The United States became involved in the Vietnam War out of fear. The United States feared that if communists conquered Vietnam, it would have the "domino" affect, and communism would spread throughout Southeast Asia. From 1945 to 1975, a period of thirty years, the United States provided abundant materials, financial aid, and human resources towards Vietnam in effort to help shape and control that country's destiny.
             From the 1880's until World War II, France governed Vietnam as part of the French Indochina, under the control of an emperor Bao Dia. After World War II Vietnam came under control of the Japanese. At the collapse of Japan in 1945, Ho Chi Minh led Vietnamese Communists to the liberation of Vietnam. Ho, controlling the Republic of Vietnam allowed 15,000 French troops to settle in Vietnam. As time passed, the French wanted to regain control of its former colonies in Indochina. The French created plans to bring down Ho, and replace him with one of their own. Not finding defeat over Ho and his troops as easy as predicted, the French appealed to Eisenhower for help in April of 1954, endangered of being thrown out of their colonial empire in Southeast Asia. Eisenhower, however, was reluctant to involve the United States in a war on the mainland of Asia; however, he was convinced that the French could not win without support. John Foster Dulles, secretary of state, convinced Eisenhower that if he allowed a French defeat Southeast Asia would begin a "domino" affect. The theory was Vietnam was the first of a row of dominos which, if knocked over into communist hands, would lead to the communization of the rest of Southeast Asia. Although Eisenhower was hesitant to become involved, in 1950 the United States began helping the French with money and arm. In 1953 Eisenhower requested sixty million dollars for French aid, and by 1954 the United States was sustaining eighty percent of the cost of the war be...