|
|
TimeLines of Liberty
American Wars - Vietnam |
|
|
|
Vietnam War -
1961 - 1965
The Vietnam War was never officially declared by the United
States government. It is the longest war in American History. America at first resisted then committed to the resistance in
Southeast Asia against Communism. The Soviet Union continued its
expansion of Communism either by direct military incursions or
supporting sympathetic regimes with military equipment. China
provided aid when pressured by Communist regimes.
Television will provide a window from our homes to the horrors
of the battle field and will sway public opinion against the
war, based on emotion rather than the support of world peace.
Page Two -
1961 - 1962 - 1963 - 1964 - 1965
|
Pre-War
- 1930-1960
- The War - 1966-1970
-
The War - 1970-1975
-
Post War - 1976-2007
Page 1
Page 3
Page 4
Page
5 |
|
Last updated
January, 2007.
Unless stating the date, events within the year may not be in
order. |
|
1961 - Vietnam War - begins |
|
1961 |
Jan. |
In January 1961 "wars of national liberation"
throughout the world is pledged by Soviet Premier Nikita
Khrushchev. The statement encourages communists of North Vietnam
in the armed struggle to unify the country under Ho Chi Minh. |
|
1961 |
Jan. |
John F.
Kennedy becomes the 35th President. Kennedy says, "...we
shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support
any friend, oppose any foe, to insure the survival and the
success of liberty." In reference to Southeast Asia, President
Eisenhower tells JFK, "I think you're going to have to send
troops..."
inexperienced in matters on Southeast Asia Kennedy's Secretary
of Defense, Robert McNamara recruits civilian strategists from
the academic community that become crucial in White House
strategy on Vietnam for several years. The United States wages a
limited war, attempting to force a political settlement.
Opposed by the same determination, "...whatever the sacrifices,
however long the struggle...until Vietnam is fully independent
and reunified," states Ho Chi Minh, an enemy dedicated to
victory. |
|
1961 |
Feb. |
Combat advisors are sent in February, 1961, to begin the buildup
of the U.S. military in Vietnam. |
|
1961 |
May |
In May, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson visits
South Vietnam and calls President Diem the 'Winston Churchill of
Asia.' |
|
1961 |
May |
President Kennedy
ordered 100 'special forces' to South Vietnam on May 13th. |
|
1961 |
May |
In May 400 American 'Special Advisors' from the Green Beret
are sent to South Vietnam. The advisors will train South
Vietnamese soldiers in counter-insurgency to fight the Viet Cong
Guerrillas. The role of the Green Berets is expanded in the
establishment of the Civilian Irregular Defense Groups, (CIDG).
The CIDG consisted of mountain men, the Montagnards, that set up
fortified camps along the mountains to block North Vietnamese
infiltration. |
|
1961 |
Fall |
Successful attacks on South Vietnamese troops are carried out in
the widening of the conflict by 26,000 Viet Cong troops.
President Diem asks
President Kennedy's administration for more military aid. |
|
1961 |
Oct. |
Kennedy's
top aides, Maxwell Taylor and Walt Rostow, visit Vietnam,
in October, to review the deterioration of the military
situation. Taylor reports, "If Vietnam goes, it will be
exceedingly difficult to hold Southeast Asia," advising the
President to increase U.S. military advisors and sending 8000
combat personnel.
A massive show of force is recommended by the Joint Chiefs of
Staff and
Defense Secretary McNamara by sending to Vietnam six
divisions (200,000 men).
President Kennedy
decides against any combat troops. |
|
1961 |
Oct. |
On the sixth anniversary of the Republic of South Vietnam,
October 24, 1961, President
Kennedy pledges to President Diem, "the United States is
determined to help Vietnam preserve its independence..." |
|
1961 |
Oct. |
President
Kennedy sends additional military advisors
and American helicopter units to transport and advise
South Vietnamese troops. This involves Americans in
combat operations. The
President says, "...to prevent a Communist takeover of
Vietnam which is in accordance with a policy our government has
followed since 1954." justifying expanding U.S. military
presence in Vietnam. Military advisors sent by
President Kennedy will surpass 16,000. |
|
1961 |
Dec. |
By December much of the countryside of South Vietnam is
controlled by Viet Cong guerrillas. South Vietnamese troops are
frequently ambushed. |
|
1961 |
Dec. |
The cost to America in managing the conflict, and support of
South Vietnam's army of 2000,000, rises to one million dollars
each day. |
|
1961 |
Dec. |
The Vietnam War official begins on December 11th,
1961. 33 helicopters and 400 air and ground crewmen are
delivered by the arrival of the U.S. aircraft carrier "Core". |
|
1961 |
Dec. |
SP4 James Davis of
Livingston, Tennessee is killed by the Viet Cong (VC) on
December 22nd. Vice President
Johnson calls him, "The first American to fall in defense of
our freedom in Vietnam" |
|
1961 |
Info |
During
1961 President
Kennedy
will have sent 1364
American 'advisers' to South Vietnam.
Resulting from land reform not materializing, targets in South
Vietnam were scheduled to be bombed by U.S. planes, but the
operation was cancelled shortly before the planes had taken
flight. |
|
1962 - Vietnam War |
| 1962 |
Jan. |
"Few generations
in all of history have been granted the role of being the great defender
of freedom in its maximum hour of danger. This is our good fortune..."says
President Kennedy on January 11,
1962, during the State of the Union address. |
|
1962 |
Jan. |
President
Kennedy, without added comment, replies, "No," when asked if
Americans were fighting in Vietnam, at a press conference on
January 15th. |
| 1962 |
Feb. |
The U.S. Military Assistance Command for Vietnam
(MACV) is established on February 6th, replacing the Military
Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG-Vietnam) established in 1950. |
|
1962 |
Feb. |
Attributing 'divine protection,' President Diem
and his brother Nhu escape injury when two renegade South
Vietnamese bomb the presidential palace in Saigon on February
27th. The two traitors were piloting American-made World War II
era fighter planes. |
| 1962 |
March |
Beginning in March rural populations in South
Vietnam are uprooted from ancestral farmlands and relocated to
villages that are defended by local militias. The Hamlet
resettlement program is called Operation Sunrise. More than 50
Hamlets and villages are infiltrated and taken over by Viet Cong
who intimidate village leaders killing some.
