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The Geneva Conference begins
In an effort to resolve several problems in Asia, including the war between the French and Vietnamese nationalists in Indochina, representatives from the world’s powers meet in Geneva. The conference marked a turning point in the United States’ involvement in Vietnam.Representatives from the United States, the Soviet Union, the People’s Republic of China, France, and Great Britain came together in April 1954 to try to resolve several problems related to Asia. -
The French lose eight-year struggle to regain Vietnam
Vietnam thus became a pawn in Cold War politics. To ensure French support in the Cold War, Truman agreed to aid France's efforts to regain control over Vietnam. After the communist forces won the civil war in China in 1949, America increased its aid to the French in Vietnam. Truman did not want to see another communist victory in Asia. Between 1950 and 1954, the United States contributed $2.6 billion to France's war efforts. But after about 15,000 casualties, the French surrendered -
The United States and seven other countries form the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization(SEATO)
Similar to NATO, SEATO's goal was to contain the spread of communism in Southeast Asia. The United States provided economic and military aid to the South Vietnamese government led by Ngo Dinh Diem. Diem was an ardent nationalist and anti-communist. Although he lacked popular appeal, his anti-communism guaranteed American support -
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Vietnam War
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The Geneva Accords call for free elections to unify vietnam
The Geneva Accords appeared a sensible solution to a difficult problem. The Accords generated some optimistic press coverage and hope that Vietnam could be stabilized and eased into independence.They called for free elections to reunite Vietnam and end the war before it start. -
A communist rebel group in the south, known as the national liberation front(NLF), had commited themselves to undermining the Diem government and uniting vietnam under a communist flag
NLF guerrilla fighters, called Vietcong, launched an insurgency in which they assassinated government officials and destroyed roads and bridges. Supplied by communists in North Vietnam, the Vietcong employed surprise hit-and-run tactics to weaken Diem's hold on South Vietnam. -
President John F. Kennedy took a more aggressive stand against the communists in Vietnam
After John F. Kennedy was elected to presidency he took a aggressive stand against the Vietcong forces. He started by sending troops to South Vietnam to help because they were anti-communist. -
President Kennedy sent special forces troops to South Vietnam to advise the army of the republic of vietnam(ARVN) on more effective ways to fight the communist forces
Although U.S. advisers fought bravely and achieved some success, Diem continued to alienate South Vietnamese citizens. By late 1963, his regime was in shambles. The Kennedy administration eventually concluded that South Vietnam needed new leadership. Working behind the scenes, Americans plotted with anti-Diem generals to overthrow Diem's government. On November 1, 1963, Diem was removed from power and was later assassinated. -
More than 15,000 American "advisers" were fighting in Vietnam
The South Vietnamese army was not fit to fight a war. The U.S. advisers helped the South Vietnamese army to learn how to shoot weapons and how to set up defenses. They did this so that if the North Vietnamese and Vietcong attacked South Vietnam the South Vietnamese army would be prepared. -
north Vietnamese torpedo boats fired on the american destroyer, USS Maddox
This event was what accuaully started the vietnam war and the thing is it was made up by the u.s. government -
President Johnson dramatically altered the U.S. role in the Vietnam war
In response to a vietcong attack that killed american troops at pleiku, johnson ordered the start of operation rolling thunder, the first sustained bombing campaign against north vietnam. Johnson hoped that this new strategy of intensive bombing would convince north vietnam to stop reinforcing the vietcong in south vietnam. -
U.S. airstrikes hammered north Vietnam and Vietcong strong points in south Vietnam
American pilots dropped more than 6 million tons of bombs on enemy positions---almost three times the tonnage dropped by all the combatants during world war II. Also called Operation Rolling Thunder -
Congress and eventually most of America divided into two camps: Hawks and Doves
Beginning in 1967, Congress---and eventually most of America---divided into two camps: hawks and doves. The mostly conservative hawks supported Johnson's war policy. Believing strongly in the containment of communism and the domino theory, they accepted rising troops levels, escalating costs, and increasing numbers of battlefield deaths. For the hawks, Vietnam was a crucial front in the Cold War. Doves, however, broke with Johnson's war policy. -
The war had devolved into a stalemate
The wasn't getting any where so the u.s. agreed to take u.s soldier out of vietnam and that north vietnam keep in there own borders -
The north Vietnamese army hit Khe Sanh in northwest south Vietnam
The 1968 Battle of Khe Sanh was the longest, deadliest and most controversial of the Vietnam War, pitting the U.S. Marines and their allies against the North Vietnamese Army. In an unconventional war without conventional front lines, statistics became the most critical measure of progress. The most controversial statistic in Vietnam was the number of killed in action (KIA) claimed by each side. If a battle tallied a sufficiently favorable body count ratio, American commanders declared victory -
The communists expanded their attack by hitting U.S. and ARVN positions throughout south Vietnam
The u.s. and the south vietnamese were able to defend against the attack but it showed them that communist have no fear. The tet offensive---named after the vietnamese lunar new year---was a coordinated assault on 36 provincial capitals and 5 major cities, as well as the U.S. embassy in saigon -
American soldiers kill civilians at My Lai
American forces searching for enemy troops in an area with a strong vietcong presence came upon the village of My Lai. By this point in the war, many american troops had been injured and killed by vietcong fighters posing as civilians. It was a recipe for disaster at My Lai, where lieutenant william calley's unit bagan shooting and killing unarmed civilians. During the assault, U.S. soldiers killed between four and five hundred vietnamese. -
Two months after the tet offensive, the president addressed the nation on television
This was the first war that was televised for the nation to watch while sit in the living room with the family. It made the u.s. people feel like they were there in the war fighting. -
Martin Luther King jr. is assassinated
Martin Luther King, Jr., the most prominent leader of the civil rights movement, had publicly turned against the war in 1967. He contributed compelling social and moral reasons to argument for peace. But his voice was tragically silenced, when a racist assassin shot and killed King in Memphis, Tennessee. -
Richard Nixon is elected to presidency
Richard Nixon won a close election against democratic candidate humphrey. Nixon had 43.6 percent of the popular vote and 301 electoral votes. Humphrey had 42.5 percent of the popular vote and Wallace had 13.6 percent.
