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[[File:Dien_Bien_Phu_1954_French_prisoners.jpg|left|200px|thumbnail|French Troops captured at Dien Bien Phu by Vietnamese troops in 1954]]

The United States got involved with the conflict in Vietnam for one major reason, to stop the spread of global communism. This overarching goal was the driving force of American diplomacy immediately after World War II until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989. The concern over communism began well before World War II and it was this long standing fear that made combating it such a priority throughout the twentieth century.