President Diem ordered air strikes against hamlets suspected to
be Viet Cong controlled. U.S. pilots support the South
Vietnamese Air Force participating in some of the bombings.
Resulting civilian causalities deteriorate support for Diem and
cause disdain for America. |
|
1962 |
May |
President
Kennedy ordered the immediate build-up of U.S. troops in
Thailand on May 15th, 1962. The order increase U.S. troops in
Thailand to 5,000 in response to communist attacks in Laos and
their movement in the direction of Thailand. |
|
1962 |
May |
In May, the Viet Cong operating in central
Vietnam begin to organize into battalion-size units. |
|
1962 |
May |
In May, Defense Secretary McNamara reports "we
are winning the war," while visiting South Vietnam. |
|
1962 |
July |
The Declaration on the Neutrality
of Laos is signed in Geneva by the U.S. and 13 other nations, on
July 23rd. The agreement
prohibits U.S. invasion of portions of the Ho Chi Minh trail
that lie inside eastern Laos. |
|
1962 |
Aug. |
The Foreign Assistance Act of 1962, is signed on
August 1st by President
Kennedy. The agreement provides "...military assistance to
countries which are on the rim of the Communist world and under
direct attack." |
|
1962 |
Aug. |
In Khe Sanh a U.S. special Forces encampment is
established in August to monitor infiltration using the Ho Chi
Minh trail by the North Vietnamese Army (NVA). |
|
1962 |
Dec. |
After a visit to Vietnam at
President Kennedy's request, on December 2nd, US Senate Majority Leader
Mike Mansfield becomes the first elected official to not make an
optimistic public comment on the progress of the Vietnam war. |
|
1962 |
Info |
During 1962
the number of U.S.
advisers had increased to 9865. US pilots are secretly bombing
South Vietnam attempting to destabilize the Diem government. |
|
1963 - Vietnam War |
|
1963 |
Jan. |
Three American helicopter crew members are killed when, on
January 3rd, 350 Viet Cong
in the Battle of Ap Bac gains the victory over a larger force of
American-equipped South Vietnamese forces in an attempt to seize
a radio transmitter. The victory for the Viet Cong makes
front page news in America. |
|
1963 |
Jan. |
President Diem had choosen his top officers of the SVA (South
Vietnamese Army) for their loyalty rather than competence. He
instructs them to avoid causalities, with the main mission to
protect him from any political or military coups in Saigon. |
|
1963 |
May |
Denied the right to display traditional flags during the
celebration of Buddha's Birthday many Buddhists begin to riot
throughout South Vietnam in May. In the Vietnamese city of hue
police and the South Vietnamese Army shoot into a crowd of
Buddhist demonstrators killing one woman and eight children. The
demonstrations continue through August. |
|
1963 |
May |
Mounting political pressure forces the
Kennedy Administration
to distance itself from the repressive family-run Diem
government. One Buddhist leader tells U.S. officials in Saigon,
"You are responsible for the present trouble because you back
Diem and his government of ignoramuses," |
|
1963 |
June |
Continuing through June Buddhist demonstrations become more
widespread. On June 16th several Buddhist monks in protest set
themselves on fire. The American public and
President
Kennedy are shocked by
the images of the immolations, captured by news photographers.
Nhu's wife, Madame Nhu, on an American TV interview calls the
Buddhist immolations a 'barbecue.' |
|
1963 |
June |
Martial law is imposed in June by President Diem. U.S. trained
South Vietnamese special forces under the command of Nhu, Diems
younger brother, crack down on the demonstrations and
sanctuaries in cities across South Vietnam including Hue and
Saigon. |
|
1963 |
June |
Nhu's special forces crackdown, inflame the Buddhist population
sparking further unrest and more demonstrations that will
continue into August. |
|
1963 |
June |
High level talks at the White House have turned to forcing Diem
to reform. |
|
1963 |
mid-63 |
15,500 Americans are stationed in Vietnam. Diem is losing his grip
over Buddhist revolutionaries. |
|
1963 |
July |
South Vietnamese General Tran Van Don, a Buddhist, on July 4th
communicates with the CIA in Saigon concerning a possible coup
again President Diem. |
|
1963 |
Aug. |
Henry Cabot Lodge arrives in South Vietnam on
August 22 as the new U.S. ambassador. |
|
1963 |
Aug. |
On August 24th Ambassador Lodge interprets a U.S.
State Department message to indicate that a coup against
President Diem should be encouraged. |
|
1963 |
Aug. |
President
Kennedy instructs
Ambassador Lodge to meet with President Diem. The meeting of
August 26th is the first between Lodge and Diem. Being told to
fire his brother Nhu and reform his government, Diem
emphatically refuses to discuss such matters. |
|
1963 |
Aug. |
Kennedy
and top aides begin discussions, at times heated, on August
26th, whether the U.S. should support a military coup against
South Vietnamese President Diem. |
|
1963 |
Aug. |
After sending a message to
Washington
on August
29th; "...there is no possibility, in my view, that the war can
be won under a Diem administration;" Lodge is given a free reign
by the U.S. President to manage the developing events in Saigon.
Mistrust and suspicion among the military conspirators cause the
coup against Diem to wither out. |
|
1963 |
Oct. |
In a mixed message of October 2nd,
President
Kennedy conveys to Lodge
that "no initiative should now be taken to give any
encouragement to a coup" however Lodge should "identify and
build contacts with possible leadership as and when it appears." |
|
1963 |
Oct. |
President
Kennedy is informed on
October 5th that the coup may be on again.
Rebel generals led by Duong Van "Big" Minh had asked for
assurances that U.S. aid would continue after Diem's removal and
that the U.S. would not interfere with the coup. The White House
is pleased with the scenario that avoids direct involvement by
the U.S. in the actual coup.
