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15 March 1962 - 7 March 1965 | |||||||||
16-Mar-62
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Algerian Cease-Fire! - Referendum to Decide Future Ties | ||||||||
16-Mar-62
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Algiers Ripped By Grenades | ||||||||
16-Mar-62
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Copter Assault Hits Viet Cong Bastion | ||||||||
16-Mar-62
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NCO Shot to Death | ||||||||
22 Mar 62
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S &S Camera Covers Jungle Raid | ||||||||
22 Mar 62
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Won't Give Up Disarmament Talks: J.F.K. | ||||||||
22 Mar 62
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McNamara Sees Long War in Vietnam, Mum on Troops | ||||||||
22 Mar 62
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Deadlock on Issues in Geneva | ||||||||
22 Mar 62
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Say Call-ups to Start Getting Out Aug. 25 | ||||||||
22 Mar 62
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Planes Spot New Debris | ||||||||
3 Apr 62
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Nasser Backers Revolt in Syria | ||||||||
3 Apr 62
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Copter-Borne Viets Kill 40 Rebels | ||||||||
4 Apr 62
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Viet Division Opens Drive | ||||||||
4 Apr 62
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OAS Kills 10 in Hospital | ||||||||
4 Apr 62
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J.F.K. May Hit It Rich at 45 | ||||||||
4 Apr 62
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Schools Told to Integrate | ||||||||
11 Apr 62
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How U.S. Soldiers Died - Too Wounded to Walk, 2 Are Slain By Guerillas | ||||||||
11 Apr 62
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U.S., U.K. in Joint Plea For A-Ban | ||||||||
23 Apr 62
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Record Airlift Held - Viet Rebels Fire on U.S. Copters | ||||||||
23 Apr 62
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Say Cambodia Reds Killed 54 in Vietnam | ||||||||
23 Apr 62
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U.S. Seeks Kennedy-Nikita Phone Link | ||||||||
May 62 |
Viet Cong organize themselves into battalion-sized units
operating in central Vietnam.
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May 62 |
Defense Secretary McNamara visits South Vietnam and reports
"we are winning the war."
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7 May 62
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Report Fall of Nam Tha | ||||||||
7 May 62
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A-Warhead Polaris Launched | ||||||||
7 May 62
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Truce Violated, U.S. Charges | ||||||||
7 May 62
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57 Viet Cong Killed in Mop-Up | ||||||||
7 May 62
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Rookie Hurls No-Hitter | ||||||||
16 May 62
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4,000-Man Buildup Ordered in Thailand | ||||||||
16 May 62
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Reorganization Set For 41st Air Div. | ||||||||
16 May 62
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Paratroops Dropped in Irian | ||||||||
17 May 62
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Marines in Thailand - Unit Lands, Prepares to Move Inland | ||||||||
17 May 62
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4 Die Fighting B-47 Flames | ||||||||
17 May 62
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Identify U.S. Units Aiding Thais | ||||||||
20 May 62
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Hurled at U.S. Billet - 3 Soldiers Hurt By Saigon Bomb | ||||||||
20 May 62
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Thailand Buildup Pushed | ||||||||
20 May 62
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Peiping Sounds Warning | ||||||||
20 May 62
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Scott in Orbit | ||||||||
24 May 62
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4 U.S. Officers Wounded in Vietnam | ||||||||
24 May 62
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2 Red Guards Shot in Berlin Wall Duel | ||||||||
24 May 62
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Orbit 'Go Weighed | ||||||||
13 Jun 62
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3-Man Rule For Laos | ||||||||
13 Jun 62
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3 Dig Out of Alcatraz; May Have Fled on Raft | ||||||||
13 Jun 62
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U.S. Soldier Defected: Korea Reds | ||||||||
13 Jun 62
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Crucial' 60-90 Days - Major Red Push Seen in Vietnam | ||||||||
13 Jun 62
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House Passes Aid Bill | ||||||||
13 Jun 62
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Viet Reds Capture 2 N.C.O.s; 1 Escapes | ||||||||
23 Jul 62 |
The Declaration on the Neutrality of Laos signed in Geneva
by the U.S. and 13 other nations, prohibits U.S. invasion of portions
of the Ho Chi Minh trail inside eastern Laos.
