Events of the War
- 1945: Communist revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh declares completeindependence for the country of Vietnam and creates the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (GRDV) in Hanoi, a city in northern Vietnam
- 1946: The Viet Minh begin the First Indochina War in December with attacks on French troops in the North, which lasted for eight years
- 1949: Laos and Cambodia are both recognized as independent states of Vietnam by the French
- 1950: The U.S. helps the French in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia
- 1951: An agreement is reached among communists in Thailand, Laos, and North Vietnam, allowing the Vietminh to use areas in Laos along the border with Vietnam in order to set up equipment and men in the French-Vietnamese War
- 1952: 400 U.S. advisers and supply personnel serve in Vietnam; the number of French casualties thus far is approximately 90,000
- 1953: Vietnam is split in half near the 17th parallel; Cambodia gains its independence from France
- 1954: The siege of Dien Bien Phu begins
- 1955: South Vietnam asks for U.S. instructors for its army
- 1956: French troops leave South Vietnam
- 1959: The Viet Minh communists in South Vietnam suffer greatly because of Diem's plan to consolidate power and destroy all threats
- 1960: The National Liberation Front (NLF) of South Vietnam is officially formed to promote reunification, reform of government, and elimination of foreign controls
- 1961: President Kennedy approves secret military plan for Vietnam and Laos, establishing Special Forces to conduct covert operations against and inside North Vietnam and Laos
- 1965: The NLF attacks the U.S. base at Pleiku; North Vietnam is bombed the next day as retaliation; 184,000 American soldiers, marines, sailors, and airmen are in South Vietnam beginning offensive operations
- 1968: A U.S. Army unit massacres hundreds of unarmed villagers in My Lai, South Vietnam
- 1969: American troop strength has decreased to 475,200; there are 40,024 American casualties
- 1971: The New York Times publishes The Pentagon Papers, which contain secret history of the Vietnam War from 1945, revealing many lies told to American citizens
By: Gina R.