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1954: The Geneva Accords divide the country into North and South Vietnam, promising reunification through elections.
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Vietnam War Event
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1963: South Vietnam's leader Diem is assassinated and political chaos erupts in the south.
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1964: The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution is passed which authorized President Johnson to deploy conventional forces and conduct air and naval warfare.
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1964: President Lyndon Johnson orders the first troops to be sent to Vietnam and the 'Domino Theory' is coined - which posited that if one nation fell to communism, the other nearby nations would also succumb.
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1965 - Domino Theory coined by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
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1968: The Tet Offensive marks a turning point in the war and public support for the conflict begins to wane.
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1968: The My Lai Massacre of a South Vietnamese village by U.S. troops takes place and sparked mass anti-war protests.
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1969: Nixon introduces his 'Vietnamization' policy - the gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops and turning responsibility over to the South Vietnamese government.
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1970: Nixon sends troops into Cambodia in an effort to counter the Communist troops based in the area.
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1970: The Hard Hat Riot occurs in which construction workers attacked Vietnam war protesters.
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1970: National Guardsmen open fire on a student protest at Kent State University, killing four and injuring nine others.
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1972: Nixon begins what became known as his 'Christmas Bombing' of Hanoi and other targets.
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1973: The War Powers Act is passed which placed a two-year limit on US military presence overseas.
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1973: The Paris Peace Accords is signed by the United States, North and South Vietnam, and the Vietcong - effectively ending the [LINK]direct involvement in the war.
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1975: Saigon Falls marking the official end of the war in Vietnam.