The CIA in Saigon signals to the rebel generals that U.S. forces
will not interfere with an overthrow. |
|
1963 |
Oct. |
A communication of October 25th to Ambassador
Lodge seeks reassurances that the coup will succeed. The
communiqué was prompted over concern by the Whitehouse of public
opinion should the coup fail. |
|
1963 |
Oct. |
Ambassador Lodge reports back, on October 28th,
that the coup is "imminent." |
|
1963 |
Oct. |
Becoming nervous, the White House on October 29th
instructs Lodge to postpone the coup. Lodge replies that the
coup cannot be stopped without the betrayal of the conspirators. |
|
1963 |
Nov. |
On November 1st, a routine meeting at the
presidential palace between Lodge and Diem runs from 10 a.m.
until noon. Ambassador Lodge promptly departs. |
|
1963 |
Nov. |
At 1:30 p.m., on November 1st., during the
traditional siesta time rebel troops sweep into Saigon to
surround the presidential palace and seize police headquarters.
Diem and Nhu are trapped inside the palace and refuse all
requests to surrender. President Diem calls the rebel generals
in a failed attempt to talk them out of the coup. |
|
1963 |
Nov. |
Diem calls Ambassador Lodge to ask "...what is
the attitude of the United States?" Lodge replies with, "...it
is four thirty a.m. in Washington, and the U.S. government
cannot possibly have a view." The Ambassador inquires as to
Diem's safety and receives the reply from Diem, "I am trying to
restore order." |
|
1963 |
Nov. |
Diem and his brother Nhu were able to slip
unnoticed from the palace at about 8 p.m. to find sanctuary in a
suburban 'safe house' belonging to a wealthy Chinese merchant. |
|
1963 |
Nov. |
At 3 a.m. on November 2nd, betrayed by an aide, Diem's location
is given to the rebel generals. Diem and Nhu have moved on to
keep their location unknown. Diem calls the generals at 6 a.m.
Coming to the realization of the inevitable, Diem and Nhu, from
inside a Catholic Church, offer to surrender. |
|
1963 |
Nov. |
In the morning of November 2nd Diem and Nhu are taken into
custody by rebel officers. They are placed in the back of an
armored personnel carrier. While in route to Saigon the vehicle
stops. President Diem and his brother Nhu are assassinated. |
|
1963 |
Nov. |
News of the assassination of President Diem
reaches the Whitehouse. When informed of Diem's death, witnesses
say that
President
Kennedy turned white and
immediately left the room. The President later records in his
private diary, "I feel that we must bear a good deal of
responsibility for it." |
|
1963 |
Nov. |
The citizens of Saigon celebrate the removal of
President Diem's regime. |
|
1963 |
Nov. |
The turmoil of the unstable political situation
was used by the Viet Cong to increase their hold to 40 percent
of the rural population. |
|
1963 |
Nov. |
General
Duong Van Minh take the helm of leadership over
South Vietnam on November 6th. |
|
1963 |
Nov. |
On November 22nd, 1963,
President John Fitzgerald Kennedy is killed by an assassin's
bullet in Dallas, Texas. |
|
1963 |
Nov. |
Aboard Air Force One, transporting
President Kennedy's casket to
Washington, D.C., Lyndon B. Johnson takes the
"oath of office" as president. He
declares, "We can never again stand aside, prideful
in isolation. Terrific dangers and troubles that we once called
"foreign" now constantly live among us..." Vice
President Lyndon B. Johnson
becomes the 36th President and the fourth president to cope with
the Vietnam conflict. Johnson
will retain some of Kennedy's
policy advisors. |
|
1963 |
Nov. |
During a meeting with Ambassador Lodge
in
Washington
on November 24th, newly sworn in,
President Johnson states he
will not "lose Vietnam." |
|
1963 |
Nov. |
On November 24th,
President Johnson confirms the continued support to South
Vietnam with military and economic aid. |
|
1963 |
Info |
By the end of 1963 America has 16,300 American
military advisors stationed in South Vietnam and has provided $500 million
in U.S. aid.
A power vacuum followed the coup removing President Diem, with
one coup following another as a series of military and civilian
governments seize control of Vietnam over the next year or so.
The country becomes dependent on the United States for for its
existence. |
|
1964 -
Vietnam War |
|
1964 |
Jan. |
The Junta, under General Minh, have ruled South Vietnam since
the fall of President Diem. On January 30th, 1964, in a
bloodless coup led by Maj. General Nguyen Khanh, the Junta
government is overthrown. Maj. General Nguyen Khanh becomes the
leader of South Vietnam. |
|
1964 |
March |
Defense Secretary McNamara visits South Vietnam
on March 6th. He says that General Khan "has our admiration, our
respect and our complete support..." adding, "We'll stay for as
long as it takes. We shall provide whatever help is required to
win the battle against the Communist insurgents." He will
later advise President Johnson
to increase military aid in order to shore up the weakened South
Vietnamese army. |
|
1964 |
March |
Mercenaries flying old American fighter planes,
secretly backed by the U.S., begin to conduct bombing raids on
the Ho Chi Minh trail, inside Laos. |
|
1964 |
March |
On March 17th,
President Johnson give approval to the Pentagon for only the
planning stages when the U.S. National Security
Council recommended the bombing of North Vietnam. |
|
1964 |
March |
The focus of American Policy on South Vietnam by McNamara and other Johnson policy makers
concentrate on the need to prevent a Communist victory in South
Vietnam. They believe a defeat would damage the credibility of the U.S.
globally. In becoming a test of U.S. resolve in fighting
Communism, America's prestige and President Johnson's reputation
are put jeopardy. |
|
1964 |
March |
The United States' determination to increase military and
economic aid to South Vietnam in its war against Communist
insurgency is reiterated, on March 26th, in an address by
Defense Secretary
Robert McNamara. |
|
1964 |
May |
In May, work on a Congressional resolution to support the
President's war policy is began by
President Johnson's aides.
