-
President Truman
March 12, 1947 - President Truman addresses congress to promote U.S. aid to anti-communist countries in the Middle East and Asia.
May 1, 1950 - President Truman makes a $10 million grant for military assistance to the french as they fought against Ho Chi Minh’s forces in the battle of Dien Bien Phu, or the Indochina War.
May 1950 - January 1953 - Truman progressively increases the amount of financial/military aid to the French. -
President Eisenhower
February 1954 - Eisenhower refuses to send American troops to fight alongside the french during the Indochina War, but authorizes military aid to the fighting french.
September 1954 - Eisenhower creates SEATO to block communist spread to Southeast Asia, which out Vietnam under US protection.
November 1, 1955 - Eisenhower sends military assistance advisory group to train the army of the Republic of Vietnam. -
Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu was the first Indochina war where the French fought against the Viet Minh communists. The French wanted to help soldiers at Dien Bien Phu cut off the Viet Minh supply lines into neighboring Laos. However, the Viet Minh were able to position heavy artillery overlooking the French encampment.
May 7, 1954 - Dien Bien Phu fell, afterwards US involvment in Vietnam increased. -
The Geneva Accords
The Geneva conference was a conference among many nations that dealt with the results of the Korean War and the first Indochina War that took place from April 26th to July 20th 1954. The Geneva Accords were a series of agreements made during the Geneva Conference. One of these agreements sought Vietnam being split into two territories, with the Southern territory of Vietnam being lead by an anti-communist favored by the us, and the northern territory being lead by communist leader Ho Chi Minh. -
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)
Despite its name including Southeast Asia, SEATO was signed mainly by countries outside of the region. These countries consist of Australia, France, New Zealand, Pakistan, The Philippines, Thailand, the U.K., and the U.S. All of which had an interest either in the nations within the region or the organization itself. SEATO sought to block further communist gains in Southeast Asia -
President Kennedy
May, 1961 - Kennedy sends 400 US army special forces personnel to South Vietnam to train soldiers.
August 1, 1962 - Kennedy signs the Foreign Assistance Act of 1962, which gives military support to countries that are on the rim of the communist world and are under direct attack.
November, 1963 - By this time, Kennedy had increased military aid in South Vietnam to 16,000. -
President Johnson
February 13, 1965 - President Johnson authorizes Operation Rolling Thunder, a bombing strategy used against North Vietnam.
President Johnson also authorized a number of "Search & Destroy" missions against North Vietnam, however, not long after, Marines had moved on to full-scale offensive missions. By the end of his presidency, there were over 175,000 troops fighting offensively in North Vietnam. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident/Resolution
August 6, 1964 - North Korea attacks a U.S. naval ship via torpedo.
August 7, 1964 - President Johnson claims that two U.S. naval ships were attacked against the North Vietnamese communists, and uses these claims to justify the passing of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
August 10, 1964 - The Gulf Tonkin Resolution was enacted as a protocol for peace rather than a formal war enactment, as President Johnson wanted to find a way around needing congress's approval.
