-
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in the western part of Europe during WWII, President Eisenhower led the invasion of Europe occupied by Nazi's, that was eventually called D-Day, managed Cold War tensions with the Soviets during the arms race, and ended the war in Korea i n 1953 while authorizing anti-communist actions by the CIA across the country. -
Geneva Accords 1954
Geneva Accords of 1954 came from a conference in Geneva, Switzerland, from 26 April to 21 July 1954 that focused primarily on resolving the war between French forces and Asia and those of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, led by the nationalist-communist Ho Chi Minh.The US had been supporting the French out of concern that a victory for Ho’s forces would be the first step in communist expansion throughout Southeast Asia. -
Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Ben Phu was a decisive engagement in the first Indochina War. After the French occupied the Dien Bien Phu valley, Viet Minh commander Vo Nguyen Giap amassed troops and put heavy artillery in caves of the mountains overlooking he camp. With the help of the Chinese, Giap mounted assaults on French's strong points eliminating their airfield. The battle was one of the push factors for signing of the Geneva Accords which, essentially, ended French presence in Indochina. -
JFK Administation
1-20-1961.Presidency is known for his New Frontier policies, the containment policy that he held against the Soviet Union, expansion of the space program and support for civil rights.Kennedys foreign policy was based around the Soviet Union, proxies in the Cold War and the possibility of a nuclear war with the CMC.Kennedy came up with the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 which shifted from European countries towards L.A and Asia.Kennedy also supported AA and woman's rights. -
Johnson Adminstration 1963-69
Johnson followed JFK’s policies and he determined to resist the Soviet Union from expanding and tried to show South Vietnam that America was with them. Johnson also moved national security policy in the direction that Kennedy had indicated. Kennedy allowed the structure of the National Security Council to atrophy and Johnson continued to this process. The Johnson NSC also established a reputation as a major source of leaks to the news media and to Capitol Hill. -
Gulf of Tonkin 1964
Two US destroyers were under attack by North Vietnamese forces and President Johnson requested from the US Congress to increase the military power in Indochina, congress passed it and the security of Asia went back to normal there was peace.The Gulf of Tonkin incident provided the justification for further U.S. participation in Vietnam. -
Tonkin Resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was authorized by President Lyndon Johnson to take all actions necessary in repelling outside forces from attacking the US and to "prevent further aggression" by the communists of North Vietnam. It was passed after an alleged attack on two US naval destroyers stationed off the coast. The resolution was the last step in launching America's full-scale involvement in the Vietnam War. -
Tet Offensive
The Tet Offensive was a series of North Vietnamese attacks on different outposts and cities in South Vietnam. It was an attempt to start a rebellion against the people in South Vietnam and encourage the US to stay out of the Vietnam War. The US and the South Vietnamese were able to hold off the attacks, but the offensive still chocked the American public and lessened the support for war involvement. -
My Lai Massacre 1968
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. More than 500 people were killed in the massacre, including young girls and women who were raped before being killed. US Army officers covered up the act for a year before it was reported in the American press, sparking a firestorm of international outrage.The deaths and the official coverup fueled anti-war sentiment and further divided the US over the V. War. -
Vietnamization
Vietnamization was a strategy aimed to reduce American involvement in the Vietnam War. It dealt with transferring all military responsibilities to South Vietnam. This unpopular was creatging deep rifts in American society, and President Nixon believed this strategy, which dealt with building up the military in South Vietnam and withdrawing US troops, would prepare the South Vietnamese against an attack from the North Vietnamese and still allow the US to leave with honor. -
Invasion of Cambodia
in 1970, President Richard Nixon asks the American public to support his decision to send troops into Cambodia in response to North Vietnamese invading the country. President Nixon defended his decision by saying that it would be a 6 to eight month period of training for the South Vietnamese, and thus, would shorten the war for Americans. This announcement resulted in a storm of protests and gave the antiwar movement at the time a new point to hit at.
**Disrupt Ho Chi Minh Trail -
Daniel Ellsberg
Daniel Ellsberg was an American military analyst and researcher who, in 1971, leaked parts of a classified 7,000 page report of the US history of intervention in Indochina from WWII until 1968. Eventually named the Pentagon Papers, the document went against the previous public justification of the Vietnam War. -
Pentagon Papers 1971
The Pentagon Papers was the name given to a top-secret Department of Defense study of U.S. political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967. Exposed people. -
Christmas Bombing
Following the peace talks with North Vietnam just days earlier, President Nixon announces the beginning of a huge bombing to break the stalemate. For almost two weeks, American forces bombed North Vietnam. Linebacker II was a result. The bombings continued until December 29, where then North Vietnam agreed to resume the peace talks. A few weeks later, the Paris Peace Treaty was signed and the war came to a close which ended the US role in conflict and the initial consensus of the Cold War. -
War Powers Act of 1973
A limit to what the President could do with the military. Teh goal was to aviod conflict such as the Vietnma War. The War Powers Act, also known as the War Powers Resolution of 1973, requires the following: the President, upon sending troops into military action, must notify Congress within 48 hours that he has done so. -
Paris Peace Conference/Accords
The US, South Vietnam, Viet Cong, and North Vietnam signed "An Agreement Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam" in Paris in 1973. The settlement included a cease-fire throughout Vietnam along with the US agreeing to withdraw all of US troops and advisers and the dismantling of all US bases within a 60 day limit. In return, North Vietnam agreed to release all US and other prisoners of war. There would no longer be the use of force to try and unify the country. -
Fall of Saigon
On April 29, the Us saw that their presence in Saigon was becoming unwelcome, and remaining Americans were evacuated. On April 30, the North Vietnamese Army took over Saigon with barely any resistance, and not little after it was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in honer of their leader. Communist forces captured the presidential palace in Saigon, which ended the Second Indochina War.