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In the last days of World War II, Russian troops began moving into northern Korea. There are not yet any American troops on the peninsula.
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Japan surrenders to the Allies, officially ending World War II.
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Soviet forces complete their occupation of northern Korea, halting their southward advance through the country exactly at the 38th parallel, as agreed at the Potsdam Conference.
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American forces begin to prepare to withdraw from Korea, hoping to leave the South as an independent state under the leadership of the pro-American conservative Dr. Syngman Rhee.
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Communist North Korean troops launch a full-scale invasion of the South, beginning the open military phase of the Korean War. North Korean tanks and infantry surge across the 38th parallel into South Korean territory, quickly overrunning the defensive positions of overmatched South Korean forces.
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Vice President Johnson returns to the United States from a visit to Southeast Asia and gives a report to Kennedy about his trip. He says that the US must help the countries of Southeast Asia.
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American Helicopters arrive in south vietnam
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3,500 US Marines land at Da Nang to help provide security for the Da Nang Air Base.
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The US 1st Cavalry Division joins the South Vietnamese in an attack in the Central Highlands.
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US aircraft bomb Haiphong for the first time, with 86 planes taking part in the raid. Previously raids on Haiphong had been deterred by the fear of hitting foreign ships.
