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The Geneva Accords Divide Vietnam In Half At The 17th Parallel
At the conference, French and Ho Chi Minh's Communists sign a truce that partitions Vietnam into North and South Vietnam at the 17th Parallel. National elections were to be held throughout Vietnam within two years to unify the country. -
JFK and Ngo Dinh Diem Meet
The United States decides to increase it's number of American Advisors in Vietnam from 340 to 805 after a meeting between John F. Kennedy and Ngo Dinh Diem. The Kennedy Administration has officially commited the United States to support the efforts in Vietnam. -
Diem Overthrown
The U.S. realized that Diem's government was incompetent, corrupt and no one respected him. Ngo Dinh Diem was overthrown by a military coup. After the generals had promised him that he could leave the country, they decided to kill him instead. He was replaced by the Chief Of Staff of the Armed Forces of South Vietnam. -
President Johnson's declares he will not "lose Vietnam" during a meeting with Henry Cabot Lodge.
Two days after President Kennedy is assasinated in Dallas, President Johnon is now in charge of the Vietnam War. During his meeting with Ambassador Lodge, his declaration that he will not lose Vietnam is followed by his decision to increase the number of U.S. Military Advisors to 15,000. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
In response to a battle at sea known as The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, the United States passed a joint resolution. This was important because it authorized President Johnson use of conventional military force without an official declaration of war. -
Operation Rolling Thunder Begins
The name of the aerial bombing by the United States against North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. It was believed it would have persuaded North Vietnam to end it's campaign for communism in South Vietnam. However, it became a huge failure for the United States since North Vietnam continued to fight. -
Massive Anti-War Demonostrations Held In The United States
In New York City, 400,000 people marched from Central Park to the United Nations building to protest the war. 100,000 people also marched on the same day in San Francisco. Americans were not afraid to show their opposition of the war and more demonstrations continued throughout the United States. -
My Lai Massacre
Conducted by the United States Army, the result was the mass murder of hundreds of South Vietnam citizens. Unfortunately, most were children, women and elderly people who were brutally killed. Twenty six soldiers were originally charged, but only one was convicted of murder. -
President Nixon Announces United States and South Vietnamese Incursion Into Cambodia.
Nixon's words "...not for the purpose of expanding the war into Cambodia but for the purpose of ending the war in Vietnam and winning the just peace we desire" shocks the country. Numerous protests soon follow putting many Americans at odds with Nixon and Vietnam.
