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Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh helped found the Indochinese Communist Party and worked to overthrow French rule. -
Vietminh
Ho Chi Minh returned to Vietnam and organized a nationalist group called the Vietnimh. -
French in Vietnam
French troops had returned to Vietnam. French officials set up a new government in Vietnam. -
U.S. Invovlement in Vietnam
Americans knew little about Vitenam -
Eisenhower
President Eisenhower took office and continued to support the French military campaign against the Vietnimh. -
War Costs
By 1954, the U.S. was paying about three fourths of France's war costs. -
Dien Bien Phu
French force at Dien Bien Phu fell to Vietminh and the defeat convinved them to make peace. -
Geneva Accords
Geneva Accords temporarily divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel. The 1956 elections were held to reunite the country under a single government. -
Americans in Vietnam
Kennedy sends more people to Vietnam. From 1961-1963 the number of American military personnel in South Vietnam jumped from 2,000 to about 15,000. -
Vietcong
The Vietcong assassinated thousands of government officials and established control over much of the countryside. This caused the Diem to look to the U.S. to keep South Vietnam from falling. -
Overthrow of Diem
American military seized power and executed Diem. The U.S. became deeply involved in the weak South Viatnamese government. -
Gulf of Tonkin
President Johnson announced that North Viatnamese torpedo boats had fired on two American destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin. They passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, authorizing the president to take necessary measures to repel any attack against the forces of the U.S. -
Vietcong attack
Vietcong attacked a base at Pleiku and left 7 Americans dead and over 100 wounded. -
Troops sent to Vietnam
President Johnson orders the first combat troops into Vietnam. American soldiers were fighting alongside the Souh Vietnamese against the Vietcong. -
Operation Rolling Thunder
Johnson shifted to a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam called Operation Rolling Thunder. -
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
The committee held hearings on Vietnam. George Kennan argued that Vietnam was not strategically important to the United States. -
Napalm
American planes dropped napalm, which explodes on contact, and used Agent Orance to turn farmland and forests into wasteland -
Casualties
By the end of 1966, over 6,700 Americans soldiers had been killed. -
Bombing from American planes
By 1967, bombing from American planes killed around 220,000 Viatnamese. -
Tet Offensive
During Tet, the Viatnamese New Year, the Vietcong and North Viatnamese launched a massive surprise attack. Guerilla fighters attacked virtually all American airbases in South Vietnam. -
Divided Nation
By 1968, the nation seemed to be divided into those who wanted the U.S. to withdrawl from Vietnam (doves) and those who wanted the U.S. to stay (hawks). -
Withdrawal of Troops
President Nixon announced the withdrawal of 25,000 soldiers. He did not view this as a form of surrender. -
Agreement to end War
An agreement was signed to end the war and restore peace in Vietnam. The U.S. promised to withdraw troops and exchange prisoners of war. The nation ended direct involvement in Vietnam. -
War Powers Act
Congress passed this act to reestablish some limits on executive power. It required the president to inform Congress of any commitment of troops within 48 hours and to withdraw them in 60-90 days unless Congress explicitly approved the troop commitment. -
South Vietnam Falls
The North Viatnamese captured Saigon and united Vietnam under Communist rule.