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1 Aug 62 |
President Kennedy signs the Foreign Assistance Act of
1962 which provides "...military assistance to countries which are
on the rim of the Communist world and under direct attack."
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August 62 |
A U.S. Special Forces camp is set up at Khe Sanh to monitor
North Vietnamese Army (NVA) infiltration down the Ho Chi Minh trail.
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4 Sep 62
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U.S. Ready to Do More in Vietnam, Taylor Says | ||||||||
4 Sep 62
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U.S. Aid Airlifted to Iran | ||||||||
4 Sep 62
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110 Viet Cong Slain in Major Battle | ||||||||
17 Oct 62
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Viet Reds Down 2 U.S. Planes | ||||||||
17 Oct 62
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New U.S. Role in Vietnam | ||||||||
17 Oct 62
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Yanks Win It All 1-0 on Terry's Gem | ||||||||
17 Oct 62
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U.S. Indicts 2 Congressmen | ||||||||
17 Oct 62
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J.F.K., Gromyko Meeting Set | ||||||||
U.S. BEGINS TO INTERVENE 1963 | |||||||||
3 Jan 63 |
350 Viet Cong fighters defeat a large force of American-equipped
South Vietnamese troops attempting to seize a radio transmitter in the
Battle of Ap Bac. Three American helicopter crew are killed.
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4 Jan 63
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Big Viet Battle; 3 Americans Die | ||||||||
4 Jan 63
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Cancer Kills Jack Carson | ||||||||
6 Jan 63
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U.S. Forces Capture 17 Viet Reds | ||||||||
6 Jan 63
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U.S. Opposes Congo Truce; U.N. Troops Halt Advance | ||||||||
6 Jan 63
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VC Hit Saigon - Reds Invade Embassy, Air Base | ||||||||
16 Mar 63
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House Unit Slashes Military Building Funds | ||||||||
16 Mar 63
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5 Russ Died in Space' | ||||||||
16 Mar 63
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Injunction Sought Against Wallace | ||||||||
May 63 |
Buddhists riot in South Vietnam after they are denied
the right to display religious flags during their celebration of Buddha's
birthday. In Hue, South Vietnamese police and army troops shoot at Buddhist
demonstrators, resulting in the deaths of one woman and eight children.
Political pressure mounts on the Kennedy administration to disassociate
itself from Diem's family-run government.
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Jun-Aug 63 |
Buddhist demonstrations spread. Several Buddhist monks
publicly burn themselves to death as an act of protest. Diem imposes martial
law. South Vietnamese special forces under control of Diem's younger brother
Nhu wage violent crackdowns against Buddhist sanctuaries in Saigon, Hue
and other cities, sparking wiidespread anti-Diem demonstrations. Madame
Nhu refers to "barbeques" on TV.
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13 Jun 63
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Negroes Enrolled - Wallace Makes Stand, Then Bows | ||||||||
13 Jun 63
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A Fiery Suicide in Saigon Protest | ||||||||
13 Jun 63
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Caracas Reds Hit U.S. Site | ||||||||
4 Jul 63 |
South Vietnamese General Tran Van Don, a Buddhist, contacts
the CIA in Saigon about the possibility of staging a coup against Diem.
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22 Aug 63 |
New U.S. ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge arrives in South
Vietnam.
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24 Aug 63 |
Ambassador Lodge interprets a U.S. State Department message
to indicate he should encourage a military coup against President Diem.
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26 Aug 63 |
Ambassador Lodge meets President Diem for the first time.
Under instructions from President Kennedy, Lodge tells Diem to fire his
brother, the much-hated Nhu, and to reform his government. But Diem arrogantly
refuses even to discuss such matters with Lodge.
