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Domino Theory
Dwight Eisenhower explains the theory that if communism spreads to one country in Southeast Asia it will spread to all of them. This caused American involvement in Vietnam to stop communism. -
Coup of Diem
South Vietnamese President Ngo Diem was overthrown and assassinated by South Vietnamese soldiers with the support of the United States. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
This document gave President Johnson the full power of the military without a declaration of war by congress. -
Operation Rolling Thunder begins
This was a three year operation in which Vietnam was continuously bombed by the American Air Force -
The Tet Offensive
This was a massive attack by the Vietcong that took almost all South Vietnamese territory. It was gained back quickly but morale never rose -
My Lai Massacre
This was a massacre of 300 to 500 unarmed civilians in a Vietnamese village. This caused many negative opinions of the war -
Fall of Saigon
This is when the war ended and communist North Vietnam conquered South Vietnam when Saigon fell.