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Daniel Ellsberg
He released the Pentagon Papers, which was supposed to be a secret because it discussed the U.S. governments decision-making in relation to the Vietnam War. He believed that the public should be informed about what was going on. -
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Dien Bien Phu
This is where the Viet Minh victory took place, and ending the French colonial influence in Indochina. Also, it gave Vietnam a clear division along the 17th parallel. -
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Geneva Accords
These Accords brought an end to the First Indochina War and an end of French influence in Southeast Asia. They also helped lay the groundwork for the Vietnam War. They were 10 separate documents that focused on military agreements, declarations from the present parties, and a plan for elections in Vietnam. It failed because the parties did not meet their terms. -
Gulf of Tonkin
This gulf is located off the coasts of Tonkin and South China. The incident that occurred was that North Vietnam attacked Maddox and Turner Joy of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, unprovoked. It led to President Lyndon B. Johnson requesting permission from Congress to increase the U.S. military presence in Indochina. -
Tonkin Resolution
This gave President Lyndon Johnson the power to take any measures he deemed fit ton "repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression." -
Fulbright Commission
This goes along with the international educational exchange program, which is sponsored by the U.S. government. Th purpose is to increase mutual understanding between U.S. citizens and citizens from other countries. -
Vietnamization
This was a policy created by the Richard Nixon Administration to end U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Instead, they would provide a program where they would expand, equip, and train South Vietnamese forces and assign to them an ever-increasing combat role. This was necessary to reduce the amount of U.S. combat troops -
Pentagon Papers
These papers exposed that the United States had expanded war, but these were hidden from the media. They listed 4 successive presidents that had lied about the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. -
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Tet Offensive
This weakened the U.S. public support for the war in Vietnam. North Vietnam attacked more than 100 cities in South Vietnam in hopes of getting South Vietnam to rebel, and to get the U.S. to involve more in the war. -
My Lai Massacre
American soldier went to the village of My Lai and brutally killed unarmed civilians during the Vietnam War. Americans began to turn against the war because they believed that their troops were the good guys, but came to the realization that they weren't good guys, especially in this war. -
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Invasion of Cambodia
The purpose of this was to defeat 40,000 troops of the People's Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong in the eastern border regions of Cambodia. Then, a series of congressional resolutions were made to limit the presidents war making power. -
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Christmas Bombing
President Richard Nixon declared the beginning of a massive bombing campaign to break the stalemate. On December 13 the United States and North Vietnam had a peace talk, but it failed. 20,000 tons of bombs were dropped on the cities of Hanoi and Haiphong on December 18, and they continued for about 2 weeks. North Vietnam did try to negotiate after these bombings. -
War Powers Act
Congress passed this act to limit the President's authority to conduct war. This was because President Richard Nixon ordered the bombing of Cambodia without Congress's consent. -
Paris Peace Conference/Accords
A peace treaty was signed, which ended the Vietnam War and established peace in Vietnam. -
Fall of Saigon
This is what marked the end of the Vietnam War and the beginning of the formal reunification of Vietnam under Communist Rule. The South Vietnamese stronghold of Saigon had fell into the People's Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong, and their forces had also collapsed under the rapid advancement of the North Vietnamese.