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In July 1954, the Geneva Agreements were signed. As part of the agreement, the French agreed to withdraw their troops from northern Vietnam. Vietnam would be temporarily divided at the 17th parallel, pending elections within two years to choose a president and reunite the country. -
Diem's heavy-handed tactics against the Viet Cong insurgency deepened his government's unpopularity, and his brutal treatment of the opposition to his regime alienated the South Vietnamese populace, notably Buddhists. In 1963 he was murdered during a coup d'état by some of his generals. -
The Gulf of Tonkin incident led to the passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution by Congress. As a result, the President was able to help Southeast Asian countries affected by communist violence. Johnson was able to explain the deployment of more soldiers in Vietnam in this manner. -
The United States first sent troops to Vietnam in 1965, under President Lyndon B. Johnson's authority, in response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident of August 2 and 4, 1964. -
The My Lai massacre was one of the most horrific incidents of violence committed against unarmed civilians during the Vietnam War. A company of American soldiers brutally killed most of the people—women, children and old men—in the village of My Lai on March 16, 1968. -
The Tet Offensive was a concerted assault by the North Vietnamese on more than 100 South Vietnamese cities and outposts. The offensive was intended to incite revolt among South Vietnamese citizens and persuade the US to reduce its participation in the Vietnam War. -
Nixon's victory marked the start of a period of Republican dominance in presidential elections, as Republicans won five of the next six elections. -
The Hard Hat Riot occurred on May 8, 1970, in New York City. It started around noon when around 400 construction workers and around 800 office workers attacked around 1,000 demonstrators affiliated with the student strike of 1970. -
1970, Nixon ordered troops into Cambodia to disrupt the Ho Chi Minh Trail and other supply lines used by North Vietnam, even though Cambodia was neutral. In 1970, he ordered air and ground strikes in Cambodia. This is the most controversial act of his to end the Vietnam War. -
The US Air Force lost two B-52s that night out of a total of 15. A number of fighter jets and support aircraft were also destroyed during the 11 days of Linebacker II. At least 30 US airmen were killed and more than 20 went missing in action, others were captured after ejecting over North Vietnam. -
The Nixon administration's Vietnamization strategy aimed to end US participation in the Vietnam War by "expanding, equipping, and training South Vietnamese forces and assigning to them an ever-increasing combat role, while gradually diminishing the number of US combat troops." -
Nixon's arrival in Beijing ended 25 years with no contact or diplomatic links between the two countries and was a crucial step in normalizing relations between the United States and the People's Republic of China. -
The Paris Peace Accords, officially titled the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Viet Nam was a peace treaty signed on January 27, 1973, to establish peace in Vietnam and end the Vietnam War. -
With his complicity in the cover-up made public and his political support completely ended, Nixon resigned from office on August 9, 1974. He is the only U.S. president to have resigned from office. On September 8, 1974, Nixon's successor, Gerald Ford, pardoned him. -
The fall of Saigon effectively brought the Vietnam War to a close. Following President Richard Nixon's implementation of Vietnamisation, US troops in South Vietnam were steadily depleted, leaving the South Vietnamese military to protect the nation against the North.