Help!! i need a timeline about USA involvment in vietnam?

Show all answers

MojaveDan

The timeline stated by another answer through a link to Wikipedia is pretty close to being dead on accurate regarding U.S. involvement in Vietnam. There wasnā€™t a whole lot of American activity during those years, but it was significant to the build up of future activities. Allow me to give you a brief color commentary of such events:

WWII ā€“ 1945: United States Office of Strategic Services (OSS) provides support to Ho Chi Minh, Nguyen Giap and others who formed the Viet Minh forces that resisted Japanese occupation of Vietnam.

September 2, 1945: Ho Chi Minh declares Vietnam independent under the name of Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Ho recites Vietnamā€™s declaration of independence, which has numerous references to the U.S. constitution and the United States, with the Star Spangled Banner playing in the background.

Late 1945 ā€“ early 1946: Ho Chi Minh petitions President Truman several times for support of Vietnamā€™s independence reflecting on the third point of the Atlantic Charter: ā€All people have a right to self-determination.ā€¯ President Truman never responds to Hoā€™s petitions.

September 26, 1945: Lieutenant Colonel A. Peter Dewey is mistaken for a Frenchman and killed by accident in Saigon and becomes the first American casualty in Vietnam.

December 1946 ā€“ Negotiations with the French and Viet Minh breaks down, which essentially starts the French-Indochina War.

1950: President Truman starts sending token military support to the French in their fight against the Viet Minh. The outbreak of the Korean War dramatically escalates U.S. support to the French during the last half of the year.

September 1950 ā€“ Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) is sent to Vietnam to assist the French. This would merge into Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) in 1964, which essentially changed U.S. military role in Vietnam from advisory to combat.

1950-1954: U.S. is in military combat with the Korean War while the French are in combat with the French-Indochina War. U.S. continues sending and increasing military support to the French during this time.

March 13 ā€“ May 7, 1954: Battle of Dien Bien Phu results in a massive defeat of French forces by the Viet Minh and effectively ending the French-Indochina War.

May 8 ā€“ July 21, 1954: the Geneva Conference produces the Geneva Accords, which marks the end of French involvement in Vietnam as well as Southeast Asia. The U.S. would replace French involvement in the region.

November 1955: President Eisenhower deploys MAAG to train and support South Vietnam's Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). This marks the beginning of U.S. military involvement in Vietnam.

What many Westerners donā€™t realize is the excitement in Vietnam during 1945. In that year, Vietnam changed hands three times and was declared independent for the first time in almost a century of colonial rule. Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh was also an ally of the U.S. up till that time. Also during that time was the dreadful Vietnamese Famine, which claimed millions of lives in Northern Vietnam.

I hope this helps!

tpk_april1

You can find some here,
http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/vietnam/index-1945.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role_of_United_States_in_the_Vietnam_War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role_of_United_States_in_the_Vietnam_War

Vacationing abroad with Viagra

MojaveDa... gave you some good info, as did the other responder.

Might I suggest that for FACT-BASED questions like this, that you use Google? It will reveal many, many sites, including 2 from Wikipedia (always a good place to start, but there are gazillions more), 1 about the country and its resources, a bit about history, etc; AND a Wiki entry about The War itself.

There are also fact-based books and semi-fiction books you can read for on-the-ground information, like "The Ugly American"

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: