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Lt. Col. A. Peter Dewey, head of American OSS mission, was killed by Vietminh troops while driving a jeep to the airport. They had later Reports that indicate that his death was due to a case of mistaken identity -- he had been mistaken for a Frenchman.
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A force of 40,000 heavily armed Vietminh lay seige to the French garrison at Dienbienphu. Using Chinese artillery to shell the airstrip, the Vietminh make it impossible for French supplies to arrive by air. It soon becomes clear that the French have met their match.
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Responding to the defeat of the French by the Vietminh at Dienbienphu, President Eisenhower outlines the Domino Theory: "You have a row of dominoes set up. You knock over the first one, and what will happen to the last one is the certainty that it will go over very quickly."
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Vietminh General Ta Quang Buu and French General Henri Delteil sign the Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities in Vietnam. As part of the agreement, a provisional demarcation line is drawn at the 17th parallel which will divide Vietnam until nationwide elections are held in 1956. The United States does not accept the agreement, neither does the government of Bao Dai.
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In a bloodless coup, he seizes power in Saigon. South Vietnam junta leader, placed under house arrest, but is allowed to remain as a figurehead chief-of-state.
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In an effort to disrupt movement along the Mugia Pass -- the main route used by the NVA to send personnel and supplies through Laos and into South Vietnam -- American B-52s bomb North Vietnam for the first time.
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US President Lyndon Johnson meets with South Vietnamese Premier Nguyen Cao Ky and his military advisors in Honolulu. Johnson promises to continue to help South Vietnam fend off aggression from the North, but adds that the US will be monitoring South Vietnam's efforts to expand democracy and improve economic conditions for its citizens.
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Calling the US "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world," Martin Luther King publicly speaks out against US policy in Vietnam. King later encourages draft evasion and suggests a merger between antiwar and civil rights groups.
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The US military off guard, North viethamese and vietocong forccs down upon many differnt key cities and provieds in South Vietnam. This had been including its capital and the siagon.The US military's assessment of the war is questined and the "end of the tunnel" seems so far away.
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Following a lengthy period of debate and discussion, North Vietnamese and American negotiators agree on a location and start date of peace talks. Talks are slated to begin in Paris on May 10 with W. Averell Harriman representing the United States, and former Foreign Minister Xuan Thuy heading the North Vietnamese delegation.
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In a show of military might that catches the US military off guard, North Vietnamese and Vietcong forces sweep down upon several key cities and provinces in South Vietnam, including its capital, Saigon. Within days, American forces turn back the onslaught and recapture most areas. From a military point of view, Tet is a huge defeat for the Communists, but turns out to be a political and psychological victory.
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Running on a platform of "law and order," Richard Nixon barely beats out Hubert Humphrey for the presidency. Nixon takes just 43.4 percent of the popular vote, he compared to 42.7 percent for Humphrey. The Third-party candidate George Wallace takes the remaining percentage of votes.
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An offensive launched against refugee Khmer Rouge rebels spills over the Thai troops.They are successful in suppressing the rebels and solidify their hold on Cambodia despite criticism from neighboring countries and the United Nations.
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All Vietnamese troops exit Cambodia by September of 1989, As a result of the elections, a coalition government is formed and work on a new constitution have started to begin.
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As Communist Vietnam inched toward market reforms and pledged full cooperation in finding all Americans listed as still missing-in-action, so then the United States restores diplomatic ties with its former enemy in 1995.
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