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Politics: Truman Doctrine Issued
The Truman Doctrine stated its guarantee of immediate economic and military aid to Greece and Turkey. It was used to stop communism in Europe. If Turkey and Greece did not receive the aid they needed, they would fall into communism. It was an initial application of the policy of containment. -
United States Aids France
The United States sends $15 million dollars in military aid to the French for the war in Indochina. Included in the aid package is a military mission and military advisors. -
Politics: President Eisenhower Realizes Domino Theory
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." Eisenhower was referring to Southeast Asia -
Military: Training of South Vietnamese
The US Military Assistance Advisor Group (MAAG) assumes responsibility, from French, for training South Vietnamese forces. This was known as vietnamization. Nixon thought that South Vietnamese should have a part in the fight. -
Politics: Kennedy Elected President
John F. Kennedy defeated the Republican Vice President Richard M. Nixon in a very close race. Kennedy was the youngest president elected and also the first Catholic. -
Military: First Use of Agent Orange (Operation Ranch Hand)
US military uses a powerful mixture of chemical defoliants to spray over 4.5 million acres of forrest with 19 million gallons of this substance in North Vietnam. Agent Orange destroyed forrests used for cover for opposing troops and any crops used to feed them. Many years after this was sprayed, it was revealed that this caused serious health issues. -
Politics: President Kennedy Assassinated in Dallas
When Kennedy was assassinated, the problem on how to deal with Vietnam fell onto the Vice President's hands. Lyndon B. Johnson became the man in charge. -
Military: Gulf of Tonkin Incident
During the USS Maddox patrol, they engaged three North Vietnamese Navy torpedo boats of the 135th Torpedo Squadron. One US aircraft was damaged ,three North Vietnamese torpedo boats were damaged, four North Vietnamese sailors were killed, and six were wounded. There were no U.S. casualties -
Military: Operation Rolling Thunder
Sustained American bombing raids of North Vietnam, gave the official name of Operation Rolling Thunder. This began in February and would go on for three years continuously, until November 2, 1968. -
Politics: LBJ Meets With South Vietnamese Leaders
United States President Lyndon B. Johnson meets with South Vietnamese Premier Nguyen Cao Ky and his military advisors in Honolulu, Hawaii. Johnson promises to continue to help South Vietnam fight off aggression from the North. -
Protest: War Veterans Stage Ainti-War Rally
Veterans from World War I, II, and the Korean war stage a protest rally in New York City. Discharge and separation papers are burned in protest of US involvement in Vietnam. -
Military: Operation Cedar Falls
About 16,000 US and 14,000 South Vietnamese troops set out to destroy Vietcong operations and supply sites near Saigon. -
Politics: Martin Luther King Jr. Speaks Out Against War
In front of 3,000 people at Riverside Church in New York City, King stated that the United States should stop all bombing in Vietnam and declare an independent truce in the hope that it would lead to peace talks. -
Military: North Vietnamese Launch Tet Offensive
With the US military off guard, North Vietnamese and Vietcong forces sweep down upon several key cities and provinces in South Vietnam. Within days, American forces turn around the attack 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. -
Military: My Lai Massacre
Many unarmed civilians in South Vietnam were mass murdered by U.S. Army soldiers from the Company C of the 1st Battalion. Twenty-six soldiers were charged with criminal offenses. -
Politics: Richard Nixon Elected President
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, compared to 42.7 percent for Hubert Humphrey. -
Military: Secret Bombing of Cambodia (Operation Breakfast)
To destroy Communist supply routes and base camps in Cambodia, President Nixon gives the "okay" to "Operation Breakfast." The covert bombing of Cambodia, conducted without the knowledge of Congress or the American public, will continue for fourteen months. -
Protest: Kent State Protest
National Guardsmen open fire on a crowd of student antiwar protesters at Ohio's Kent State University, resulting in the death of four students and the wounding of eight others. President Nixon publicly deplores the actions of the Guardsmen, but cautions: "...when dissent turns to violence it invites tragedy." -
Politics: Kissinger and Le Duc Tho Receive Nobel Peace Prize
Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho receive nobel piece prize for their work in negotiating the ceasefires contained in the Paris Peace Accords. Kissinger accepted his half while Le Duc Tho refused on the grounds that his opposite number had violated the truce. -
Polotics: End of Draft Announced
The Selective Service announced that there would not be anymore draft calls. Nixon thought ending the draft could be an effective political weapon against the burgeoning anti-war movement.
