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After the French suffered a major loss at Dien Bien Phu, they agreed to remove their troops and Vietnam was divided pending a free election to be held in 1956. Geneva Conference begins. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/geneva-
conference-begins -
Warns of the "Military Industrial Complex" and the dangers of misplaced powers. His belief that the military is operating in a peace-keeping, protective effort and that war has been avoided is ironic foreshadowing for what is soon to come. Military-Industrial Complex Speech, Dwight D. Eisenhower,
1961. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://coursesa.matrix.msu.edu/~hst306/documents/indust.html -
He attempts to inspire patriotism and good feeling by presenting the struggles of war and society as a fight to better mankind and make a mark in history. A great deal of the latter part of the speech could be considered directly applicable to the issues in Vietnam. John F. Kennedy: Inaugural Address. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=8032 -
Having put war advisors and some assistance into the Vietnam conflict, JFK died with no clear direction as to where the war should go. November 22, 1963: Death of the President. (n.d.). Retrieved
from http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-
History/November-22-1963-Death-of-the-
President.aspx?p=2 -
Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as President following John F. Kennedy's assassination, and takes personal responsibility for the Vietnam war. He escalates the situation and sends a large military presence in hopes of crushing the communist NVA. Lyndon B. Johnson. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/lyndonbjohnson -
A U.S. military vessel providing back-up for an attack on North Vietnam by the South Vietnamese goes awry when they are attacked and driven back by enemy gun ships. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/gulf-of-tonkin-
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U.S. Military vessel 'Maddox' returns to previous location and claims that torpedos are being fired by North Vietnamese enemies. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/gulf-of-tonkin-
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Lyndon B. Johnson omits vital details surrounding the "attacks", such as the reason why a U.S. military ship was floating off the shore of North Vietnam, and uses the misinformation to his advantage to gain approval to escalate the efforts against North Vietnam by making it personal. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/gulf-of-tonkin-
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Approximately 70,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong use a "cease fire" holiday to launch a surprise attack on urban cities. This development was drastically different than President Johnson's assurances that the war was nearly over. Tet Offensive. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/tet-offensive -
The Hue massacre is an event in which thousands of Vietnamese were murdered by the "communists" for non-compliance during the Tet Offensive. Mass graves discovered in Hue. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/mass-graves-
discovered-in-hue -
While the date and details are not exact, the My Lai Massacre is an event carried out by a company of U.S. soldiers in which the civilians of a Vietnamese hamlet were brutally murdered. This event, and the subsequent attempt to cover it up, increased anti-war sentiment. My Lai Massacre. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/my-lai-massacre -
The last week of August (marked here only as the 31st) saw a lot of anti-war protest outside the Democratic Convention hosted in Chicago. 1968 Democratic Convention. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/1968-democratic-
convention-931079/?no-ist -
In an effort to take some of the power away from an incredibly strenuous war, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution is repealed. This cannot, however, put stop the momentum that has already been built up. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/senate-repeals-tonkin-
gulf-resolution -
Nixon's defense of the move to invade Cambodia only fuels anti-war sentiment. Nixon defends invasion of Cambodia. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/nixon-defends-
invasion-of-cambodia -
An agreement is signed in an effort to bring a stop to the war and return Vietnam to a peaceful state. This included an agreement to withdraw. Paris Peace Accords signed. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/paris-peace-accords-
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Able to come to some agreement, American troops withdraw from Vietnam and the increasingly unpopular war. U.S. withdraws from Vietnam. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-s-withdraws-from-
vietnam