As a result of the lack of Senate support the resolution is
shelved but later to be used as the basis of the Gulf of Tonkin
resolution. |
|
1964 |
May |
A trade embargo
is imposed on May 4th against North Vietnam in response to their attacks
on South Vietnam. |
|
1964 |
mid-64 |
America's cost of managing the overall conflict and maintaining
the South Vietnam Army has risen to two million dollars a day. |
|
1964 |
mid-64 |
The Viet Cong (numbering 56,000) expanding their
guerrilla war through South Vietnam receiving reinforcements of
North Vietnamese Army (NVA) regulars who use the Ho Chi Minh
trail. |
|
1964 |
mid-64 |
In response to the expanding guerrilla war and
increase of North Vietnamese Army regulars
President Johnson authorizes
Operation Plan 34A. The plan consist of covert operations ran by
the CIA that uses South Vietnamese commandos that harass and
raid radar sites along the coast of North Vietnam in speedboats.
Supported by Navy warships in the Gulf of Tonkin, among them is
the USS Maddox which uses electronic surveillance to locate the
radar sites. |
|
1964 |
June |
Henry Cabot Lodge, in June, submits his
resignation as U.S. Ambassador in Saigon to South Vietnam. |
|
1964 |
June |
On June 20th General William Westmoreland is
named to replace General Paul Harkins as commander of U.S.
forces (MACV) in Vietnam. Westmoreland is a graduate of West
Point and a highly decorated veteran having served in both
World War II and Korea. |
|
1964 |
June |
President Johnson appoints
General Maxwell D. Taylor on July 1st, to be the new U.S.
Ambassador to South Vietnam. Taylor had been chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff. During the next year he will have dealt
with five governments in the politically unstable South Vietnam. |
|
1964 |
June |
U.S. Military personnel announce, on July 8th,
U.S. casualties in Vietnam, including 399 dead and 17 MIA, have
risen to 1,387. |
|
1964 |
July |
Over July 16th and 17th at the Republican National Convention in
San Francisco Senator Barry Goldwater is chosen as the nominee
for president. In his acceptance speech he says, "Extremism in
the defense of liberty is no vice." As a staunch conservative
and anti-communist Goldwater's campaign rhetoric will impact
future White House decisions concerning Vietnam.
President Johnson's aides
attempt a balancing act trying to keep the President from
appearing to be 'soft on Communism' while at the same time
avoiding the label of 'war monger' concerning Vietnam. |
|
1964 |
July |
On July 19th at a rally in Saigon, Prime Minister
Nguyen Khanh calls for the expanding of the war into North
Vietnam. |
|
1964 |
July |
The capital of Dinh Tuong Province, Cai Be was attacked on July
20th by Viet Cong forces killing 11 South Vietnamese military
personnel and a total of 40 civilians, 10 adults and 30
children. |
|
1964 |
July |
It is announced on July 27th that 5,000 more US military
advisers are being sent to South Vietnam. This brings the total
of U.S. forces to 21,000. |
|
1964 |
July |
As part of Operation Plan 34A in the Gulf of Tonkin, on July
31st, South Vietnamese commandos using unmarked speed boats
conduct raids on two North Vietnamese military bases located on
islands off the coast. The destroyer
USS Maddox was not far off. |
|
1964 |
Aug. |
The American destroyer U.S.S. Maddox in
the Gulf of Tonkin ten miles off the coast of North Vietnam is
attacked on August 2nd. Three North Vietnamese patrol boats fire
three torpedoes and use machine-guns with only one single round
from a machine gun that actually strikes the Maddox; no
causalities occur. One of the patrol boats are sunk with damage
to the others when U.S. Navy fighters from the carrier
Ticonderoga return fire. The Ticonderoga was led by Commander
James Stockdale. |
|
1964 |
Aug. |
At the White House, twelve house behind Vietnam
time, on Sunday morning reports are being received. Reacting
cautiously to the reports
President Johnson decides against retaliation. He sends a
diplomatic communication warning Hanoi of "grave consequences"
for any further "unprovoked" attacks. The USS Maddox is ordered
to resume operations in the Gulf of Tonkin. U.S. combat troops
are put on alert. Targets in North Vietnam are selected should
the need to attack occur. |
|
1964 |
Aug. |
On August 3rd, USS Maddox and destroyer USS
Turner sail vigorous zigzag maneuvers in the Gulf of Tonkin
coming within eight miles of North Vietnam's coast. South
Vietnamese commandos in speedboats continue harassment of North
Vietnamese defenses along the coast. |
|
1964 |
Aug. |
On August 4th, with bad weather affecting
accuracy of surveillance instruments; crew members on both
destroyers believing a torpedo attack, open fire on apparent
targets without an actual sighting of any attacking boats. The
"attack" becomes known as the Gulf of Tonkin incident. |
|
1964 |
Aug. |
Though there were doubts concerning the validity
of the second attack the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on August 4th,
recommend retaliation with a bombing raid against North Vietnam.
No journalists were onboard either ship but press reports back
in the U.S. embellished upon the second attack with eyewitness
accounts. |
|
1964 |
Aug. |
President Johnson
decides on retaliation ordering the first bombing of North
Vietnam by the United States. |
|
1964 |
Aug. |
Without warning 64 U.S. navy fighter bombers
attack oil facilities and naval targets in North Vietnam in
Operation Pierce Arrow.
One hour after the attacks began, on August 5th,
President Johnson, in a
midnight appearance in television, says, "Our response for the
present will be limited and fitting," continuing he says, "We
Americans know, although others appear to forget, the risk of
spreading conflict. We still seek no wider war."
During the attacks two Navy jets are shot down. 25 North
Vietnamese boats are destroyed in the raids. |
|
1964 |
Aug. |
Lt. Everett Alvarez of San Jose, California, becomes the first
American Prisoner of War (POW). His plane is shot down over
North Vietnam and he is taken to an internment center in Hanoi.
