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The US government supported an independent Vietnam in 1945 even though it was led by communist-trained Ho Chi Minh and America advocated against communist forms of government. However, after World War II, many colonies were declaring independence, so supporting Vietnam's attempts for independence didn't seem like a bad idea.
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Eisenhower employed US power and prestige to help create a non-communist government in South Vietnam.
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During a conference if Geneva, the French withdrew troops from Northern Vietnam and the United States increased their influence; establishing the policy that they must protect South Vietnam from communism
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US bankrolled much of the failed French war effort and then tried to prop up South Vietnam as an anti-communist state. However, South Vietnam was not a democratic state, but rather a highly corrupt regime and the US was their main ally.
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Kennedy agreed that the United States should increase the size of the South Vietnamese army from 150,000 to 170,000. US military adivisors were sent in to train the Vietnamese army. These decisions were not made public and broke the agreements made at the Geneva Conference.
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The Destroyer USS Maddox reported being attacked by three North Vietnamese Navy torpedo boats. Both sides engaged in a sea battle. After this conflict, the US increased the number of troops in Vietnam.
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Also called the Southeast Asia Resolution, was a resolution in response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident. This act gave President Lyndon Johnson "authorization without a formal declaration of war by Congress, for the use of conventional military force in Southeast Asia."
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North Vietnamese use impressive military strategies to sweep down of South Vietnamese cities. The US retaliates and recaptures most areas of South Vietnam. Although this was a military defeat for the Communists, it turned out to be a political win and America's estimation of the conclusion of war as near in sight was far off.
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North Vietnamese and American negotiators agree on a time and location to meet and discuss the perimeters of peace. Talks will begin in Paris on May 10, 1968.
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President Nixon allows for the secret bombing of Cambodia in order to destroy Communist supply routes and base camps, these bombings continued for 14 months.
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Nixon announces the withdrawal of 70,000 troops in Vietnam, reducing the troop number in Vietnam to 69,000.
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Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho meet in Paris and agree to a cease-fire in Vietnam. This demonstrated the first steps towards peace in Asia.
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South Vietnamese president Thieu is not prepared to surrender to the Communists. He announces that war has restarted in the attempts to gain back lost territory.
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President Gerald Ford announces that America's efforts in Vietnam are finished. This announcement terminated America's involvement in the Vietnam War.
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South Vietnam's attempt to gain back lost territory through resuming war proved unsuccessful as they were unable to combat the threat of communism or defeat the North Vietnamese's military. They fell to communism and concluded their war efforts.
