Ethan Blake By blakee21 Apr 11, 1949 Communists led by Mao Zedong take power in China Apr 11, 1954 U.S. becomes involved President Eisenhower sends military advisers to train and arm South Vietnamese Army in its fight against the Communists. Apr 11, 1954 Eisenhower proposes the "domino theory" Apr 11, 1961 John F. Kennedy takes office Apr 11, 1963 President Kennedy is assassinated Apr 11, 1964 Two North Vietnamese gun boats attack an American destroyer Apr 11, 1965 Full-scale military intervention begins Apr 11, 1965 20,000 people protest against the war in Washington Apr 12, 1967 Johnson's national security advisor says "I see the light at the end of the tunnel." Apr 11, 1968 North Vietnam launches a series of attacks, shaking America's confidence Apr 11, 1969 President Nixon succeeds Johnson Apr 11, 1969 Nixon and Kissinger begin withdrawing U.S. troops, "vietnamization" Apr 12, 1970 U.S. forces decrease to 220,000 Apr 12, 1975 A media advisor named Marshall McLuhan writes "Vietnam was lost in the living rooms of America, not on the battlefields of Vietnam." Apr 30, 1975 Evacuation of Saigon