Later the center is given the name "Hanoi Hilton" by the six
hundred or so American airmen who were held as POWs during the
war. |
|
1964 |
Aug. |
Opinion polls show Americans supporting the President's bombing
decision by 85 percent. There are numerous newspaper editorials
published that support the President's decision. |
|
1964 |
Aug. |
Following the Gulf of Tonkin incident Defense Secretary McNamara,
along with Johnson's aides,
on August 5th will lobby Congress, for a White House resolution to give
the President a free reign in Vietnam. Congress sets aside its
agenda to debate the issue. |
|
1964 |
Aug. |
During an August 6th meeting in the Senate,
Defense Secretary McNamara is confronted by Senator Wayne Morse
of Oregon. A source in the Pentagon had 'tipped off' that the Maddox
had been involved in South Vietnamese commando raids against
North Vietnam and as such not a victim of an "unprovoked"
attack. McNamara responded, the U.S. Navy "...played absolutely
no part in, was not associated with, was not aware of, any South
Vietnamese actions, if there were any..." |
|
1964 |
Aug. |
Congress approves the
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution on August 7th. The resolution give the
president the power to take
"All necessary
measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the
United States. . .to prevent further aggression. . . (and)
assist any member or protocol state of the Southeast Asian
Collective Defense Treaty (SEATO) requesting assistance. . ."
The
U.S. House votes unanimously with 414 votes in favor. In the
Senate 88 votes were cast in support with the only dissenting
votes cast by Senators Wayne L. Morse
of Oregon and Ernest Gruening of Alaska who states, "all
Vietnam is not worth the life of a single American boy." |
|
1964 |
Aug. |
Duong Van Minh is deposed as South Vietnam's
chief of state in a coup on August 16th. General Nguyen Khanh
takes the leadership position and establishes a new constitution
that the U.S. Embassy helped to draft. |
|
1964 |
Aug. |
Students and Buddhist militants begin on August
21st a series of escalating protests against General Khanh's
military regime. As a result General Khanh will resign to
establish a triumvirate that included himself, General Minh and
General Khiem. Saigon streets break out into chaos and violence
during the instability of the government. |
|
1964 |
Aug. |
On August 26th at the Democratic National Convention, President
Johnson is nominated as the Democratic candidate for president.
In a campaign speech the President says, "We are not about to
send American boys nine or ten thousand miles away from home to
do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves." |
|
1964 |
Fall-64 |
Secret
peace talks with North Vietnam are rejected by the U.S. |
|
1964 |
Sept. |
Top aides at the White House on September 7th
discuss the future course of action in Vietnam. |
|
1964 |
Sept. |
Two South Vietnamese generals stage a coup on
September 13th and fail in the attempt. |
|
1964 |
Oct. |
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev is removed on
October 14 and is replaced by Leonid Brezhnev as leader of the
U.S.S.R. |
|
1964 |
Oct. |
China tests its first Atomic Bomb on October
16th. China has massed troops along it border with Vietnam in
response to the U. S. escalation. |
|
1964 |
Nov. |
The Viet Cong's first attack against an American
force in Vietnam is on November 1st at the USAF air base about,
12 miles north of Saigon at Bien Hoa. Just before dawn the
attack of mortar fire began, killing five Americans, 2 South
Vietnamese and wounds nearly 75 others. Five B-57 jet bombers
were destroyed along with other planes. |
|
1964 |
Nov. |
All recommendations for a retaliatory air strike
against North Vietnam are dismissed by
President Johnson. |
|
1964 |
Nov. |
On November 3rd in a land-slide victory, with 61 percent of the
popular vote, President Johnson
is elected to retain the Presidency. He lead over Barry
Goldwater by 16 million votes. Democrats gain large majorities
in both the House and Senate. |
|
1964 |
Nov. |
The
National Security Council that included
Robert McNamara,
Dean Rusk, and
Maxwell Taylor and advisors that included National Security
Advisor McGeorge Bundy recommend on November 28th to
President Johnson an
eventual escalation of bombing in
North Vietnam. Debate will continue with a decision on December
1st. |
|
1964 |
Dec. |
In December, armed with more sophisticated weapons from China
and the Soviet Union, 10,000 North Vietnamese Army (NVA)
soldiers arrive in the Central Highlands of South Vietnam. They
traveled by way of the Ho Chi Minh trail to shore up Viet Cong
battalions and provide experienced leaders. |
|
1964 |
Dec. |
After much debate that began three days before the
Johnson administration and
top advisors come to an agreement, on December 1st, to enact a
two-stage plan for an eventual escalation of bombing in
North Vietnam. |
|
1964 |
Dec. |
On December 20th, another military coup by General Khanh and
younger officers led by Nguyen Cao Ky and Nguyen Van Thieu,
depose the older generals (among them General Minh) seizing
control. |
|
1964 |
Dec. |
The young officers are summoned to the U.S.
Embassy by Ambassador Taylor, now, angry over the continuing
instability and endless intrigues plaguing South Vietnam's
government. Taylor warns them that Americans are "tired of
coups."
The young officers, now in control of Vietnam are offended by
Taylor's behavior. In the press General Khanh accuses Taylor and
the U.S. of "colonialism" in its treatment of South Vietnam. |
|
1964 |
Dec. |
On December 24th Viet Cong terrorists plant a bomb, timed to
detonate at 5:45 p.m., during 'happy hour' in the bar of the
Brinks Hotel, an American officers' residence in Downtown
Saigon. The blast killed two Americans and wounded 58 others.
President Johnson dismissed
all recommendations to retaliate with an air strike on North
Vietnam. |
|
1964 |
Info |
By the end of 1964, the number of American military
advisors in South Vietnam had risen to 23,000. It is estimated
that 170,000 Viet Cong/NVA fighters of the 'People's Revolutionary
Army' where below the DMZ and had begun waging coordinated battalion-sized attacks
against South Vietnamese troops in villages around Saigon. |
|
1965 - Vietnam War |
|
1965 |
Jan. |
U.S.
