Between 1955 and 1961, the United States spent $800 million in South Vietnam primarily to

Between 1955 and 1961, the United States spent $800 million in South Vietnam primarily to

• A. Fund the South Vietnamese army.
• B. Prime the economy there.
• C. Build new U.S. air bases there.
• D. Fund U.S. troops who were deployed there.

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that U.S. aid in this period was focused on building up South Vietnam’s own military capability to counter the North and keep the Diem government in power. The large sum spent in South Vietnam was aimed at training, equipping, and paying the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), so it could defend against North Vietnamese aggression and suppress insurgency with less direct American combat involvement. This emphasis on strengthening the South Vietnamese military is why funding the ARVN is the best answer. While economic development and some base construction occurred, they were not the primary purpose of that $800 million, and funding U.S. troops or bases was not the central goal of this particular expenditure.

The main idea here is that U.S. aid in this period was focused on building up South Vietnam’s own military capability to counter the North and keep the Diem government in power. The large sum spent in South Vietnam was aimed at training, equipping, and paying the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), so it could defend against North Vietnamese aggression and suppress insurgency with less direct American combat involvement. This emphasis on strengthening the South Vietnamese military is why funding the ARVN is the best answer. While economic development and some base construction occurred, they were not the primary purpose of that $800 million, and funding U.S. troops or bases was not the central goal of this particular expenditure.