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Negotiations to end the conflict were held in Geneva, Switzerland. The Geneva Accords temporarily divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel. Ho Chi Minh and the Vietminh was then in control of North Vietnam and a pro-Western regime was in control of the South.
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During 1959, Group 559, a specialised North Vietnamese Army unit, was formed to build a supply route from North to South Vietnam which eventually known as the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
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Two American military advisers killed by the Viet Minh guerillas in a raid at Bien Hoa, South Vietnam were the first American non-combat deaths in Vietnam.
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The Strategic Hamlet Program was an attempt of the United States and South Vietnamese government to group the peasant population into fortified villages. Its purpose was to isolate the rural population from Viet Cong influence and strengthen Diem’s hold over the countryside by providing education and health care to the peasants.
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With approval from the U.S., South Vietnamese General Duong Van Minh overthrew Diem regime. Diem and his brother Nhu were assassinated in the following day. The U.S. recognized General Duong’s military rule. 15,000 US military advisors were in South Vietnam in 1963.
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Passing this authorizes the president to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.
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Viet Cong attacked a U.S. Air Force base in the Ia Drang valley, Pleiku, South Vietnam. This is the first major clash between Viet Cong & the US. Heavy casualties were reported on both sides with 8 American killed and more than 100 wounded.
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In March 1965, President Johnson expanded American involvment by shifting his policy to a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam.
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On January 30, 1968, during the Vietnamese New Year, the Vietcong and North Vietnamese launched a massive surprise attack. The guerrilla fighters attacked almost all American airbases in South Vietnam and most of the South's major cities.
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The U.S and South Vietnamese forces recaptured Hue after 26 days in control of the North Communists. Following the victory, mass graves of thousands of people who had been executed during the Tet Offensive were found.
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U.S. soldiers massacred 347 Vietnamese civilians, mostly children, women and elderly men in the town of My Lai. However, the massacre news wouldn’t reach the U.S. Public until November 1969.
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Nixon cut back the number of American troops in Vietnam.
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North Communist leader Ho Chi Minh died at the age of 79. North Vietnamese leaders decided to embalmed and put on display in a mausoleum instead of cremating his body as his wish.
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Americans heard more startling news when Nixon announced in April 1970 that American troops had invaded Cambodia. The troops wanted to destroy Vietcong military bases there. On May 4, 1970, Ohio National Gaurd soldiers, armed with tear gas and rifles, fired on demenstrators without orders to do so killing four students and wounding at least nine others.
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American and South Vietnamese troops attacked Cambodia to destroy bases that might have supplied aid to the Viet Cong. After a 60-day operation, thousands of weapons and rice were captured while more than 10, 000 Viet Cong were killed.
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Anger over the draft also fueled dicussions of voting age. Many people argued that if they were old enough to fight, they were old enough to vote. In 1971, all citizens 18 and older had the right to vote.
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President Nixon dropped his longtime insistence that North Vietnamese troops had to withdraw from South Vietnam before any peace treaty could be signed.
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In 1973 Congress passed the War Powers Act as a way to reestablish some limits on executive power.The act required the president to inform Congress of any commitment of troops within 48 hours and to withdraw them in 60 to 90 days unless
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President Richard Nixon resigned after the Watergate scandal. His Vice President Gerald Ford took office.
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Right after the United States got their troops out of Vietnam the peace treaty collapsed and North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam.
