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Eisenhower's "Domino Theory"
With the fall of French Indochina (Vietnam) to communists, Eisenhower feared that Southeast Asia would fall to communistic powers. In his speech, he claimed that this may lead to the disintegation of Southeast Asia which may affect Vietnam, Burma, Thailand, Korean Peninsula, and ulitimately Japan because they rely heavily on trade with Southeast Asia. -
Ngo Dinh Diem doesn't want elections to occur
South Vietnamese Persident Ngo Dinh Diem didn't want to hold an election because his political opponemt was the North Vietnamese Ho Chi Minh. Since North Vietnam was much more populous, Ngo Dinh Diem would have lost and Vietnam would have been reunited under communist rule. Thus, he decided to not hold a presidetial electionn. -
Viet Cong begin attacking Diem's Democratic Government.
By March 1959, Viet Cong were occasionally engaging in fights against the South Vietnamese army. Although they South Vietnamese army had recieved traing from America, they were ill-adapted to meet the insurgency of Viet Cong. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Congress passed this act which allowed President LBJ to do anything which was necessary to retaliate and ot promote the maintenance of international peace and security in southeast Asia. This became the legal basis for the Johnson and Nixon Administrations presecution of the Vietnam War. -
LBJ No Re-election
Lyndon B. Jonson stated that he would not run for re-election because of the divison in the American "House". He said that the American House's unity was it's strength and that the division made the President's decisions into partisan decisions. -
New President : Richard Nixon
In one of the closest elections in US History, Richard Nixon beat Hubert Humphery for President. He promised to bring America "together again" by ending the war in Vietnam. -
Kent State Massacre
The Ohio National Guard shot into a group of Kent State students killing 4 and wounding 9. This sparked many students in other universities to riot against the Vietnam War -
Operation Babylift
President Gerald Ford announced that Operation Babylift. He said that it was to evacuate children out of South Vietnam near the end of the war. In total, over 3,300 babies were taken out of South Vietnam to the United States and other nations where they would later be adopted.
