Historical Background:
•Vietnam had been a French colony for almost a 100 years.
•During WWII Japan invaded Vietnam and took it over.
•After WWII the French attempted to regain control over Vietnam but was met with resistance from Ho Chi Minh.
•During WWII Japan invaded Vietnam and took it over.
•After WWII the French attempted to regain control over Vietnam but was met with resistance from Ho Chi Minh.
1945:
Ho Chi Minh declares Independence of Vietnam. British Forces land in Saigon to return authority to the French. 1946: Indochina War Begins: The Democratic Republic of Vietnam launches first attack against the French. 1954: French defeated at Battle of Dien Bien Phu. (See Video to the Right) Geneva Convention takes place and Geneva Accords passed even though U.S. does not agree. Geneva Accords: provisional demarcation line divides Vietnam at 17th parallel until a nationwide election is held in 1956. President Eisenhower cites Domino Theory regarding Southeast Asia. Fear that if one country falls to communism, all the others around it will as well. 1962:
French leave Vietnam and the U.S. starts training South Vietnamese forces. U.S. uses agent orange, a chemical defoliant that exposed roads and trails used by Vietcong forces. 1963: President Kennedy assassinated in November. Lyndon B. Johnson becomes U.S. President Buddhist Monks protest Diem's corrupt rule by setting themselves on fire in public places (see photo to right) With U.S. approval, South Vietnamese military overthrows and executes Ngo Dinh Diem. 1967: Operation Cedar Falls: U.S. and South Vietnamese troops set out to destroy Vietcong operations and supply sites near Saigon. 1968: Tet Offensive: North Vietnamese and Vietcong forces partake in secret attacks upon several key cities and provinces in South Vietnam, including its capital, Saigon. American forces recapture most areas proving it to be a military defeat for communist forces, but turns out to be a political and psychological victory. Dubbed the turning point of the war (see video to right) Richard Nixon elected as U.S. President. My Lai Massacre occurs in March. 11th Brigade invades and massacres an entire village of mostly women and children. 1970: National Guardsmen open fire on a crowd of student antiwar protesters at Ohio's Kent State University, resulting in the death of four students and the wounding of eight others. (picture to right) Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho begin secret peace talks. 1971: Pentagon Papers published. A 7,000 page document leaked to the press by a former defense worker, Daniel Ellsberg, that confirmed the public’s belief that the government had not been honest about their war intentions and plans. 1972: Nixon cuts American troops levels by 70,000. |
1955: Ngo Dinh Diem refuses to participate in nationwide election despite Britain, France and the U.S. urging him to participate and conduct discussions with North Vietnam. Diem becomes President of Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) after a rigged election. 1956: French leave Vietnam and the U.S. starts training South Vietnamese forces. 1959: North Vietnam Group 559 supplies weapons into South Vietnam via the Ho Chi Minh trail. Two Americans die in Vietnam War due to guerrilla attack at Bienhoa. Guerrilla tactics key advantage for North Vietnam forces. 1960: Kennedy elected as U.S. President National Liberation Front for South Vietnam formed. Known as VietCong, a communist rebel group. 1964: Nguyen Khahn seizes power is Saigon Gulf of Tonkin Incident and Resolution: U.S.S Destroyer Maddox was operating in waters off the coast of North Vietnam and reported being under attack . President Johnson took this opportunity to ask Congress to give him the power to escalate the war in Vietnam. They pass Tonkin Gulf Resolution which gives him broad military powers. (see video to left of LBJ's speech) Large number of American troops sent to Vietnam. 1965: Operation "Rolling Thunder" Deployed: Nearly three years of air raids and American bombings of North Vietnam. The practice of protesting U.S. policy in Vietnam by holding "teach-ins" at colleges and universities becomes widespread. 1969: Nixon begins secret bombing of Cambodia to destroy VC supply routes. Nixon does this without knowledge of Congress. The bombing of Cambodia began the biggest general student strike in U.S. History! Congress also repealed Tonkin Resolution as result. Policy of Vietnamization announced. Nixon’s plan to turn the war over to South Vietnamese forces, but also wanted to maintain American dignity by having “peace with honor.” This contradictory policy led to a very slow end to the war. Ho Chi Minh dies. News of My Lai Massacre reaches U.S. and Americans outraged. (click picture to left to be taken to Digital History site with more information, including personal accounts and public polls.) 1973:
Cease Fire signed in Paris by Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho. They later win the Noble Peace Prize. Kissinger accepts the reward but Tho declines, saying Vietnam still does not have peace. (picture to left, signing peace treaty) End of Draft. Last American troops leave Vietnam. Congress passed the War Powers Act to limit presidents' war making powers. 1974: Nixon resigns as result of Watergate Scandal. 1975: North Vietnamese forces capture South Vietnamese Capital of Saigon. |
Click the picture below to go to an interactive timeline map on PBS's American Experience website