"Our airpower did not fail us; it was the decision makers," said Admiral U.S. Grant Sharp. During the Vietnam war, President Johnson ordered the military to start bombing North Vietnam in February of 1965. But Johnsons strategy was called Operation Rolling Thunder which was a 3 and a half year bombin campaign. Military officials believed the campain should've been an all out massive bombing which would cause North Vietnam to be defeated with no sweat, but President Johnson wanted to balance military objectives against political considerations. He avoided action that could provoke intervention by the chinese who posessed nuclear weapons and he the desire to spare civillians. The U.S. focused destroying North Vietnam's indutry and transportation system thinking they could win that way since North Vietnam's had low economic development and a small military. But little did the U.S. know, Everything the U.S. destroyed, China and Soviet Imports replaced it all.China and the Soviets with things such as 600,000 tons of rice, small arms, ammunition, vehicles, tanks, fighter planes, and surface to air missles. That was about $2 billion in foreign aid which overpowered the effect of Operation rolling thunder.
Question 1: Why do you think China and the Soviets supported Vietnam during the war instead of the U.S.? Why would they support a third world country rather than try and gain a better relationship with the U.S.?
Question 2: How did the restrictions of Operation Rolling Thunder effect the war? Did President Johnson's restrictions positively effect the war?
