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Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh, following the communist doctrine, orders sweeping "land reforms" in North Vietnam; thousands of people classified as landowners and wealthy farmers are imprisoned, tortured, or executed. In a mass exodus, many Vietnamese families flee and head to South Vietnam. The war left Vietnam split between a communist north and a Pro-Western South. The United States suceeded France in helping South Vietnam fight the advances of Ho Chi Minh. -
Re-election, and Depression
Ngo Dinh Diem begins a campaign to restrain those who fought for or pitied the Viet Minh. Dwight D. Eisenhower is also later re-elected for a second term as President of the United States. -
Guerilla Warfare
President Ngo Dinh Diem visits the United States. He is welcomed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and other top government officials.. Ex-Viet Minh forces in the South organize and, with the support of Ho Chi Minh, begin a campaign of guerrilla warfare against Diem's administration -
American Deaths
Two military advisors are killed by Viet Minh guerilla soldiers in a raid at Bien Hoa in South Vietnam. These are the first American deaths, that were not in combat, reported in Vietnam. -
U.S.
The United States announces that it will increase the number of military advisors in South Vietnam from 327 men to 685 men. dy defeats Republican candidate Richard M. Nixon to become the 35th president of the United States. President Ngo Dinh Diem defeats an attempted coup by his own South Vietnamese government forces, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. -
Official Start
Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson visits South Vietnam and offers military and economic aid to Diem. By the end of the year, the U.S. military presence in Vietnam will reach 3,200 men.
An American serviceman dies in Vietnam, For many Americans, the death will mark the beginning of the Vietnam War. -
Military Command
The MAAG is replaced by the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam. United States military advisors are authorized to fire if fired upon. By the end of the year, the U.S. military presence in Vietnam will reach 11,000. -
Overthrown And Linked
In a press conference, President John F. Kennedy speaks of the war in Vietnam; he declares, "to withdraw from that effort would mean a collapse not only of South Vietnam, but Southeast Asia. So we are going to stay there." With U.S. encouragement, South Vietnamese General Duong Van Minh overthrows the Diem regime, and the following day he orders the execution of Diem and his brother. -
Draft Cards Burned
Some 1,000 students gather in New York City to protest the Vietnam War. Twelve burn their selective service registration cards, draft cards, in a symbolic gesture of opposition to the war. -
Operation Rolling thunder
The Viet Cong attack a U.S. Air Force base at Pleiku, South Vietnam, killing eight Americans and wounding more than 100.
Responding to a VC assault on the U.S. Air Force base at Pleiku, South Vietnam, President Johnson authorizes Operation Rolling Thunder. The operation is a bombardment campaign meant to cripple North Vietnam's transportation system and its industrial centers in order to halt the flow of men and supplies into the South. -
Mobbed
U.S. prisoners of war are led through the streets of Hanoi, where they are attacked by angry mobs. By the end of 1966, American troops stationed in Vietnam number 389,000. More than 6,000 Americans have been killed and 30,000 wounded in 1966 alone. -
King Rallys
Martin Luther King, Jr. leads thousands of demonstrators to the United Nations building in New York, where he delivers a speech attacking U.S. foreign policy in Vietnam. Over 100,000 people attend the rally. -
Elected
Republican Richard Nixon is elected president of the United States. -
Nixon Promises
Peace talks are held in Paris. Representatives from the U.S., the South Vietnamese government, and the NLF are present. President Nixon promises to withdraw 35,000 additional troops from the war in Vietnam. President Nixon promises to bring home 50,000 troops from Vietnam by April 1970. -
Protest And Invasion
In a nationally televised broadcast, President Nixon announces that American and South Vietnamese units have invaded Cambodia to destroy bases that have provided aid to the NLF. Students at Kent State University in Ohio organize a massive public demonstration against the American invasion of Cambodia. -
Sentenced And Ratified
A military court sentences First Lieutenant William Calley to life in prison for the murders of 22 Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai village in 1968. The 26th Amendment is ratified, lowering the national voting age from 21 to 18. -
Wategate And Re-elected
Five men are caught burglarizing the headquarters for the Democratic National Committee, located at the Watergate hotel in Washington, D.C. Their arrests will set into motion the events that will eventually result in President Nixon's resignation. Nixon defeats Democratic candidate Senator George McGovern in the presidential election -
Signed
Representatives from South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the United States sign a peace agreement in which a ceasefire is declared, the U.S. agrees to withdraw combat troops, and the government of South Vietnam promises to hold free elections to allow its people to decide their future. -
Rejection And Resignition
The ceasefire in Vietnam is officially over. The U.S. Congress rejects President Nixon's request for increased military aid to South Vietnam. President Nixon resigns during the Watergate scandal, Vice President Gerald Ford then takes office. -
Ending
The North Vietnamese take Saigon; the war in Vietnam ends