Navy river patrols begin on South Vietnam's 3000 nautical miles of
inland waterways in January as Operation Game Warden. |
|
1965 |
Jan. |
President Lyndon
B. Johnson is inaugurated on January 20th. |
|
1965 |
Jan. |
In yet another coup on January 27th, General Khanh seized full
control of South Vietnam's government. |
|
1965 |
Jan. |
A memo of January 27th is sent, by National
Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy and Defense Secretary Robert
McNamara, to President Johnson stating America's
limited military involvement in Vietnam is not succeeding. it
further states that the U.S. has reached a 'fork in the road' and
must either soon escalate the war or withdraw from Vietnam. |
|
1965 |
Feb. |
Soviet Prime Minister Aleksei Kosygin arrives in
Hanoi on February 4th for a visit. |
|
1965 |
Feb. |
National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy visits
South Vietnam on February 4th, for his first time. |
|
1965 |
Feb. |
On February 6th, at the military barracks, where
the Military Advisors were housed, at Pleiku in the Central
Highlands a Viet Cong guerilla assault was launched in the
early morning hours, killing 8 Americans and wounding 126. Ten
aircraft were destriyed in the attack. |
|
1965 |
Feb. |
In retaliation for the February 6th guerilla
attack at Pleiku, on February 8th
President Johnson says,
"I've had enough of this," and orders an air-strike on North
Vietnam. Operation Flaming Dart has U.S. Navy jets from the
carrier Ranger bombing a North Vietnamese army camp near
Dong Hoi. |
|
1965 |
Feb. |
Operation Flaming Dart commences on the 9th
with U.S. Navy jets, from the carrier Ranger, bombing a
North Vietnamese army camp near Dong Hoi. The bombing was in
response to the February 6th attack on the U.S. military
compound at Pleiku. |
|
1965 |
Feb. |
The first U.S. combat troops are deployed to
South Vietnam on February 9th. |
|
1965 |
Feb. |
Though Johnson
makes no speeches or statements on his decision, opinion polls
taken shortly after the U.S. bombing indicate a 70 percent
approval rating for the President with 80 percent approval for
U.S. military involvement in Vietnam. |
|
1965 |
Feb. |
In mid February plans are began for the implementation of
bombing raids on North Vietnam called, Operation Rolling
Thunder. |
|
1965 |
Feb. |
Another military coup in Saigon on February 18th finally
ousts- General Khanh from power. Led by Dr. Phan Huy Quat a new
combination military and civilian government is installed. |
|
1965 |
Feb. |
On February 22nd with 6000 Viet Cong massed in
the vicinity, General Westmoreland requests
two battalions of U.S. Marines reinforcements to protect the American air base
at Da Nang. Ambassador Taylor warns against a possible repeat of
the mistakes made by the French that sent an ever-increasing
number of soldiers into the jungles of a "hostile foreign
country" where indistinguishable, are friend and foe.
President Johnson approves
the General's request in light of the "grave reservations" of
the Ambassador. |
|
1965 |
Feb. |
The North Vietnamese pressure Soviet Prime
Minister Kosygin for unlimited military aid to counter the
American "aggression." Giving in to their demands, Kosygin
orders sophisticated Soviet surface-to-air missiles (SAMs)
to North Vietnam that begin arriving in Hanoi within weeks. |
|
1965 |
March |
Having began in February, conflicts flaring
between the USA and the Viet-Kong continue into March. |
|
1965 |
March |
Over 100 American fighter-bombers begin, on March
2nd, to attack various targets in North Vietnam. The
campaign, Operation Rolling Thunder, was scheduled to last eight
weeks but will continue for the next three years. |
|
1965 |
Info |
The first air strikes in Operation Rolling
Thunder are against the Ho Chi Minh trail. The trail is
bombarded heavily and often by American jets with little success
in the attempt to stop or slow the supply line of tremendous
reinforcements of soldiers and equipment from the North.
Construction crews of women repair damage to the trail
immediately after an attack. 500 American jets will be shot down
in raids along the Ho Chi Minh trail during the entirety of the
war. |
|
1965 |
Info |
Over the course of the war 3 million American
sorties will, in the largest display of firepower in warfare
history, drop four times the tonnage of bombs as that dropped in
all of World War II; nearly 8 million tons of ordnance.
The majority of the bombs were dropped in South Vietnam against
NVA and Viet Cong positions, destroying numerous villages, that
resulted in 3 million civilian refugees. Military targets in
North Vietnam included fuel depots and factories. The North
Vietnamese begin to minimize vulnerability to bomb damage by a
decentralization of factories and supply bases. |
|
1965 |
March |
The first U.S. combat troops arrive in Vietnam on March 8th as
3500 Marines land at China Beach to defend the air base at Da
Nang. Dressed in full battle gear ready for full-scale action
expecting enemy fire, the soldiers were met only by curious
onlookers. One soldier observed,
"The war was nowhere in sight." |
|
1965 |
March |
On March 9th
President Johnson authorized the use of Napalm. Napalm, an
anti-personnel bomb, is a petroleum based bomb that shower
hundreds of pellets that independently explode on impact. |
|
1965 |
March |
A highly successful effort called "Operation
Market Time" commences on March 11th. The operation is a joint,
U.S. Navy and South Vietnamese Navy, effort to disrupt North
Vietnamese supply routes on the sea. The North Vietnamese are
forced to the more difficult land route of the Ho Chi Minh
trail. |
|
1965 |
March |
In protest of
President Johnson announcing troop increases and the bombing
of North Vietnam Alice Herz, 82 year-old survivor of Nazi camps,
in Detroit, set herself on fire. |
|
1965 |
March |
The U.S. Embassy in Saigon is bombed on March
29th by Viet Cong terrorists. |
|
1965 |
April |
President Johnson
on April 1st authorized two more Marine battalions and nearly
20,000 logistical personnel to Vietnam. |
|
1965 |
April |
Combat troops are authorized by
President Johnson to conduct
patrols to root out the Viet Cong in the countryside. The
decisions for the offensive operations is kept secret from the
press and American public for two months. |
|
1965 |
April |
On
April 7th President
Johnson
delivers a speech,
"Peace Without Conquest", at Johns Hopkins University offering
aid and "unconditional discussions"
to North
Vietnam in exchange for a ceasing of hostilities.
Privately telling his aides,
Johnson says, "Old Ho can't
turn that down." |
|
1965 |
April |
On April 8th Johnson's peace overture of
"unconditional discussions" is rejected by, "Old Ho." |
|
1965 |
April |
On April 17th, 15,000 students
gather to protest the U.S. bombing campaign at
the first major anti-war rally in Washington,
D.C. The rally was sponsored by Students for a Democratic
Society.