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26 Aug 63 |
President Kennedy and top aides begin three days of heated
discussions over whether the U.S. should in fact support the military
coup against Diem.
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29 Aug 63 |
A Lodge message to Washington states "...there is
no possibility, in my view, that the war can be won under a Diem administration."
Kennedy then gives Lodge a free hand to manage the unfolding events in
Saigon. However, the coup against Diem fizzles due to mistrust and suspicion
within the ranks of the military conspirators.
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2 Sep 63 |
President Kennedy describes Diem in an interview with
Walter Cronkite as "out of touch with the people" and adds that
South Vietnam's government might regain popular support "with changes
in policy and perhaps in personnel." He also comments, "If we
withdrew from Vietnam, the Communists would control Vietnam. Pretty soon,
Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaya, would go..."
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2 Oct 63 |
President Kennedy sends Ambassador Lodge a mixed messaged
that "no initiative should now be taken to give any encouragement
to a coup" but that Lodge should "identify and build contacts
with possible leadership as and when it appears".
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4 Oct 63
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White House Report - U.S. Troops Seen Out of Viet By '65 | ||||||||
4 Oct 63
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Koufax, L.A. Top N.Y. 5-2 | ||||||||
4 Oct 63
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1931 Gang Killings - Valachi Fingers Genovese | ||||||||
4 Oct 63
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J.F.K. Signs Military Pay Bill | ||||||||
5 Oct 63 |
Lodge informs President Kennedy that the coup against Diem appears to be on again. |
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5 Oct 63 |
Rebel generals under Duong Van "Big" Minh ask
for assurances that U.S. aid to South Vietnam will continue after Diem's
removal and that the U.S. will not interfere with the actual coup. President
Kennedy concurs and the CIA in Saigon then signals the conspirators that
the United States will not interfere with the overthrow of President Diem.
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7 Oct 63
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Fiery Monk Suicide | ||||||||
7 Oct 63
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Viet Police Beat 3 U.S. Newsmen; Rusk protests beatings | ||||||||
7 Oct 63
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Drysdale Blanks Yanks 1-0; N.Y. Needs 4 The Hard | ||||||||
25 Oct 63 |
Prompted by concerns over public relations fallout if
the coup fails, a worried White House seeks reassurances from Ambassador
Lodge that the coup will succeed.
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28 Oct 63 |
Ambassador Lodge reports a coup is "imminent."
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29 Oct 63 |
An increasingly nervous White House now instructs Lodge
to postpone the coup. Lodge responds it can only be stopped by betraying
the conspirators to Diem.
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1 Nov 63
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Viet Victory Near - 1,000 to Leave Soon - Harkins | ||||||||
1 Nov 63
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American, Russian Nabbed in Spy Plot | ||||||||
1 Nov 63
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3 Aides Seized in Vietnam Battle | ||||||||
1 Nov 63 10 a.m. |
Ambassador Lodge meets with President Diem from 10 a.m.
until noon at the presidential palace, then departs.
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1 Nov 63 1:30 p.m. |
The coup begins. Mutinous troops surround the presidential palace and seize police headquarters. Diem and his brother Nhu inside the palace reject appeals to surrender. Diem telephones the rebel generals and unsuccessfully attempts to talk them out of the coup. |
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1 Nov 63 4:30 p.m. |
Diem calls Lodge and asks about the attitude of the United
States. Lodge responds "...it is four thirty a.m. in Washington,
and the U.S. government cannot possibly have a view." He expresses
concern for Diem's safety, to which Diem responds "I am trying to
restore order."
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1 Nov 63 8 p.m. |
Diem and Nhu escape from the palace unnoticed and go to
a safe house in the suburbs owned by a wealthy Chinese merchant.
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2 Nov 63 3 a.m. |
A Diem aide betrays his location to the generals. The
hunt for Diem and Nhu now begins.
