JOHN F. KENNEDY --- He sent more advisers to South Vietnam but was not in favor of immediate military action. In Southeast Asia, Kennedy continued what Eisenhower had begun, using limited military force to combat the HoChi Minh troops. Proclaiming a war against the spread of communism, he established programs to help the unstable government of South Vietnam by providing political, economic and military assistance, which included sending 16,000 soldiers as military advisers, increasing the presence to 60,000 soldiers.
LYNDON JOHNSON --- He convinced the US Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution to escalate the Vietnam War. This resolution authorized him to act in an integral way against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, which he accused of aggressions against US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin.
DWIGHT EISENHOWER --- He provided South Vietnam with financial and military aid after SEATO came into existence. He denied important material aid to France in Indochina, although he did provide financial assistance and would give strong economic support to the newly created South Vietnam.
