This shows that not only did Russell not feel intimidated by LBJ, but that LBJ welcomed Russell's views. Even though LBJ welcomes Russell as an advisor, in this tape LBJ questions sending American troops to Vietnam because even the loss of an American life is a loss. Looking at the situation, even though LBJ was hesitant to get more involved in the war and Russell was explaining why America should not get involved, LBJ did not follow Russell's opinion and inevitably sent American troops . Thus, it can be assessed that President Johnson is interested in hearing Russell's opinions but remains stubborn because he maintains that other individuals are not in his position. Russell disagreed with entering Vietnam because he believed the Vietnamese were doing little to help themselves and therefore did not deserve American aid. However, he believed that if the president sent American troops to Vietnam, then the nation would be involved and the war must be a full-scale war.