With the assassination of Kennedy in 1963, LBJ became president after being sworn in on the same day. LBJ promised the nation that he would continue to pursue the very essence of what Kennedy strived for. LBJ, who also had his own agenda, is known for his triumphs with the Medicare and Medicaid programs as well as his signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. However, even with these certain triumphs, LBJ is and has been scrutinized in his relations with how he handled the Vietnam War. LLBJ, like its predecessors, was determined to maintain an independent South Vietnam and succeed in Southeast Asia against the rising tide of communism. Since his years as a senator, LBJ followed the “containment theory,” which held that if Vietnam fell, other Asian countries would as well. LBJ, also a purveyor of history, did not want to be remembered as the president who let Southeast Asia fall to communism. Following in Kennedy's footsteps, LBJ pushed through a National Security Agency memorandum on November 26, 1963, which directed the U.S. government "to assist the people and government of So...