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Eisenhower Administration
Eisenhower avoided a war in Indochina by not helping the french during their defeat at Dien Bien Phu, but support for South Vietnam would eventually entangle America in the Vietnam War.
(only start dates are included because the order gets messed up if both start and end dates are included) -
Battle of Dien Bien Phu
A battle between the French and Viet Minh (North) communists from March to May of 1954 that resulted in a French loss. This affects the outcome of the Geneva Accords which would be held later. -
Geneva Accords
It was agreed to split Vietnam in two at the 17th parallel, with an election taking place later to reunite the nation. Cease fire arrangements were made as well. America did not sign them in order to remain neutral, but still condemned communist actions. -
Kennedy Administration
Kennedy wanted to increase defense spending while finding an alternative to nuclear weapons. He believed in monolithic communism, which was the idea that all communist operations came from Moscow, and the domino theory (one nation falls to communism, more will follow). -
Johnson Administration
Johnson had trained South Vietnamese mercenaries and sent them into North Vietnam to sabotage them and gather intelligence. America wanted to prevent the election previously mentioned in the Geneva Accords from taking place. They did not want risk Ho Chi Minh winning, since he was a communist dictator. -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident was the catalyst for US entry into the Vietnam War. The USS Maddox was attacked in North Vietnam waters while on an intelligence mission, but sunk its attackers. Later, they were about to be attacked again, which led Congress to expand the war. However, the attack turned out to be a false alarm, but the expansion of the war and retaliation was carried out anyway. Airplanes would later bomb many military targets in North Vietnam, drawing America into the Vietnam War. -
Tonkin Resolution
Allowed the president to use military force in Vietnam without
a Congressional declaration of war because of the Gulf of Tonkin incident -
Fulbright Commision
A series of hearings from February 1966 to 1971 regarding the war in Vietnam. Wanted to reinstate neutrality; had plans to withdraw forces and return American POW's, as well as declare a ceasefire. None of this ended the war with Vietnam and fighting resumed later. -
Tet Offensive
Attacks by the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong that was launched prematurely on Vietnamese Lunar New Year. The attacks were simultaneous, targeting not only military bases, but cities and towns as well. This affected the American people's view of the war, convincing them that it was useless to keep fighting it. Many Americans were in disagreement with how President Johnson was handling the war at the time. -
My Lai Massacre
Vietnamese civilians (men women and children) captured and raped, as well as killed. One of the atrocities that greatly decreased support of the war and destroyed the reputation of soldiers in the Vietnam War -
Nixon Administration
Nixon had many televised addresses, including the ones that announced Vietnamezation and the Invasion of Cambodia. It is evident that he still wanted to support South Vietnam but was aware of the American people's outcry for less involvement. The solution of this for Nixon was to have South Vietnamese forces do the fighting. -
Vietnamization
The process of the US withdrawing its troops and having the South Vietnamese government take over the war effort -
Invasion of Cambodia
Attempt to disrupt the Ho Chi Minh trail, which was a line of supplies and troops to South Vietnam from North Vietnam. It failed, and the trail continued to transport goods. This could have been a turning point in the war. -
Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
Daniel Ellsberg leaked classified reports of the Vietnam War to the news, releasing classified information and decreasing support for the war due to what was discovered in those reports. He was stopped by a restraining order for violating national security, but took the case to the supreme court, which ruled that the government had failed to prove a harm for national security. This conflict involved espionage by the "plumbers" who would later be involved in the Watergate scandal. -
Christmas Bombing
A continuation of the bombings from Operation Linebacker, but intended to be carried out with the more powerful B-52's, and intended to be a "maximum effort" campaign. This killed over 1600 civilians and created a lot of protests and anti-war sentiment in America. Additionally, many nations condemned America's actions, with Sweden comparing us to Nazi Germany, and the Pope called the bombings "the object of daily grief". Public opinion would shift away from the war after this. -
Paris Peace Conference/Accords
Peace treaty between US, North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and Viet Cong. No territory exchanged, everyone keeps the territory they have. Essentially ends the war in a stalemate. -
War Powers Act
This is an act meant to ensure the president and Congress agree before committing troops to a war. The president must notify congress 48 hours in advance of introducing troops to hostiles or where such a situation is "clearly indicated by the circumstances". The president also must end foreign military actions after 60 days unless congress agrees to declare war or allow the operation to continue. -
Ford Administration
Ford was set on leaving the Vietnam war. At first, support was still provided for South Vietnam, but then nothing. Saigon was captured and South Vietnam fell under communist rule. -
Fall of Saigon
The end of the Vietnam War, and what will unite North and South Vietnam. It was the capture of the capital of South Vietnam (Saigon) by the North Vietnamese army. This united the nation under communist rule and marked the failure of the American efforts to stop the spread of communism to South Vietnam.