1. Vietnam Timeline

2. The French in Indochina
1945 Ho Chi Minh declared independence from France. France had ruled for over 60 years.
He was a communist and had an army of over 5,000.
“If ever the tiger pauses, the elephant will impale him on his might tusks. But the tiger will not pause, and the elephant will die of exhaustion and loss of blood.”
In 1950 the French asked the US for help.

3. US Support Remember containment?
1950 Truman sent $2.6 billion to the French
1954 the French pulled out a panel of countries suggested Vietnam was to be divided at the 17th parallel.
1956 Vietnam would be reunited after elections.

4. US Enters the War Because of the domino theory, Ike refused to sign.
US supported a nationalist leader in the south: Ngo Dinh Diem.
US gave over $1 billion dollars in aid to the poor, but most of the money went to the army.
Diem always dressed in white and was a staunch Catholic, while most of the people were Buddhist.

5. US enters the War Most of his cabinet were relatives.
He imprisoned anyone that spoke against him.
US urged him to carry out some land reform, but he rejected.

6. Civil War
1957 elections were canceled with US support for fear of a win by Ho Chi Minh.
Diem’s corrupt government promised he had support of the people.
Vietminh and Vietcong- communist
NLG-National Liberation Front (assassinated 2,000 gov. officials in 1960.)

7. Kennedy JFK greatly expanded our involvement
1963 JFK tripled the amount of aid and increased military advisors to 16,000.
Diem pocketed the $

8. Overthrow of Diem 1963 Monks set themselves on fire to protest Diem
World opinion turned, but JFK feared the alternative.
Nov S. Vietnamese met with US officials and seized control of the Gov. Diem was killed.

9. Johnson’s War LBJ took a firm anti-communism stance
1964 LBJ announced that US patrol boats had been torpedoed by the N. Vietnamese and Congress passed a resolution giving him authority to retaliate.
1965- Vietcong attacked a US base and killed 8 Americans.
Operation Rolling Thunder was our first bombing of Vietnam and it lasted 3 years of continuous bombing.

10. By the end of 1965 more than 180,000 US troops were fighting in Vietnam.
1966 it doubled
,000