The United States and the Vietnam War

1. The United States and the Vietnam War By Jennavieve Peck and Jane Westfall

2. 1945 • Ho Chi Minh declares independence of Vietnam, while the French continue to control the country

3. 1950 • June- French receive U.S. military aid for conflict in Vietnam

4. 1954 • July- Peace conference at Geneva leads to signing of Geneva Accords • July- Vietnam divided, on a temporary basis, into Communist North Vietnam and anti-Communist South Vietnam

5. 1955 • Ngo Dinh Diem elected president of South Vietnam, refuses to run elections and declares himself the President

6. 1957 • Civil War Breaks out in South Vietnam between government troops and communist guerrillas

7. 1962 • U.S. involvement in Vietnam increases

8. 1964 • Gulf of Tonkin Resolution gives U.S. president (Lyndon B. Johnson) the power to engage U.S. combat troops in Vietnam without a formal declaration of war

9. 1965 • March- First U.S. combat troops arrive in Vietnam • July- Johnson commits to full military presence in Vietnam

10. 1967 • October- Demonstrations against American involvement in Vietnam erupt across the United States

11. 1968 • January- North Vietnam launches Tet Offensive • June- American troop withdrawal begins in Vietnam

12. 1973 • January- Paris Peace Agreement allows U.S. to withdraw from Vietnam

13. 1974 • South Vietnamese government launches offensive against Communist guerrillas in South Vietnam

14. 1975 • January- North Vietnam begins final offensive against South Vietnam • Saigon, the capitol of South Vietnam, falls to the Communists • Vietnam unites under the rule of Communism, declared the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

15. The Beginning • 1887- Vietnam becomes French Indochina, and though Vietnam declared independence after WWII, France ruled until they were defeated in 1954 by Ho Chi Minh and his communist forces. Vietnam was separated into a Communist North and an anti-Communist South at the Geneva Convention in 1954. Millions, especially Roman Catholics, fled South, encouraged by Americans and their propaganda. Operation Passage To Freedom was a $93 million relocation program, in which the U.S. Navy helped transport refugees.

16. Truman • Increases military spending, anti- Communist expansion • Refuses Ho Chi Minh’s request for help simply because of his communist leanings • Containment- Communism could be contained at Soviet origins (Cold War)

17. Vietnam and Eisenhower’s Administration • Domino Theory: If one country falls to Communism, others will fall like a trail of dominoes (Containment, but even stronger)

18. President Kennedy’s Part in the Vietnam War • First real American involvement in the war • Sent military advisors to South Vietnam to train South Vietnamese soldiers (failed) • Media coverage became noticeably negative, rather than previous optimistic reports (the beginnings of media today: critical and scrutinizing)

19. Lyndon B. Johnson Expands the War • Johnson inherited a very hard situation in Vietnam, and the U.S. government was in shambles. At the beginning of his term, he honored Kennedy’s limited troop commitment, but after his reelection, he indeed escalated the war. He argued that Communism was escalating and the incident at the Gulf of Tonkin only helped him with his argument.

20. Nixon • Started withdrawing troops, but increased number and intensity of air-strikes • Scandals- Pentagon Papers, Watergate, bombing of Laos and Cambodia • Henry Kissinger made cease-fire negotiations with North • Nixon Doctrine: withdraw overseas troops, but keep Communism in check by forging alliances with neighboring countries (China)

21. Opposition to the War • Hippies, huge protests • 1967