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Truman Acts On Vietnam
With the fear of Vietnam becoming a communist nation, Truman sent transport planes and jeeps in aid to the French. Along with that, he sent 35 military advisors that also included a multimillion-dollar care package. This was the United States first action that would eventually lead to the Vietnam War. -
Dien Bien Phu and Domino Theory
The French had suffered a terrible defeat at Dien Bien Phu ending their rule in Indochina. Eisenhower supplied Diem with 2 billion dollars in aid as well as increasing the military advisors to around 1,000. The U.S. now had a new fear which was the spread of communism throughout Vietnam and the surrounding nations. This was known as Domino Theory and was the idea that if one country fell to communism, the rest would fall like dominoes. -
Geneva Accords
The Geneva Accords were created at the Geneva Conference. The accords decided that Vietnam would temporarily be split at the 17th parallel creating a North Vietnam and a South Vietnam. Then there would be an election two years later that would unify the two sides once again. However, South Vietnam and the U.S. never signed the accords. The accords would turn out to be a huge disaster as there was never an election which kept the two sides separate. -
First U.S. Soldiers Killed In Vietnam
Guerrillas raid a group of U.S. soldiers living in an area in South Vietnam near Saigon. At this point, this is when war is starting to enter the minds of some Americans. Many people at the time still have never heard of Vietnam, but it is starting to become something real. -
John Kennedy Secret Operations
President Kennedy sent helicopters and 400 green berets to South Vietnam. He also sent more military advisors. It was now starting to get really real. The casualty rate in Vietnam had been steadily increasing since early 1961. -
Operation Ranch Hand
President Kennedy authorized the use of chemical herbicides, referred to as Agent orange, in Vietnam. This was known as Operation Ranch Hand. The purpose of it was to clear the vegetation and expose the roads. They dumped an estimated 19 million gallons of the herbicides in Vietnam and parts of Laos. This was a very controversial decision and many questioned the impact the herbicides would have on the land and the people. -
Thich Quang Duc
A Buddhist monk named Thich Quang Duc protested Diem's government by lighting himself on fire. Diem, who was catholic and wanted to convert Vietnam to catholicism, banned the flying of the Buddhist flag. This was a majority buddhist country so many people reacted badly. The picture of Duc burning alive made president Kennedy question his policy on Vietnam. -
Ngo Dinh Diem Assassinated
Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother were both assassinated by a coup in South Vietnam. Diem's own people did not even like him. Kennedy and his members knew this was going to happen but did not act on it because they could not fully trust Diem. -
JFK's Death
President Kennedy's death causing huge turning point in the war. Many believed if the president had never died, he might have taken everyone out of Vietnam. Lyndon Johnson would become president after Kennedy's death. -
Gulf Of Tonkin Resolution
On August 2nd and 4th the USS Maddox reported that they were torpedoed by North Vietnam. It turned out that only one of the times they were actually torpedoed and the U.S. provoked the attack. President Johnson believed he must respond to the attack to prove how much he hated communism. The Gulf Of Tonkin Resolution gave LBJ the power to take any action he thought necessary to end communism in North Vietnam. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Operation Rolling Thunder was the name for a series of bombing campaigns in Vietnam. This was intended to put pressure on North Vietnam's military leaders and to show how powerful they were. However, the North Vietnamese were very adaptable and rebuilt everything that was bombed. The operation was ultimately unsuccessful. LBJ ended up bombing random places for no reason. They also didn't accomplish the goal of intimidating the North. -
Fist Ground Troops In Vietnam
LBJ send the first ground troops to Vietnam. Johnson would end up sending about 500,000 men to war. I believe this was the final straw for escalation into Vietnam. After this, it was official. Everyone knew what was happening and if affected many American lives.