AbstractsHistory

Crossing Oceans with Words: Diplomatic Communication during the Vietnam War, 1945-1969

by Chloe Koscheva-Scissons




Institution: Bowling Green State University
Department: History
Degree: MA
Year: 2015
Keywords: American History; World History; Ho Chi Minh; Ngo Dinh Diem; Harry Truman; Dwight Eisenhower; John F Kennedy; Lyndon B Johnson; Richard Nixon; First Indochina War; Second Indochina War; Cross Cultural Communication; Vietnam War; Diplomacy; Letters; Telegrams
Record ID: 2061810
Full text PDF: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1426004411


Abstract

From the start of the First Indochina War to the Paris Peace Accords of 1973, Vietnamese and Americans (each with their many allies) fought to claim Vietnam in the name of communism or democracy. While violent bloodshed and constant miscommunication did occur quite frequently, both parties attempted to cross cultural boundaries in hopes of negotiation.This project focuses upon cross-cultural communication from 1945-1969. I highlight letters and telegrams between the following American presidents and North, South Vietnamese leaders: Ho Chi Minh and Harry Truman, Ngo Dinh Diem and Dwight Eisenhower, Ngo Dinh Diem and John F. Kennedy, Ho Chi Minh and Lyndon B. Johnson, and Ho Chi Minh and Richard Nixon. I use more personalized forms of communication to create interconnections rather than continue to emphasize cultural disconnect and misunderstanding. Specifically, I argue that despite ideological and socio-cultural differences, each leader did strive and hope for something other than war. Unfortunately, these individuals remained steadfastly devoted to the idea of ideology and victory more than peaceful resolution.Letters, telegrams, memorandums, and meetings serve as the main primary sources for this project. Since the release of the Pentagon Papers in 1971, government documents pertaining to the Vietnam War have been declassified, transcribed, and made public. In particular, this project utilizes the National Archives’ digital collection of the Pentagon Papers and Office of the Historian’s digital Foreign Relations of the United States.