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Ngo Dinh Diem becomes leader of South vietnam
Diem did not abide the 1954 Geneva Accords, which required free elections to be held throughout Vietnam in 1956 to establish a national government. -
first US soldier killed in south vietnam
Air Force T-Sgt. Richard B. Fitzgibbon Jr., is listed by the U.S. Department of Defense as having a casualty date of June 8, 1956. -
John F. Kennedy starts sending troops to vietnam
President Kennedy sends helicopters and 400 Green Berets to South Vietnam. -
Operation Ranch Hand
US aircraft begin to spray agent orange, attempting to kill vegetation to reduce cover for guerilla troops. -
Public immolation begins to spread in protest again Ngo Diem
Monks begin to light themselves on fire in protest of Diems policies. -
Diem and his brother are killed
The US backs the military coup in South Vietnam. Ngo Diem is killed along with his brother Ngo Nhu. -
Kennedy is assassinated
Kennedy is shot during one of his presidential entourages in Dallas by a hidden sniper, who was later confirmed as Lee Harvey Oswald. -
Uss Maddox is attacked by North Vietnamese patrol
North Vietnamese patrol boats attacked the USS Maddox while the destroyer was in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin. -
Gulf of Tonkin resolution
It gave President Lyndon B. Johnson authorization to help "any member or protocol state of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty", by involving armed forces, without a formal declaration of war by Congress. It was enacted on August 10th, 1964. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
This was the codename for an American bombing campaign during the Vietnam War. It was supposed to put pressure on North Vietnam’s leaders and reduce their ability to fight. -
President Johnson calls for 50,000 more troops
Johnson orders an increase in military forces in Vietnam, from 75,000 to 125,000. -
U.S. troop numbers in Vietnam rise to 400,000
Total American troops in Vietnam have increased to 400,000. -
U.S. troops in Vietnam increase to 500,000
Total American troops in Vietnam have increased to 500,000. -
Tet Offensive
A series of attacks on more than 100 cities in South Vietnam in an attempt to create a rebellion throughout the Vietnamese population -
Period: to
The Nixon administration gradually reduces the number of U.S. forces in South Vietnam