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2 Nov 63 6 a.m. |
Diem telephones the generals. Realizing the situation is hopeless, Diem and Nhu offer to surrender from inside a Catholic church. Diem and Nhu are then taken into custody by rebel officers and placed in the back of an armored personnel carrier. While traveling to Saigon, the vehicle stops and Diem and Nhu are assassinated. |
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2 Nov 63 6 a.m. |
A White House meeting is interrupted with the news of
Diem's death. According to witnesses, Kennedy turns pale and leaves the
room.
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2 Nov 63 7 a.m. |
Saigon celebrates the downfall of Diem's regime. But the
coup results in a power vacuum and teh country becomes totally dependent
on the United States for its existence.
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3 Nov 63
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Diem Toppled - Military Forces Rule Saigon | ||||||||
3 Nov 63
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Not Involved in Coup, U.S. Declares | ||||||||
4 Nov 63
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Diem, Nhu Dead - Fighting Is Over | ||||||||
4 Nov 63
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Saigon - A Happy Mob Scene | ||||||||
22 Nov 63 |
President John F. Kennedy is assassinated in Dallas.
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22 Nov 63 |
Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as the 36th U.S. President.
He makes a key mistake by retaining many of the same policy advisors who
served Kennedy, and who were loyal to JFK but not LBJ.
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LBJ'S WAR BEGINS 1963-1964 | |||||||||
24 Nov 63 |
President Johnson tells Ambassador Lodge in Washington that he will not "lose Vietnam". |
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31 Dec 63 |
South Vietnam has 16,300 American military advisors and
received $500 million in U.S. aid during 1963.
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20 Jan 64
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Military Spending Request Slashed | ||||||||
20 Jan 64
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Toll Rises to 6 - 2 More U.S. Fliers Killed in Viet Battle | ||||||||
29 Jan 64
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Paris And Peking Establish Ties | ||||||||
29 Jan 64
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Situation Remains Grave' - Viet Cong Gaining McNamara Says | ||||||||
30 Jan 64 |
General Minh is ousted from power in a bloodless coup
led by General Nguyen Khanh who becomes the new leader.
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31 Jan 64
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New Viet Coup - General Khanh Seizes Control | ||||||||
31 Jan 64
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19-Ton Satellite Orbited By U.S. | ||||||||
31 Jan 64
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Alan Ladd Dies at 50 | ||||||||
Mar 64 |
U.S.-backed mercenaries flying WWII American fighter planes
start bombing the Ho Chi Minh trail inside Laos.
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6 Mar 64 |
Defense Secretary McNamara visits Vietnam and states that
Gen. Khanh has U.S. support, adding, "We'll stay for as long as it
takes."
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Mar 64 |
McNamara advises President Johnson to increase military
aid to the ARVN. U.S. policy makers focus on preventing a Communist victory,
believing it would damage the U.S. credibility.
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Mar 64 |
The US cost of the war in Vietnam rises to two million
dollars per day.
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17 Mar 64 |
The U.S. National Security Council recommends the bombing
of North Vietnam. President Johnson approves planning by the Pentagon.
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May 64 |
Work begins on a Congressional resolution supporting the
President's Vietnam policy. The work is postposed because of lack of support
in the Senate, but later surfaces as the Gulf of Tonkin resolution.
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Summer 64 |
56,000 Viet Cong spread guerrilla war throughout South
Vietnam, reinforced by North Vietnamese Army (NVA) regulars pouring in
via the Ho Chi Minh trail. Responding to this escalation, President Johnson
approves Operation Plan 34A, CIA-run covert operations using South Vietnamese
commandos in speed boats to harass radar sites along the coastline of
North Vietnam. The raids are supported by U.S. Navy warships in the Gulf
of Tonkin including the destroyer U.S.S. Maddox which conducts electronic
surveillance to pinpoint the radar locations.
