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Domino Theory Coined
Eisenhower makes his 'Domino Theory' speech when he suggests the fall of French Indochina to the communists could create a “domino” effect in Southeast Asia -
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Geneva Accords
The French agreed to back out of Vietnam, and Vietnam would be temporarily divided at the 17th Parallel -
Assassination of Diem
The president of South Vietnam was arrested and assassinated in a successful coup d'état led by General Dương Văn Minh. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Passed
Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, authorizing LBJ to take any measures he believed were necessary to retaliate and to promote the maintenance of international peace and security in southeast Asia -
First Troops in Vietnam
LBJ sends a troop of marines to Vietnam in response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. These were the first troops to be sent to Vietnam -
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Tet Offensive
A coordinated series of North Vietnamese attacks on more than 100 cities and outposts in South Vietnam. -
My Lai Massacre
A group of American soldiers committed acts of violence against the people of the village of My Lai - old men, women, and children - killing most of them. -
Vietnamization Policy
A policy of the Richard Nixon administration to end U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War through a program to "expand, equip, and train South Vietnamese forces and assign to them an ever-increasing combat role, at the same time steadily reducing the number of U.S. combat troops". It resulted in the 1973 US withdrawal of Vietnam. -
Nixon Sends Troops to Cambodia
The U.S. was motivated by the desire to buy time for its withdrawal from Southeast Asia, to protect its ally in South Vietnam, and to prevent the spread of communism to Cambodia. -
Kent State Shooting
Members of the Ohio National Guard fired into a crowd of Kent State University demonstrators, killing four and wounding nine Kent State students. This resulted in a student-led strike which forced the temporary closure of schools all across America. -
Hard Hat Riot
A group of angered union workers stormed a protest affiliated with the student strike of 1970 -
Christmas Bombings
After the breakdown of the peace talks with North Vietnam, Nixon ordered bombings which ended when NV agreed to resume the talks. -
Paris Peace Accords
The accords included an immediate cease-fire, the withdrawal of all American military personnel, the release of all prisoners of war, and an international force to keep the peace. -
War Powers Act
The act intended to limit the President's authority to wage war and reasserted its authority over foreign wars. President Nixon vetoed the bill. -
Saigon Falls
The Vietcong takes over Saigon, forcing the US to abandon the embassy and evacuate over 7k people