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Domino Theory coined
President Eisenhower coins Cold War phrases when he suggests the fall of French Indochina to the communists could create a “domino” effect in Southeast Asia. -
Geneva Accords
French agreed to withdraw their troops from northern Vietnam. Vietnam would be temporarily divided at the 17th parallel. -
Assassination of Diem
Following the overthrow of his government by South Vietnamese military forces the day before, President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother are captured and killed by a group of soldiers. The death of Diem caused celebration among many people in South Vietnam, but also lead to political chaos in the nation. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
In reaction to two attacks by North Vietnamese torpedo boats on the destroyers Maddox and C. Congress approves the determination of the President, as Commander in Chief, to take all necessary measures to repeal any armed attack against the forces of the US and to prevent further aggression. As a result, President Johnson, and Nixon, relied on the resolution as the legal basis for their military policies in Vietnam. -
LBJ ordered 1st troops to Vietnam
Johnson's anxieties about U.S. credibility, political instability in Saigon, China's resistance to negotiations, and Hanoi's refusal to remove troops from South Vietnam led him to escalate the U.S. military presence in Vietnam. 3,500 Marines arrived in Da Nang to protect the U.S. airbase there from Viet Cong attacks. -
Tet Offensive
Despite heavy casualties, North Vietnam achieved a strategic victory with the Tet Offensive, as the attacks marked a turning point in the Vietnam War and the beginning of the slow, painful American withdrawal from the region. -
My Lai Massacre
Incident that occurred when American soldiers killed more than 500 unarmed South Vietnamese citizens in the village of My Lai. It occurred when Charlie Company was ordered for a search and destroy mission. -
Nixon’s Vietnamization policy
Policy to end U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War through a program to "expand, equip, and train South Vietnamese forces and assign to them an ever-increasing combat role, at the same time steadily reducing the number of U.S. combat troops". -
Nixon sends troops into Cambodia
President Nixon ordered United States troops to occupy parts of Cambodia. Nixon claimed that the soldiers were protecting the United States' withdrawal from South Vietnam. -
Kent State shooting
Members of the Ohio National Guard fired into a crowd of Kent State University demonstrators, killing four and wounding nine Kent State students. -
Hard Hat Riot
In response to flag desecration within the anti-war movement and perceived rejection of returning veterans, a disproportionate majority of whom were blue-collar, blue-collar whites came to oppose the anti-war demonstrators, who tended to be college-educated, a group which were disproportionately non-veterans. -
Nixon’s Christmas bombing
The Christmas bombing forced the North Vietnamese to make concessions, accept an armistice, and release American POWs. It was a great U.S. victory that brought peace with honor. -
Paris Peace Accords
The settlement included a cease-fire throughout Vietnam. In addition, the United States agreed to the withdrawal of all U.S. troops and advisors (totaling about 23,700) and the dismantling of all U.S. bases within 60 days. In return, the North Vietnamese agreed to release all U.S. and other prisoners of war -
War Powers Act
Congress approved the First War Powers Act in 1941 to improve the nation's efficiency in fighting World War II. It empowered President Franklin D. Roosevelt to reorganize the executive branch, federal agencies, and government corporations. -
Saigon Falls
Marked the fall of South Vietnam entirely. Effectively, the fall of Saigon ended the Vietnam War for all parties involved and led to the reunification of the country under the communist government of the North.