-
Geneva Accords
This meeting, help in Geneva, Switzerland, led to the end of the first Indochina War by declaring a ceasefire. Soon, France removed their troops from the Indochina region. -
The U.S. Supported the Coup of Diem
The South Vietnam leader at the beginning of the war, President Diem, was hated by many of his people who believed he didn't handle Buddhists, which made up the majority of South Vietnam, correctly. In order to gain the approval of the citizens of South Vietnam, the United States helped to assassinate Diem. -
The Tet Offensive
In a surprise attack, 80,000 Vietcong members attacked major metropolitan areas in South Vietnam as well a U.S. military base and embassy. They invaded and took control of a large amount of Southern Vietnamese land and territory. -
My Lai Massacre
American soldiers stormed the small Southern Vietnamese village of My Lai, believing there to be Vietcong members living there. Here, the brutally raped, mutilated, and murdered 300-500 innocent children and women. -
Vietnamization Introduced
When President Nixon, entered office in 1969, he was receiving a large amount of pressure to withdraw troops from Vietnam and put an end to U.S. involvement in the war. Nixon's plan, in order to maintain stability in Vietnam and keep the North from winning and spreading communism, was to gradually withdraw American troops while slowly turning more of the fighting over to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. -
Kent State Massacre
While protesting at Kent State in Kent, Ohio, college students were interrupted by the National Guard who were trying to stop the protest. The National Guard soon began firing their weapons, and killed two protesters, two bystanders, and nine others. -
The Pentagon Papers
After many major war journalists and analysts began to heavily oppose the war, they created a collection of highly classified war secrets. These articles were released to the public and created major public uproar against the U.S. military and government.
