Journal of Undergraduate Research
Keywords
Kingdom of Laos, foreign policy, President John F. Kennedy, Vietnam War
College
Family, Home, and Social Sciences
Department
History
Abstract
The literature on the role of Laos in the historiography on John F. Kennedy’s foreign policy is surprisingly scant. On the day prior to Kennedy’s ascendance to the presidency, Eisenhower called Laos—not Vietnam—“the keystone to Indochina.” Later, Kennedy would bemoan his lack of knowledge on the Vietnam problem due to Eisenhower’s emphasis on this land-locked, obscure country. My research sought to re-establish the center of gravity in the causation of the Vietnam War by culling the documents at John F. Kennedy library to examine why the first six months of the Kennedy administration did not ultimately escalate its commitment to Laos when the crisis posed a greater Cold War threat than Vietnam ever did or would.
Recommended Citation
Stevenson, Russell and Johns, Dr. Andrew
(2013)
"“From Millpond to Meo: President Kennedy and Covert Assistance to the Kingdom of Laos,"
Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013:
Iss.
1, Article 300.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/300