FREE ESSAY ON ECONOMIC REASONS FOR INVOLVEMENT IN VIETNAM

ECONOMIC REASONS FOR INVOLVEMENT IN VIETNAM

We hold these truths that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable Rights, among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of
happiness. This statement is taken directly from the Declaration of Independence of the
United States of America, written in 1776. In a broader sense, that statement is
understood to mean, All peoples on earth are born equal; every person has the right to
live happy and free.
Vietnam is a country divided into two parts. The southern half, the half below the 17th
parallel, has a population of about twelve million people. These people are free, but
poor. Their economy is weak. The average individual income was less than $200 a year.
According to the Vietnam Declaration of Independence of 1945, They (the French) have
prevented the development of native capital enterprises; they have exploited our workers
in the most barbarous manner.
According to Henry Cabot Lodge, he who holds or has influence in Vietnam can affect the
future of the Philippines and Formosa to the east, Thailand and Burma with their huge
rice surpluses to the west, and Malaysia and Indonesia with their rubber, ore and tin to
the south. Lodge is suggesting a reason for war. This war would be one in which the U.S.
would be defending their freedom - freedom fro U.S. economic penetration of Asia.
For Vietnam economic growth, the acquisition of capital is vitally necessary. The best
way to acquire this capital, and still maintain Vietnam's freedom would be through
private investments from the outside, through governmental loans, and if necessary,
grants from other nations. The costs, for the U.S., of the continuous neglect of these
problems would be far more than we must bear, more than we could afford, according to
President Eisenhower.