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2 Jun 64
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Passengers Beaten - N.Y. Teens Riot, Rip Up 'D' Train | ||||||||
4 Jun 64
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Johnson Denies Plans to Extend Vietnam War | ||||||||
4 Jun 64
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Poisoned Spears Kill 100 Troops | ||||||||
4 Jun 64
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The '64 Question - Barry Takes Early Lead | ||||||||
1 Jul 64 |
Johnson appoints General Maxwell D. Taylor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as new U.S. ambassador to South Vietnam. During his one year tenure, Taylor deals with five different governments. |
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1 Jul 64 |
President Johnson appoints Lt. Gen William C. Westmoreland
as the new U.S. military commander in Vietnam.
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31 Jul 64 |
In the Gulf of Tonkin under Operation Plan 34A, South
Vietnamese commandos in unmarked speed boats raid two North Vietnamese
military bases located on islands just off the coast. In the vicinity
is the destroyer U.S.S. Maddox.
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2 Aug 64 |
Three North Vietnamese patrol boats attack the American
destroyer U.S.S. Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin ten miles off the coast
of North Vietnam. They fire three torpedoes and machine-guns. A single
machine-gun round hits the Maddox. There are no casualities.
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2 Aug 64 |
U.S. Navy fighters from the carrier Ticonderoga, led by
Commander James Stockdale, attack the patrol boats, sinking one and damaging
the other two.
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2 Aug 64 |
President Johnson reacts cautiously, sending a diplomatic
message to Hanoi warning of "grave consequences" from further
"unprovoked" attacks and ordering the Maddox to resume operations
in the Gulf of Tonkin. U.S. forces worldwide go on alert.
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3 Aug 64 |
USS Turner Joy and USS Maddox zigzag through the Gulf
of Tonkin to within eight miles of North Vietnam's coast, while South
Vietnamese commandos in speed boats harass North Vietnamese defenses along
the coastline. During nightime thunderstorms, electronic instruments on
the destroyers give readings that are interpreted as another North Vietnamese
torpedo attack, and both destroyers open fire on apparent targets without
any actual enemy sightings.
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4 Aug 64 |
Despite lack of information and possible doubts about
the second attack, the Joint Chiefs of Staff recommend a retaliatory bombing
raid against North Vietnam.
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4 Aug 64 |
American press reports embellish the second attack with
spectacular eyewitness accounts although no journalists had been present.
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4 Aug 64 |
President Johnson orders retaliatory bombing of North
Vietnamese oil facilities and naval targets. 64 U.S. Navy planes make
the raid.
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4 Aug 64 |
Lt. Everett Alvarez pilots one of two Navy jets shot down
during the bombing raids and becomes the first American prisoner of war,
and the first inhabitant of the infamous POW camp called "Hanoi Hilton".
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4 Aug 64
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Off Coast of North Vietnam - 3 PT Boats Attack American Warship | ||||||||
4 Aug 64
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Miss Greece Wins; Turkey Walk Out | ||||||||
4 Aug 64
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Attack Calls For A New Look' - Dirksen Raps Posture in Far East. | ||||||||
4 Aug 64 |
In a midnight television appearance, President Johnson
tells Americans,"We Americans know, although others appear to forget,
the risk of spreading conflict. We still seek no wider war."
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5 Aug 64 |
With opinion polls showing 85% public support, Johnson's
aides lobby Congress to pass a White House resolution giving the President
a free hand in Vietnam.
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5 Aug 64
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Destroy Attackers, L.B.J Orders Navy | ||||||||
5 Aug 64
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U.S. to Mark Protest to North Vietnam | ||||||||
5 Aug 64
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U.S. Ships to Continue Gulf Patrol | ||||||||
6 Aug 64 |
Senator Wayne Morse, tipped off by someone in the Pentagon
that the Maddox had been involved in the South Vietnamese commando raids
against North Vietnam and thus was not the victim of an "unprovoked"
attack, queried McNamara in a meeting. McNamara replies that 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..."
