Vietnam War Timeline and Documents Analysis

Vietnam War Timeline

September 2, 1945: Ho Chi Minh declares an independent Vietnam, named the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
July 1950: The United States pledges 15 million in military aid to France to assist in their fight in Vietnam.
May 7, 1954: The French are defeated at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.
July 21, 1954: The Geneva Accords establish a cease-fire, leading to the withdrawal of the French from Vietnam. A temporary boundary is created between North and South Vietnam at the 17th parallel.
October 26, 1955: South Vietnam declares itself the Republic of Vietnam (GVN).
December 20, 1960: The National Liberation Front (NLF), also known as the Viet Cong, is established in South Vietnam.
November 2, 1963: South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem is executed during a coup.
August 2 and 4, 1964: The Gulf of Tonkin Incident occurs, involving alleged attacks by North Vietnamese forces on two U.S. destroyers in international waters.
August 7, 1964: The U.S. Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
March 2, 1965: The U.S. initiates Operation Rolling Thunder, a bombing campaign targeting North Vietnam.
March 8, 1965: The first U.S. combat troops arrive in Vietnam.

Date: August 7, 1964
Key Points:
- The North Vietnamese Navy violated international law by attacking United States naval vessels in international waters.
- These attacks are part of a broader campaign of aggression by the Communist regime in North Vietnam against its neighbors.
- The United States aims to help Southeast Asian countries protect their freedom without seeking territorial, military, or political gain.
- The resolution approves and supports the President's determination to take necessary military actions to combat Communist forces and prevent further aggression.
- The U.S. is prepared to assist any member of the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty requesting help, including the use of armed force.

Date: May 25, 1964
Author: Bundy (Foreign Affairs Advisor)
Addressee: The President
Key Points:
- Recommendation for the U.S. to use carefully graduated military force against North Vietnam.
- Premises for the recommendation:
  - The U.S. cannot tolerate the loss of Southeast Asia to Communism.
  - Without a decision to use military action if necessary, the situation in South Vietnam and Laos is not hopeful.
  - A decision to use force if necessary, backed by resolute deployment and communicated to adversaries, provides the best chance of avoiding actual use of such force.
- The clear purpose should be to reduce or eliminate North Vietnamese interference in Laos and South Vietnam, not to use force as an end in itself.

Date: May 22, 1964
Author: Rusk (Department of State)
Addressee: Embassy in Vietnam (Lodge)
Key Points:
- Initial substantial attacks against North Vietnam could not proceed without notice.
- Even if Hanoi did not publicize the attacks, observers in North Vietnam and potential leaks from South Vietnam would likely reveal them.
- Publicity would lead to the U.S. being blamed, putting the President in a difficult position with the American public and Congress.
- The U.S. is currently using a GVN-or-U.S.-acknowledged plan, but a slightly stronger version of OPLAN 34-A might be carried out.
- OPLAN 34-A was a covert operation initiated in 1961 to gather information about North Vietnam.

Date: May 27, 1964
Participants: President Johnson and McGeorge Bundy
Key Points:
- President Johnson expresses concern that the situation in Vietnam is becoming another Korea.
- He questions the value of fighting in Vietnam and the potential outcomes of deeper involvement.
- Johnson worries about sending troops to Vietnam and what the U.S. would be fighting for.
- Bundy acknowledges the dilemma: if the U.S. withdraws, other nations may view it as running from Communism.
- Bundy suggests that President Johnson could make threats without fully committing to carrying them out, similar to what Kennedy did in the past.