-
Period: to
Vietnam War
-
Victory at Ap Bac.
At Ap Bac, ARVN units equipped with U.S. helicopters and armored personnel carriers suffer their first major pitched battle defeat by Viet Cong forces. -
South Vietnamese protests
South Vietnamese police fire shots into a crowd of Buddhist monks demonstrating against President Diem's regime. The event will inspire others to protest. -
Buddhist Monks Self-Immolate
Thich Quang Duc, a 66-year-old Buddhist monk, sets himself afire in protest of the South Vietnamese government, its religious intolerance, and discriminatory policies; in following months, other Buddhists will follow his example and self-immolate to demonstrate against the regime. Quang Duc's suicide, captured in an iconic Life magazine photograph, shocks—and confuses—many Americans. For some, the event will underscore the problems with American support for the South Vietnamese government. -
Vietnam Linked to Southeast Asia
In a press conference, President John F. Kennedy speaks of the war in Vietnam; he declares, "to withdraw from that effort would mean a collapse not only of South Vietnam, but Southeast Asia. So we are going to stay there." -
Credibility Gap
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara tells the press that the Kennedy administration intends to withdraw most American forces from South Vietnam by the end of 1965. The gap widens between information released by the U.S. government and the actual situation in Vietnam. -
Diem Overthrown
With U.S. encouragement, South Vietnamese General Duong Van Minh overthrows the Diem regime, and the following day he orders the execution of Diem and his brother. General Duong's military rule is recognized by the United States. -
Kennedy Assinated
While riding in a motorcade through Dallas, Texas, President John F. Kennedy is shot and killed. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson assumes the presidency.
