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Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam's independence to help recover from the Japanese exploiting their economy. His group the Viet Minh expanded throughout northern Vietnam after WWII, redistributing land, creating new local governments and most importantly opened granaries to help the famine. Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam in Hanoi's Ba Dinh Square using a speech with the lines being verbatim to the second paragraph of the Declaration of independence.
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The U.S. made the decision to help the French with military assistance to avoid making direct involvement in a colonial war because the U.S. knew the French's military was deteriorating and and in a poor situation. This led to the prediction that the Aid the U.S. would give would make a big difference in the fate of the Indochina War and help assist the situation with the power controlling Chinese communists.
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In northwest Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh's forces defeated the French at Dien Bien Phu. It was a 57 day siege at a French stronghold led by the Vietnamese communists. The victory held that day by the Viet Minh initiated the end of French colonial influence and the 17th parallel at the conference of Geneva.
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South Vietnamese rebels known as the Viet Cong initiated attacks on the South Vietnamese government. Not too long after this Hanoi approved armed struggle towards the Ngo Diem's regime.
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John F. Kennedy's election seemed to strengthen his enemies more than allies due to his slim margin of victory. Kennedy came into office with goal to increase the defense spending and also modernizing the U.S. military. Kennedy instead of pushing the use of nuclear weapons decided to fight more with air power and special forces to fight gorilla wars.
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The south Vietnamese generals overthrew the Diem government and along with that murdered Diem the president himself. Kennedy sanctioned Diem's overthrow due to the fear that Diem might make a deal to create a neutralist government that included communists, knowing this happened in Laos in 1962.
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Lyndon Johnson thought "I just don't think its worth fighting for"(History). As could see President Lyndon Johnson was reluctant to have the U.S. fight South Vietnam. In his election He promised to not escalate the war any more, but an American destroyer was attacked by the Vietnamese which initiated the Gulf of Tonkin resolution which gave president Lyndon the power to take all necessary measures needed.
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The Viet Cong attack on the garrison in Pleiku ended in eight Americans losing their life's. This convinced Johnson that the communists where escalating the war so he started a bombing campaign in North Vietnam that lasted two and a half years long. He was also able to manage sending ground troops in. With him taking this option out of many the Vietnamese were able to take the troops that were sent on and eliminate them. This was only achievable due to the draft held in North Vietnam.
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Everything fell apart for the U.S as we suddenly learned the patience and resilience of the enemy, the Vietnamese. Having being known that the enemy fights in the jungles it was different during the Tet offensive because they fought in cities. The strength of the Tet Offensive undercut the claims the American commanders had about their strategy succeeding. Communist guerrillas and North Vietnamese soldiers blew up a Saigon radio station, attacked the American embassy and the Presidential Palace.
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After the Tet offensive Lyndon had lost it all. After the My Lai Massacre had occurred and is know has the most horrific incidents of violence committed against unarmed civilians in the Vietnam war. More than 500 people were slaughtered including women who were raped before death, children, and even old men. The U.S. Army officers covered up the mess for a whole year before it was reported to the American press. This further divided the United states over the Vietnam war we were fighting.
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Nixon campaigned on a platform that was designed to reach the middle class and working class of Americans to bring us together again. Nixon also promised a way to find peace with honor in Vietnam. The people of the United states were ready to give him a chance to make good. His promise he made to make peace with honor however was very hard to achieve especially since American troops weren't being withdrawn till 1973.
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The United States, South Vietnam, Viet Cong, and North Vietnam signed "An Agreement ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam". It was a two party agreement due to the Viet Cong not being recognized as a legitimate participant in the discussion to end the war. The sttlement had a cease-fire in Vietnam and the U.S. also agreed to withdraw all the troops, advisors and U.S. bases. In return the North Vietnamese decided to agree on releasing all the U.S. war prisoners.
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As the Vietnam war came close to the end, the Selective Service announced that there would be no further draft in the military. Nixon though that the ending of the draft would be an effective political weapon for the anti war movement.
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Ford being the vice president when Nixon was in office soon became president himself when Nixon resigned from office. He served as president for less than two and a half years, seeing the defeat and withdrawal of the U.S. in Vietnam. Ford ordered the evacuation of Military personnel and even loclas of Saigon. Ford told the People that this "Closed a chapter in the American experience".
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Even though a peace treaty was signed it was still a mission to evacuate the remaining troops in Saigon and Vietnam in general. After a bombing in Tan Son Nhut Airport took place the last two Americans were killed in action and this led to the evacuation of Americans who remained in Saigon. The U.S. senator of the time, Graham Martin was also there. Operation Frequent Wind transported over 1000 Americans and over 5000 Vietnamese out and was seen to be the last and final page of the war.
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