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7 Aug 64 |
U.S. Congress overwhelmingly passes the Gulf of Tonkin
Resolution that allows the President "to take all necessary steps,
including the use of armed force" to prevent further attacks against
U.S. forces. The Resolution, passed unanimously in the House and 98-2
(Senators Morse and Gruening against) in the Senate, grants enormous power
to President Johnson to wage an undeclared war in Vietnam from the White
House.
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7 Aug 64
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U.S. Planes to K.O. 5 N. Viet Bases | ||||||||
7 Aug 64
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7th Fleet Massing in Vietnam Area | ||||||||
7 Aug 64
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L.B.J. Calls Attacks Deliberate, Wilful | ||||||||
14 Aug 64
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2,000-3,000 Viet Cong - 96 Copters Hit Reds | ||||||||
14 Aug 64
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Ian Fleming (creator of James Bond 007) Dies at 56 | ||||||||
21 Aug 64 |
After escalating student and militant Buddhist protests
in Saigon against the Khanh regime, Khanh resigns as sole leader in favor
of a triumvirate of himself, Gen. Minh and Gen. Khiem. Saigon disintegrates
into chaos and mob violence amid the government's instability.
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26 Aug 64 |
President Johnson is nominated at the Democratic National
Convention, stating, "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."
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13 Sep 64 |
Two South Vietnamese generals stage an unsuccessful coup.
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14 Oct 64 |
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev is ousted from power,
replaced by Leonid Brezhnev as leader of the U.S.S.R.
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16 Oct 64 |
China tests its first Atomic Bomb. China also massee troops
along its border with Vietnam as a message to the U.S.
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1 Nov 64 |
A pre-dawn mortar assault kills five Americans, two South
Vietnamese, and wounds nearly a hundred others at Bien Hoa Air Base 12
miles north of Saigon.
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3 Nov 64 |
Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson is re-elected as President
of the United States in a land-slide victory with 61 percent of the popular
vote (the biggest to date in U.S. history), defeating Republican Barry
Goldwater by 16 million votes. Democrats also achieve big majorities in
both the U.S. House and Senate.
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3 Nov 64
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L.B.J. Replaces B-57s Destroyed By Reds | ||||||||
3 Nov 64
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Halloween 'Treat' Is Ant Poison | ||||||||
25 Nov 64
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Taylor's View: Vietnam Victory 'Much in Doubt' | ||||||||
25 Nov 64
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Might Have Saved J.F.K., Jackie Thought | ||||||||
Dec 64 |
10,000 NVA soldiers arrive in the Central Highlands, carrying
modern Chinese and Soviet weapons. They shore up Viet Cong battalions
with the weapons and also provide experienced soldiers as leaders.
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1 Dec 64 |
President Johnson's top aides, including Secretary of
State Dean Rusk, National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy, and Defense
Secretary McNamara, recommend a policy of gradual escalation of U.S. military
involvement in Vietnam.
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7 Dec 64
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F.B.I. Nabs 'Sniper' Near SAC Base | ||||||||
20 Dec 64 |
Gen. Khanh and young officers, led by Nguyen Cao Ky and
Nguyen Van Thieu, oust older generals including Gen. Minh from the government
and seize control.
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21 Dec 64 |
An angry Ambassador Taylor summons the young officers
to the U.S. embassy then scolds them like schoolboys over the continuing
instability and endless intrigues plaguing South Vietnam's government.
Americans, he had already warned them, are "tired of coups."
Taylor's behavior greatly offends the young officers. Gen. Khanh retaliates
by lashing out in the press against Taylor and the U.S., stating that
America is reverting to "colonialism" in its treatment of South
Vietnam.
