One of Johnson’s major goals in Vietnam was to:
1. keep the Soviets and Chinese from attacking elsewhere in Asia
2. use nuclear weapons to end the war as quickly as possible
3. use the war to unite the country at home
4. avoid losing it to communism
5. kill as many Vietnamese as possible
3 or 4 ?
It's 4.
To determine the correct answer, let's break down the question and analyze each option:
1. Keep the Soviets and Chinese from attacking elsewhere in Asia: This option refers to Johnson's goal of containing the spread of communism in Asia. While this was a consideration in U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War, it was not a specific goal of Johnson's Vietnam policy.
2. Use nuclear weapons to end the war as quickly as possible: The use of nuclear weapons was not a viable option in the Vietnam War. Johnson pursued a conventional military strategy and did not advocate for the use of nuclear weapons.
3. Use the war to unite the country at home: This option refers to Johnson's domestic motive in Vietnam. One of his major goals during the war was to rally the American public behind the cause of fighting communism and promote national unity; however, this was not his primary objective.
4. Avoid losing it to communism: This option, preventing a communist takeover in Vietnam, was one of Johnson's major goals. He believed that if Vietnam fell to communism, it would have a domino effect, leading to the spread of communism throughout Southeast Asia.
5. Kill as many Vietnamese as possible: This option is not a legitimate goal for any government or military leader. It is not an accurate or appropriate representation of Johnson's goals in Vietnam.
Based on the analysis, the correct answer is option 4: Johnson's major goal in Vietnam was to avoid losing it to communism.