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Ho Chi Minh
He became involved with anti-French organizations as a young man and fled Vietnam in 1912. He then traveled the world for 30 years before coming back to Vietnam. -
Communists win civil war in China
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SEATO
The US and seven other countries form the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) to contain communism in Southeast Asia -
The French Lose Vietnam
The Vietminh trapped a French garrison at Dien Bien Phu, laying siege for 55 days. After 15000 casualties, the French surrendered. -
JFK Sends Troops to Vietnam
Special Forces troops were sent to Vietnam to advise the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) -
Agent Orange
An herbicide was used by the US to tear the Vietnamese jungle down and expose/poison the enemy -
Diem Goes ByeBye
Diem was not well liked, and he was eventually removed from office and assassinated. -
JFK is Assassinated
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Vietnam Strike a US Boat
North Vietnamese torpedo boats fired at the American Destroyer, USS Maddox. The Maddox was not hit, but the US responded by firing back, and the President Johnson ordered an airstrike on North Vietnam. -
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
authorized the president to "take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the [US] and to prevent further aggression." -
Stalemate
The war was becoming confusing and neither side was winning -
Stop-the-Draft
Anti war advocates sponsored a Stop-the-Draft week to keep soldiers from being forced into the Vietnam war. (pg 657) -
Fulbright Opposes the War
Senator J William Fulbright, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chose to vocally oppose the War. He held public hearings, providing a platform for critics. He said that the Vietnamese war was not a Cold War conflict, just a civil war. (pg655) -
Tet Offensive
A North Vietnamese coordinated assault on 36 provincial capitals, 5 major cities, and the US Embassy in Saigon. -
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
He was shot by a racist in Memphis Tennessee -
Richard Nixon Becomes President
He won over Hubert Humphrey -
Selective Service System Makes a Change
A lottery is put in place, designed to stop abuse of the system and make a more diverse army. -
The War Gets to Cambodia
Nixon informs the US people of his decision to take the war to Cambodia, to fight the remainder of the Vietcong and the Khmer Rouge -
Kent State Massacre
The Ohio National Guard open fired on students protesting 4 days after Nixon's speech. 4 students were killed. -
My Lai Massacre
Because US soldiers had been attacked by Vietcong members posing as citizens, when they came upon the little village of My Lai, they just open fired on everyone. 400-500 Vietnamese civilians were killed at the orders of Lieutenant William Calley. -
Paris Peace Accords
-The US, South Vietnam, North Vietnam and the Vietcong signed the Paris Peace Accords
-They agreed to cease fire and send US troops home.