Dwight D. Eisenhower played a significant role in the Vietnam War, although he was not directly involved in the conflict as President of the United States from 1953 to 1961.
During his presidency, Eisenhower provided substantial economic and military aid to the French, who were fighting against the communist Viet Minh forces in Indochina, which included Vietnam. Eisenhower believed that the spread of communism posed a serious threat to the United States and its allies, and he saw the French effort in Indochina as an important front in the Cold War.