For the American planners of the Vietnam War, the answer to this question was clear: the role of the United States as “the leader of the free world” was to stop the spread of communism.

That was the goal of the United States during the Vietnam War. As you have read, the experience of the United States during this war has influenced U. S. foreign policy ever since. How do you think this experience has affected the way we answer the question about the role of the United States in the world? Did Americans who lived through the Vietnam War start to answer the question differently? Explain.