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24 Dec 64 |
A Viet Cong car bomb set off during happy hour at the Brinks Hotel, an American officers' residence in downtown Saigon, kills two Americans and wounds 58. |
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31 Dec 64 |
American military advisor troop strength in South Vietnam is 23,000. An estimated 170,000 Viet Cong/NVA fighters have begun coordinated battalion-sized attacks against ARVN troops around Saigon. |
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20 Jan 65 |
Lyndon B. Johnson takes the oath as president and declares,
"We can never again stand aside, prideful in isolation. Terrific dangers
and troubles that we once called 'foreign' now constantly live among us..."
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25 Jan 65
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Buddhist Protests Grow - Viets Sack U.S. Library | ||||||||
27 Jan 65 |
General Khanh seizes control of South Vietnam's government.
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27 Jan 65 |
Johnson aides, National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy
and Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, send a memo to the President stating
that America's limited military involvement in Vietnam is not succeeding,
and that the U.S. has reached a 'fork in the road' in Vietnam and must
either soon escalate or withdraw.January 1965.
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Jan 65 |
Operation Game Warden begins U.S. Navy river patrols on
South Vietnam's 3000 nautical miles of inland waterways.
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4 Feb 65 |
National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy visits South
Vietnam for the first time.
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4 Feb 65 |
In North Vietnam, Soviet Prime Minister Aleksei Kosygin
coincidentally arrives in Hanoi.
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6 Feb 65 |
Viet Cong guerrillas attack the U.S. military compound
at Pleiku in the Central Highlands, killing eight Americans, wounding
126 and destroying ten aircraft.
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7-8 Feb 65 |
President Johnson approves Operation Flaming Dart, the
bombing of a North Vietnamese army camp near Dong Hoi by U.S. Navy jets
from the carrier Ranger. Opinion polls taken in the U.S. shortly after
the bombing indicate a 70 percent approval rating for the President and
an 80 percent approval of U.S. military involvement in Vietnam. Johnson
now agrees to a long-standing recommendation from his advisors for sustained
bombing against North Vietnam.
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7-8 Feb 65 |
In Hanoi, Soviet Prime Minister Kosygin is pressured
by the North Vietnamese to provide unlimited military aid to counter the
American "aggression." Kosygin gives in to their demands. As a result,
sophisticated Soviet surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) begin arriving in
Hanoi within weeks.
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10 Feb 65
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U.S., Viet Planes Strike North Again | ||||||||
10 Feb 65
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Johnson Warns Reds | ||||||||
12 Feb 65
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Viet Reds Blow Up U.S. Army Barracks | ||||||||
12 Feb 65
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Viets Take Beating | ||||||||
12 Feb 65
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Embassy Must Be Protected | ||||||||
13 Feb 65
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150 Planes Hit 2 N. Viet Bases | ||||||||
13 Feb 65
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3 Rescued From Barracks Debris | ||||||||
13 Feb 65
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Copters Halt Red Junk Force | ||||||||
18 Feb 65 |
A military coup in Saigon ousts General Khanh from power
and Dr. Phan Huy Quat installs a new military/civilian government.
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22 Feb 65 |
General Westmoreland requests two battalions of U.S. Marines
to protect the American air base at Da Nang from 6,000 Viet Cong massed
in the vicinity. The President approves his request, despite reservations
of Ambassador Taylor in Vietnam who warns that America may be about to
repeat the same mistake made by the French in sending ever-increasing
numbers of soldiers into Asiawhere friend and foe are indistinguishable.
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26 Feb 65
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American-Piloted U.S. Jets in Viet Combat For 1st Time | ||||||||
2 Mar 65 |
Operation Rolling Thunder begins with over 100 American
fighter-bombers attacking the Ho Chi Minh Trail and targets in North Vietnam.
Scheduled to last eight weeks, Rolling Thunder will go on for three years.
The first U.S. air strikes also occur against the Ho Chi Minh trail.
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4 Mar 65
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160 U.S., Viet Planes Rip Bases in North | ||||||||
4 Mar 65
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Raid Is Warning to Reds, U.S. Says | ||||||||
4 Mar 65
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10-Story Atlas-Centaur Explodes on Pad | ||||||||
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