President Johnson, his advisors, the Pentagon,
Washington
bureaucrats, and weapons manufacturers come to be referred as
"the Establishment," by the Student demonstrators. |
|
1965 |
April |
President Johnson's
aides, including National
Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy, Defense Secretary Robert
McNamara, General Westmoreland, General Wheeler, foreign affairs
advisor William Bundy, and Ambassador Taylor, met on April 20th
in Honolulu, Hawaii to discuss coming to an agreement on a
recommendation to the President to send another 40,000 combat
soldiers to Vietnam. |
|
1965 |
April |
On
April 24th President Johnson
makes the announcement that Americans in
Vietnam are eligible for the extra "combat pay". |
|
1965 |
April |
Prime Minister Robert Menzies announces on April 28th that
Australia will contribute, making a substantial increase in the
number of troops in South Vietnam. Saigon requested the military
help but only after the Prime Minister, on behest of the
Americans, asked Saigon to send the request. |
|
1965 |
May |
3500 men of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, arrive in
Vietnam on May 3rd, becoming the first U.S. Army combat troops
in Vietnam. |
|
1965 |
May |
South Vietnamese troops in Phuoc Long Province
north of Saigon are over-run on May 11th by Viet Cong who also
push attacking areas in central South Vietnam. |
|
1965 |
May |
The first seize-fire is announced on May 13th in
the hopes that Hanoi will negotiate. Six more pauses in the
Rolling Thunder bombing will occur with the same hopes. Each
pause is ignored by the North Vietnamese with the pause used as
a 'time out' to ready for future fighting; repairing air
defenses and delivery of more troops and supplies over the Ho
Chi Minh trail. |
|
1965 |
May |
On May 13th the U.S. Special Forces camp at Phuoc
Long is attacked by the Viet Cong. Wounded four times 2nd Lt.
Charles Williams knocks out a VC Machine-gun and then guides
rescue helicopters, earning the Congressional Medal of Honor. |
|
1965 |
May |
The first seize-fire ends on May 19th with the
U.S. resuming Operation Rolling Thunder, the bombing of North
Vietnam. |
|
1965 |
May |
On May 20th Hanoi offers again a peace proposal
that had already been rejected by the U.S. |
|
1965 |
June |
The first contingent of Australian Combat troops
arrive in South Vietnam on June 2nd. |
|
1965 |
June |
Nearly 1,500
Vietcong mount a mortar attack and overrun
military headquarters and adjoining militia compound in the
battle of Dong Xoai on June 10th. |
|
1965 |
June |
In another of many military coups, on June 19th, Nguyen Van
Thieu
seize power in South Vietnam becomming official chief of
state. Nguyen Cao Ky becomes Prime Minister of the government of
the Republic of Vietnam. |
|
1965 |
July |
Three aircraft are destroyed in an attack on July
1st, in a mortar attack by the Viet Cong against the air base at Da
Nang. |
|
1965 |
July |
Henry Cabot Lodge, on July 8th, is reappointed
U.S. ambassador to South Vietnam. |
|
1965 |
July |
Another series of meetings, to discuss the future course of
action in Vietnam, is held from July 21st to the 28th has
President Johnson meeting
with top aides. |
|
1965 |
July |
One F-4C Phantoms is shot down and three others damaged by
antiaircraft missiles on July 24th while escorting a bombing
raid at Kang Chi. This use of antiaircraft missiles against
American planes is the first of the war. |
|
1965 |
July |
President L.B. Johnson on
July 28th announces at a noon press conference, he has ordered
44 combat battalions to South Vietnam increasing the numbers
from 75,000 to 125,000. The monthly draft calls double to
35,000. "I have asked the commanding general, General
Westmoreland, what more he needs to meet this mounting
aggression. He has told me. And we will meet his needs. We
cannot be defeated by force of arms. We will stand in Vietnam,"
proclaims President Johnson, "...I do not find it easy to send the flower of our youth,
our finest young men, into battle. I have spoken to you today of
the divisions and the forces and the battalions and the units,
but I know them all, every one. I have seen them in a thousand
streets, of a hundred towns, in every state in this
union; working and laughing and building, and filled with hope
and life. I think I know, too, how their mothers weep and how
their families sorrow." |
|
1965 |
July |
On July 29th the first 4,000 101st Airborne Division
paratroopers arrive landing at Cam Ranh Bay. |
|
1965 |
Aug. |
In August the number of American troops in Vietnam is 125,000. |
|
1965 |
Aug. |
Combined Action Platoons are formed in August, to protect
villages and rooting out Viet Cong guerrillas, using U.S.
Marines and South Vietnamese militia units. |
|
1965 |
Aug. |
Seven Marines were killed on August 3rd while
searching for Viet Cong that attacked the air base at Da Nang
with mortars. Later that day suspected Viet Cong villages near
Da Nang are destroyed by a U.S. Marine rifle company and are
filmed causing controversy when aired in America on CBS TV. |
|
1965 |
Aug. |
President Lyndon
B. Johnson submits a request of Congress for $1.7 billion
more for the war. |
|
1965 |
Aug. |
Storage tanks near Da Nang, holding two million
gallons of fuel, are destroyed by the Viet Cong on August 5th. |
|
1965 |
Aug. |
Major air strikes against the Viet Cong are
conducted on August 8th. |
|
1965 |
Aug. |
The first decisive victory giving U.S. troops a
morale boost with Operation Starlight. From August 18th to the
24th the U.S. Marines conduct a preemptive strike against 1500
Viet Cong preparing to attack the U.S. airfield at Chu Lai. The
Marines were tipped-off by a Viet Cong deserter. Supported by
artillery and air bombers the Marines land by helicopter and by
sea attacking a Viet Cong stronghold on the Van Tuong peninsula in Quang
Ngai Province. 45 Marines were killed with 120 wounded. The Viet
Cong loose 614 with 9 taken prisoner. |
|
1965 |
Aug. |
A bill outlawing the burning of draft cards is signed on August
31st by President Lyndon B.
Johnson. Even with the risk of a 5-year prison sentence and
$1000 fine the act of burning ones draft card becomes vogue at
anti-war rallies, attracting media attention. |
|
1965 |
Sept. |
Following up on August's Operation Starlight U.S.
