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Ho Chi Minh begins his conquest
After becoming an advocate of communism Ho Chi Minh returns from his travels across Europe. He goes to South East Asia where he plans to help the Indochinese overthrow the French government. -
Vietminh
During his plans to help the Indochinese, Ho Chi Minh became a wanted man and went into hiding. Eleven years later he returned to Vietnam where Japanese had seized control. He then for the group, Vietminh. Their goal was to expel Japanese forces from Vietnam -
French fight back
The French did not want to see Vietnam become independent. They returned with South East Asian troops and their own men to fight agenst the Vietminh. -
New Government
During their fighting the French and South East Asian troops pushed the Vietminh rebels into hiding. By the end of 1949 the Frnech had set up a new government in Vietnam -
Eisenhower helps out
By 1954 fighting agenst the French and Vietminh had begun once again. When Eisenhower took office in 1953 he openly supported the French against the Veitminh, By 1954 the U.S was paying 3/4 of the French war cost. -
Defeat in Dien Bien Phu
After the Frnech commander ordered the take over of Dien Bien Phu, a town that helped control supply lines the Vietminh, the town was quickly surrendered. Soon afterward, the Vietming began bombing the French their, On May 7, 1945 the Frnech fell at Dien Bien Phu convincing them to withdraw from Indochina -
Vietminh turns to Vietcong
By the mid 1950's the Vietminh were trying to unify the country and created a new army known at the Vietcong. This forced Eisenhower to increase American aid and send in troops to help the South Vietnemese. By 1961 the Vietcong has assinated many government officials forcing Vietnam to look toward America for help. -
Kennedy takes office
After taking office in 1963, Kennedy also voiced his support for the fight in Vietnam.His administration increased troops in Vietnam and by 1963 the number of troops in Vietnam went from 2,000 to 15,000. -
Diem executed
In August of 1963 the American general Henry Cabot Lodge has arrived in Vietnam. After learning the Vietnam leader, Diem, was unpopular he planned to overthrow him. On November 1, 1963 he launched a military coup and seized power. Shortly after, Diem was executed. -
President Johnson
After Kennedy's assisination President Johnson followed in his foot steps and continued to put troops into Vietnam. After American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin has been fired on Johnson proposed a answer. The Senate and House passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which stated "take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack agenst the forces of the U.S and to prevent further agression". -
War begins
In March 1965 Johnson decided he would expand American involvement in Vietnam. He created "Operation Rolling Thunder" which was a bombing campaign agenst North Veitnam. He also ordered combat troops into Vietnam for the first time. -
War in Vietnam
Even though the Vietcong did not have as much fire power as America, they made the war hell for the American troops. They used ambushes, booby traps, etc. to fight them. By the end of 1966 more than 67,00 American soldiers had been killed. -
America tells lies
In the mid 1960's most Americans supported the war but as the war drug on Americans stopped supporting it. In 1967 General William Westmoreland begain to declare that Vietnam was nearly one but his announcements never prooved true. This made Americans realize that the Johnson administration could not be trusted. -
America divided
As the Vietnam war continued America becames a divided country. Those who supported the war were known as "hawks" and those who oppposed it were called "doves". Increasing tension between Americans who were for and agenst the war sent America into crisis. -
Americans refuse to fight
As the war grew worse more and more Americans did not support the Vietnam war and less American men wanted to fight in it. 500.00 refused to go to war an.d many burned their draft cards. By 1968 more than 3,300 were prosecuted for refusing to serve. -
Can the U.S when this war?
On January 30, 1968 the Vietcong launched a massive attack on American airbases in Vietnam. Even though Johnson labled the attack as a "complete failure" for the enemy, America was shocked that, with 500,000 troops already in Vietnam and Westmoreland wanting 209,000 more, a country on the verge of defeat could launch such an attack. Americans were not debating if America could win the war. -
Nixon vs. Humphrey
The 1968 was a battle between the Republican Richard Nixon and the Democrat Hubert Humphrey. At the end of the elections Nixon was elected due to his promise to unify the nation, restore peace to America, and his plan to end the ward. -
Step 2 of Nixons plan
The second part of Nixon's plan was Vietnamization which involved the gradual withdrawl of U.S soldiers from vietnam. On June 8, 1969 Nixon announced the withdrawl of 25,000 soldiers from Vietnam. -
Noxin has a plan
To end the war Nixon made a 3 point plan. His first step wass to make Henry Kissinger special assistant for national security affairs and in August 1969 Kissinger entered into secret negotiations with Vietnams negotiator, Le Duc Tho. -
America knows the truth
With violence and anger spreading throughout America, Congress has no choice but to repel the Gulf of Tonkin resolution. And in 1971 Daniel Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times. The papers proved that the Johnson administration had been lying to America by defending the war publicly but defending it in private -
Peace at hand
By 1972 Nixon dropped innsistence for the Nortth Vietnamese and Kissing emerged to announce that "peace was at hand". A month later Nixon was reelected in a land slide agenst George McGovern. -
No more peace
Even though peace was truelly at hand, talks broke down when the Vietnamese President refused to agree to plans that left North troops in the South. Even though Kissinger tried to win his approval, his attempts failed and peace talk were officially done on December 16, 1972 -
America forces peace
The day after peace talks broke down the Nixon administration began the worst air raids the war had ever seen. On the brink of a bombing campaign the U.S and North Vietnamese returned to bargaining. On January 27, 1973 they signed an agreement that ended the war. -
The war ends; the fall of Saigon
By March 1975 all American troops has been removed from Vietnam and North Vietnam immediately began a full-scale invasion. Even though Noxin promised America would help once again if hostilities began he folded under pressure. The new president, Gerald Ford, asked congress for funds but they refused. On April 30,1975 the North Vietnamese took control of the South Vietnamese capitol,Saigon, and renamed it Ho Chi Minh City. -
America respects Vietnam soldiers
In 1982 America made a national dedication to the dead Vietnamese soldiers and created the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Inscribed on the memorial are the names of those killed or MIA in the war
