--- Historians use May 1954 as the start date of the Second Indochina (Vietnam) War as when the US violated the "1954 Geneva Agreements on Indochina". --- The US military uses November 1955 as the start date as that was when the first US military advisers were sent to Vietnam. Both dates are during the Eisenhower presidency. read more
Doves believed that the Vietnam conflict was a localized civil war and did not agree with Johnson's policy whereas hawks supported Johnson's policy and believed Vietnam was a crucial front in the cold war. read more