Marines and South Vietnamese Forces execute Operation Pirahna,
on September 7th, on the Batangan Peninsula, located 23 miles
south of the Chu Lai Marine base. |
|
1965 |
Oct. |
Anti-war protests were held in nearly 40 cities across America
and internationally including Rome, Italy and London, England.
The defiant act of draft card burning comes to America on
October 15th, at a rally held by the student-ran National
Coordinating Committee to End the War in Vietnam. |
|
1965 |
Oct. |
The U.S. Special Forces camp at Plei Me is
attacked on October 19th by the North Vietnamese Army. |
|
1965 |
Oct. |
Just miles from
Da Nang,
on October 30th, the
United States Marines repel wave after
wave of
Viet Cong forces. 56 guerrillas were killed, among them the body
of a 13-year-old
Vietnamese boy who had sold drinks to the Marines the day
before. Found on the boy's body was a sketch of Marine
positions. |
|
1965 |
Oct. |
Supporting U.S. involvement in Vietnam, 25000 march in
Washington, D.C. on October 30th, led by five Medal of Honor
recipients. |
|
1965 |
Nov. |
Outside his Pentagon office on November 2nd,
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara witnessed the suicide
protest of Quaker Norman Morrison as he set himself on fire. |
|
1965 |
Nov. |
On November 9th in
New York City, protesting the war in
Vietnam, 22-year old
Roger Allen LaPorte, a Catholic Worker member, sets himself on fire
opposite the
United Nations building. |
|
1965 |
Nov. |
Lasting over two nights with November 14th
marking the beginning, the first major battle between U.S.
troops and the North Vietnamese Army regulars (NVA) is fought as
the Battle of Ia Drang Valley, in the Central Highlands of South
Vietnam. Responding to the NVA threat Army troops of the 1st
Cavalry Division (Airmobile) are dropped by helicopters directly
into the battle zone to immediately engage in fierce fire
fights. They are supported by heavy artillery and air strikes
marking the first use of B-52 bombers to assist combat troops.
The NVA retreat into the jungle with their losses estimated at
nearly 2000. 79 Americans were killed with 121 wounded. |
|
1965 |
Nov. |
Major Bruce P.
Crandall in
the battle of Battle of Ia Drang Valley (Above Entry) on
November 14th, 1965, flew his helicopter into the battle zone to
rescue troops with the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment of
the 1st Cavalry Division (General Custer's regiment) that were about to be
over-ran at Landing Zone X-Ray. He and his wing man Captain
Edward W. Freeman were credited with saving 70 injured soldiers
and providing supplies that allowed the regiment to hold the
position. Nearly 42 years later he was awarded the Congressional
Medal of Honor on February 26th, 2007 by
President George W. Bush. |
|
1965 |
Nov. |
The day after America's success at Ia Drang on November 17th,
reserve NVA troops and others that had retreated, ambush the
U.S. 7th Cavalry of 400 soldiers that were sent by foot to
occupy nearby Landing Zone 'Albany.' 155 Americans were killed
and 124 were wounded. |
|
1965 |
Nov. |
President Johnson
is informed by the Pentagon on November 27th, that if planned
sweep operations were to succeed, neutralizing the Viet Cong
forces during the coming year, the number of troops would need
to be increased by 260,000; bringing the total from 120,000 to
400,000. 64,300 would be added by the end of the year. |
|
1965 |
Nov. |
On November 27th an anti-war march circles the White House then
proceeds to the
Washington
Monument for a rally. |
|
1965 |
Nov. |
Philippine President-elect
Ferdinand Marcos announces on November 28th, that he will send troops to help fight
in
South Vietnam. Marcos was responding to
President Johnson's call for
"more flags" in Vietnam. |
|
1965 |
Nov. |
Having just visited Vietnam, Defense Secretary McNamara
privately warns, on November 30th, that America could be expect
casualty rates of dead as high as 1000 per month. |
|
1965 |
Dec. |
Another American seize-fire is held in December
with the expected non-reaction from the North Vietnamese. |
|
1965 |
Dec. |
Viet Cong terrorists bomb a hotel used by U.S.
military personnel on December 4th, killing 8 and wounding 137
others. |
|
1965 |
Dec. |
Defense Secretary McNamara tells President Johnson on December
7th, that the North Vietnamese apparently "believe that the war
will be a long one, that time is their ally, and that their
staying power is superior to ours." [Time will prove this to be
true.] |
|
1965 |
Dec. |
In the December 9th New York Times it is revealed
that the U.S. military is unable to stop the flow of supplies
and soldiers from North Vietnam despite the extensive bombing. |
|
1965 |
Dec. |
Top aides meet with the President over December
18th, 19th and 20th discussing possible courses of action
concerning Vietnam. |
|
1965 |
Dec. |
Another seize-fire begins on Christmas day, the
25th, and lasts 37 days as the U.S. attempt to pressure North
Vietnam to the peace table. The North Vietnamese call the
seize-fire a "trick" and continue the Viet Cong terrorist
activities in South Vietnam. |
|
1965 |
Info |
By year's end U.S. troop levels in Vietnam
reached 184,300. An estimated 90,000 South Vietnamese soldiers
deserted in 1965, while an estimated 35,000 soldiers from North
Vietnam infiltrated the South via the Ho Chi Minh trail. Up to
50 percent of the countryside in South Vietnam by the end of
1965 is under some
degree of Viet Cong control.
With little dissent in
the U.S. House and Senate the Congress had appropriate $2.4
Billion for the Vietnam war effort.
General William Westmoreland was Time Magazine's 1965
'Man of the Year.' |
|
|
Reciprocal Links
American Flags - American, State,
World, Featherd flags and more.
National Anthems
-Lyrics and Audio for Anthems of all Countries of
the World.
Waving Flag Images
- Free Flag
Animations - Military, State, Historical, Worldwide
Flag Links @
PoetPatriot.com
|
|
Sources for the Vietnam War are found at
TimeLine Sources |
Vietnam War
- Page Two
1961 - 1962 - 1963 - 1964 - 1965 |
Pre-War
- 1930-1960
- The War - 1966-1970
-
The War - 1970-1975
-
Post War - 1976-2007
Page 1
Page 3
Page 4
Page
5 |
|
|
