Unlike Malaya and the Philippines, Korea was a far more aggressive military strategy. Having been such a polarizing event, the Korean produced considerable concern about the escalation of a limited war, the intervention of China, and public outcry over a prolonged war. Yet, these concerns were superseded by feelings of American fearlessness and tenacity regarding the Korean War. As May writes, “…[policymakers] believed the intervention in Korea had demonstrated America’s willingness to risk war in order to protect the integrity of other nations. They wanted to act in Vietnam in keeping with Truman’s example”(May 108). In their comparison of Vietnam to Korea, U.S. policymakers concluded that intervention was important to maintaining the principles and precedents established throughout our history. Assuming they could successfully implement strategies used in other Southeast Asian countries, policymakers believed they could protect South Vietnam like South Korea had been protected, maintaining the United State’s credibility and resilience. However, Vietnam and Korea were completely different events, under very different circumstances. As George Ball, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, once stated, “ ‘South Vietnam is not Korea…and in making fundamental decisions it would be a mistake for us to rely too heavily on the Korean analogy’”(May 109). Ball would continue to note examples of differences between Vietnam and Korea. One example being that Korean War had the active support of the United Nations as opposed to Vietnam where the United States would be fighting alone. Another key difference, according to Ball, was that South Korea had a reliable government and population willing to fight for their country. In Vietnam, this was not the case as Diem’s regime failed miserably, turning into an oligarchy that only distanced themselves farther from the predominant rural population (May 109-110).
Unlike Malaya and the Philippines, Korea was a far more aggressive military strategy. Having been such a polarizing event, the Korean produced considerable concern about the escalation of a limited war, the intervention of China, and public outcry over a prolonged war. Yet, these concerns were superseded by feelings of American fearlessness and tenacity regarding the Korean War. As May writes, “…[policymakers] believed the intervention in Korea had demonstrated America’s willingness to risk war in order to protect the integrity of other nations. They wanted to act in Vietnam in keeping with Truman’s example”(May 108). In their comparison of Vietnam to Korea, U.S. policymakers concluded that intervention was important to maintaining the principles and precedents established throughout our history. Assuming they could successfully implement strategies used in other Southeast Asian countries, policymakers believed they could protect South Vietnam like South Korea had been protected, maintaining the United State’s credibility and resilience. However, Vietnam and Korea were completely different events, under very different circumstances. As George Ball, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, once stated, “ ‘South Vietnam is not Korea…and in making fundamental decisions it would be a mistake for us to rely too heavily on the Korean analogy’”(May 109). Ball would continue to note examples of differences between Vietnam and Korea. One example being that Korean War had the active support of the United Nations as opposed to Vietnam where the United States would be fighting alone. Another key difference, according to Ball, was that South Korea had a reliable government and population willing to fight for their country. In Vietnam, this was not the case as Diem’s regime failed miserably, turning into an oligarchy that only distanced themselves farther from the predominant rural population (May 109-110).