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The Geneva Accords divide Vietnam in half at the 17th parallel
This international conference met in Geneva, Switzerland. After the French defeat in Vietnam, representatives of Ho Chi Minh, Bao Dai, Cambodia, Laos, France, the United States, the Soviet Union, China, and Britain arranged a peace settlement. As a result of the Geneva Accords, Vietnam was divided into two separate nations in July 1954. Although the border between the two nations was often referred to as the 17th parallel, the demarcation line set in Geneva was actually a few miles south. -
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Vietnam War Timeline
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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
South Vietnam's President Diem is overthrown in a military coup. The coup takes place with the tacit approval of the United States. Diem was killed during the coup, despite assurances that he would not be. The United States had hoped that by overthrowing the unpopular Diem, it could strengthen the opposition to the communist Viet Cong. -
President Johnson declares he will not "lose Vietnam" during a meeting with Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge in Washington.
Just after Johnson assumed office, he met with Henry Cabot Lodge, who was the United States ambassador to South Vietnam. Lodge told the new President that he faced some tough choices if he wanted to save Vietnam. Johnson was determined to do whatever was needed to win the war. “I am not going to lose Vietnam,” he said. Johnson recalled the Communist takeover of China in 1949. Referring to the fact that many Americans had blamed the “loss of China” on the Truman administration, Johnson went on: “ -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The United States Senate approves the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, authorizing the President to "take all necessary measures" to repel attacks against US forces and to "prevent further aggression" in the area. The Resolution provides President Johnson with a blank check to take whatever action he deems appropriate in South Vietnam. It is the only congressional action, other than approving military funding, ever taken during the Vietnam War to authorize American actions during the war. -
Operation Rolling Thunder begins
Operation Rolling Thunder was the name given to America’s sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Operation Rolling Thunder was a demonstration of America’s near total air supremacy during the Vietnam War. It was started in an effort to demoralise the North Vietnamese people and to undermine the capacity of the government in North Vietnam to govern. Operation Rolling Thunder failed on both accounts. -
Massive anti-war demonstrations held in the U.S.
In the first six months of 1968, more than 200 major demonstrations erupted at colleges and universities around the country. One of the most dramatic incidents took place in April of 1968 at Columbia University in New York City. Students there linked the issues of civil rights and the war. An SDS chapter sought to get the university to cut its ties with a research institute that did work for the military. At the same time, an African American students fought as well. -
MyLai Massacre
A unit of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion 20th Infantry, slaughter between 200 and 500 unarmed villagers in the hamlet of My Lai. Led by Lieutenant William Calley, the platoon is ordered to enter the village firing. -
President Nixon stuns Americans by announcing U.S. and South Vietnamese incursion into Cambodia
President Nixon stuns Americans by announcing a U.S. and South Vietnamese incursion into Cambodia in response to continuing Communist gains against Lon Nol's forces. The incursion is and is also intended to weaken overall NVA military strength as a prelude to U.S. departure from Vietnam
