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Japanese surrender aftermath
After the Japanese surrender ends World War II, Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh forms a provisional government and declares his country's independence from all colonial powers. -
American Forces deployed at Korea
As the Cold War escalates, American forces are deployed to Korea, and the United States also sends $15 million in aid, as well as some military advisers, to the French to assist in their war in Vietnam. The Communist governments of China and the Soviet Union likewise begin to arm the Vietminh. -
J.F.K. elected President
John F. Kennedy is elected president. After taking office, Vice President Lyndon Johnson travels to Vietnam and affirms his support for Diem's increasingly autocratic government. Kennedy increases the number of American military advisers in Vietnam and forms the Green Berets, a Special Forces group trained to conduct counterinsurgency. -
W. Sewell organizes a well-attended antiwar teach-in
Sociology department head William Sewell organizes a well-attended antiwar teach-in on the University of Wisconsin at Madison campus, reflecting his belief that the U.S. doesn't have "any business over there" in Vietnam. First attempted at the University of Michigan just a week earlier, the teach-in becomes a popular form of protest. -
"Search-and-Destroy" missions
As antiwar protests grow, Johnson and American military leaders increase reliance on "search-and-destroy" missions in an effort to draw the Viet Cong into battles and inflict heavy casualties. But the Viet Cong prove difficult to pin down. By year's end, 6,000 American soldiers have died. -
Anti-War Protest in Washington
An enormous antiwar protest draws more than 100,000 people to Washington, including a contingent from the University of Wisconsin. In Madison, two thousand students march to the Wisconsin State capital in what they term a "funeral procession" to protest police brutality. Meanwhile, in Vietnam, a memorial service is held at the Black Lions base camp in Lai Khe for the soldiers lost in the October 17 ambush. By early the next year, the American death toll will reach 25,000. -
Paris Peace Talks
Peace Talks aimed at ending the war begin in Paris. -
Nixon Begins a Secret Bombing
New president Richard Nixon begins a secret bombing of Viet Cong strongholds in Cambodia and also initiates a " Vietnamization" of the war, a policy which will lead to a gradual withdrawal of American military forces. -
Largest Anti-War Protest in American History
An estimated two million protesters gather across the U.S. for the largest antiwar march in U.S. history. -
Cease-Fire In Paris
A cease-fire agreement is reached in Paris. The last American combat troops leave Vietnam; roughly 58,000 have died in the course of the war. Former student protester Paul Soglin is elected mayor of Madison.