFK was ready to get out of Vietnam after the Diem coup in November 1963. But he told O'Donnell that he'd have to wait until after the 1964 U.S. election; if he pulled U.S. troops out before that, the Republicans would accuse him of being "soft on Communism" - in 1964 that would have been devastating for his re-election if it stuck.

[AlternativeViewTV]

@Gunnarsguns USA FUNDED INDOCHINA WAR!

[Nominay]

@norr4636 actually, yeah. the main turning point in that whole cold war thing was the Cuban Missile Crisis. After that, Kennedy established detente with Khrushchev. This led to a more optimistic and less fearful vision with JFK's American University speech.

[norr4636]

@rodni7777 So true..Jack Kennedy was hawkish and anti-communist..but he knew that Vietnam was a BIG MISTAKE...

[gweijai]

@rodni7777 Right about what ? Sending 20,000 American 'advisors' over there ? Having Diem knocked off ?

[marcostar57]

Kennedy's words were rather prophetic.

[redviper2GAMER]

Excellent Speach. The biggest failure of Kennedy was Mafia, Jimmy Hoffa and Union works. Public issues like that he refered to as a secret society. He could have been a great president but at the time Mafia and organized representation work or rights of all public was less of his effort. His response was ask not what you can do for your country but what you can do for it. A mistake was asking Vietnahm to do low end manual labor jobs. Black Americans was provided rights vietnam had less.

[DoBrigh]

Eisenhower also said that he couldn't imagine land troops in vietnam.

nixon, on the other hand, wanted to nuke Ho Chih Minh in the 50s.

(see Burn Before Reading by Stansfield Turner)