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Daniel Ellsberg
Born on April 7, 1931, Daniel was an American economist, activist, and military analyst. He was charged under the Espionage Act of 1917 for theft, conspiracy, and is holding a sentence of 115 years. -
Fall of Saigon
Otherwise known as the Liberation of Saigon, it was the capturing of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by Vietnam’s People’s Army on April 10th, 1975. South Vietnamese forces fall to the advancement of North Vietnam. It’s significant since it marked the end of the Vietnam War and the start of the reunification of Vietnam under Communist Rule. -
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Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was an arising tension of the First Indochina War. It was between the French Union’s Expeditionary Corps and Vietnam's Minh communist revolutionaries. It was significant because it declared its independence from France. The French had left Vietnam after the outpost had fallen. There was no U.S. involvement since Britain didn’t go along with it. A second Indochina war began in 1956 which would later escalate the American forces into the Vietnam War. -
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Geneva Accords
A peace agreement that divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel for a short period of time and demanded international elections to unite the country by 1956. It was meant to settle the issues from the Korean and First Indochina War. In the end, the French colonies Cambodia and Laos became independent. -
Gulf of Tonkin
The Gulf of Tonkin incident occurred on August 2, 1964, and it was also referred to as the USS Maddox incident where there was a global face-to-face conflict that made the U.S. more involved in the Vietnam War. It consisted of two unprovoked attacks by North Vietnam boats on the Maddox and Turner Joy of the United States. Overall it just launched the U.S. to be involved full-scale in the war. -
Tonkin Resolution
Passed by Congress which allowed President Johnson to take all measures necessary to retaliate and promote international peace and security in southeast Asia. It was significant since it gave the president power to repel armed attacks against the U.S. and prevent future aggression by North Vietnam. Essentially it granted Johnson military powers in Vietnam. -
Vietnamization
A policy created by President Nixon to end the U.S. intervention in the Vietnam War through a program that taught South Vietnamese to fight for themselves instead of relying on U.S. combat troops for help. It was a gradual withdrawal of troops from Vietnam which allowed South Vietnam to have a more active role in the war. A part of this plan was the “peace with honor”. -
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Tet Offensive
Known as a major escalation and one of the biggest campaigns during the Vietnam War. It was an organized series of North Vietnamese attacks on posts in South Vietnam. An attempt to instigate rebellion in South Vietnam and encourage the United States to back off during the war. Vietcong took advantage of the truce and attacked S. Vietnam, and US airbases and embassies by surprise. Its psychology stunned the American public and convinced people that it would be a loss. -
My Lai Massacre
It was the mass murder of defenseless South Vietnamese civilians by U.S. troops on March 16, 1968, during the Vietnam War. It was a small village where American troops horrendously murder children, women, and the elderly after having found no Vietcong. William Calley was convicted as he led the American troops to kill. -
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Invasion of Cambodia
A short period of military functions controlled in eastern Cambodia in 1970 by South Vietnam and the United States. It was an extension of the Vietnam War and the Cambodian Civil War. It was invaded by the U.S. since they were going towards a policy of Vietnamization and withdrawal where they needed to eliminate cross-border threats which included Cambodia. Done by Nixon in secret without approval from Congress. Led to the 1st general student strike in the U.S. and to civil war in Cambodia. -
Pentagon Papers
A 7000-page document that was meant for the Secretary of Defense, William McNamara, but it was leaked during Nixon’s administration. It exposed America’s plans to intervene in Vietnam while in public it was told that we weren’t going to. It also showed that the government had no plans to withdraw as North Vietnam persisted. This confirmed that the government had been lying and not been honest about Vietnam to the public. -
Fullbright Commission
Fulbright Hearings connect to the set of Foreign Relations Committee hearings on Vietnam that were made during 1966 and 1971. It consisted of 22 hearings that were labeled “Legislative Proposals Relating to the War in Southeast Asia”. Fulbright was one of the most visible critics of American intervention in the Vietnam War as he was a sponsor and leading advocate for the Tonkin resolution. -
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Christmas Bombing
Also known as Operation Linebacker II, it was a U.S. Air Force and Navy Task bombing campaign which was made towards targets in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam during the last period of US intervention in the Vietnam War. It was 11 days of constant bombing where they only paused on Christmas day. Brought on by stalemate peace talks. -
Paris Peace Conference/Accords
Labeled as the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam. It was a peace treaty meant to establish peace in Vietnam and end the Vietnam War. It removed the U.S. from tensions in Vietnam and Nixon promised that he would use military airpower to aid the South Vietnamese government if it was needed. -
War Powers Act
A national law that was meant to check the president’s power to commit the U.S. to an armed conflict without the approval of Congress. It was adopted in the form of a congressional joint resolution. It reduced presidential war-making powers where the president had to give Congress a 48-hour notice before sending troops into hostile areas. It also meant that troops couldn’t stay more than 90 days without approval from Congress or a declaration of war.