Vietnam War Intertextualization

Contextualization and introduction

The Vietnam War served as a major turning point of the Cold War, during which the American public split in its support of the conflict. As a proxy in the superpower conflict between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR), the US entered to support the South Vietnamese who were at war against the communist North. To support the South and its Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), the United States sent military advisory, conducted airstrikes, and committed ground forces with the hope of curbing the growth of communist ideology in the Asian sphere of influence through a communist defeat. However, the American military ultimately did not apply full force against the Northern combatants under the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN/NVA) and Viet Cong (VC). Despite investing considerable quantities of human and material resources to support the South’s fight over control of Vietnam, the focus often diverted to concurrent threats such as West Germany. This notion, combined with the US’ determination to avoid a potential nuclear war that a communist defeat could catalyze, led to restraint in support and eventually its withdrawal from the conflict altogether.

From the heavy casualties to a growing economic toll on the US, American citizens grew convinced that the superpower rivalry developed

During this period of the late 1950s, American society primarily fixated on the threatening presence of communism. When the media managed to cover the early Vietnam War, the coverage solely revolved around the context of overarching Cold War ideological themes and thus exerted minimal influence in changing the public perception of US involvement. The press’s limited reporting framework at the onset deemphasized the public’s necessity to focus on the proxy war in its