The Vietnam War Timeline

How It All Went Down

1919 Ho Chi Minh Ignored

Following World War I, a young Vietnamese patriot named Nguyen That Thanh (later known as Ho Chi Minh) arrives at the Paris Peace Conference. Responding to American President Woodrow Wilson’s promise of “self-determination” for nations, Thanh hopes to free Vietnam from French colonial rule. But Thanh, like many other advocates of colonial independence who descend upon the Paris peace talks, is ignored.

Sep 27, 1940 Japan Joins Axis

Japan enters World War II, joining the German-Italian Axis coalition.

Aug 1940 Japan Seizes French Indochina

The Japanese take possession of French Indochina (Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam), but retain the pro-Axis French administration.

1941 Viet Minh Founded

The Viet Minh—the League for the Independence of Vietnam—is founded.

Mar 9, 1945 Japanese Occupation

Japan sweeps away French rule in Indochina. In Vietnam, it places Emperor Bao Dai in power, creating the illusion of an independent Vietnamese state.

Apr 12, 1945 Roosevelt Dies

President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies of a cerebral hemorrhage in Warm Springs, Georgia. With the death of President Roosevelt, Vice President Harry S. Truman becomes the 33rd President of the United States.

Aug 6, 1945 Hiroshima

The United States drops an atomic bomb—the first to be used in warfare—on Hiroshima, killing 75,000 people instantly, and injuring more than 100,000.

Aug 9, 1945 Nagasaki

A second atomic bomb is dropped in Nagasaki.

Aug 15, 1945 Japan Surrenders

Japan surrenders to the Allied Powers, officially ending World War II.

Aug 18, 1945 August Revolt

Under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, the Viet Minh revolts against Emperor Bao Dai, Japan’s hand-selected ruler.

Aug 30, 1945 Ho Chi Minh Leads Viet Minh

Emperor Bao Dai surrenders leadership to Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh.

Sep 2, 1945 Democratic Republic of Vietnam Declared in Hanoi

Viet Minh leaders proclaim the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, with Hanoi its capital and Ho Chi Minh its president. No other countries recognize this regime.

Sep 13, 1945 Viet Minh Leaves South

The British land in Saigon to disarm the Japanese and to restore French control south of the seventeenth parallel, in what will become known as South Vietnam. After some fighting, the Viet Minh withdraws.

Feb 28, 1946 Ho Chi Minh Asks US Support

Ho Chi Minh pens a letter to President Harry S. Truman, asking him for the support of the United States in gaining independence for Vietnam.

May 1946 Ho Chi Minh Meets French

Negotiations between French leaders and Ho Chi Minh break down. France refuses to grant Vietnamese independence and declares the southern region of Vietnam a French colony. Ho Chi Minh returns to Hanoi disenchanted.

Dec 19, 1946 First Indochina War

The Viet Minh attacks French forces occupying Hanoi in northern Vietnam. The First Indochina War, also called the Franco-Vietnamese War, begins.

1948 Bao Dai Returns

As a reward for his cooperation, the French allow Bao Dai to reclaim leadership of a nominally independent Vietnam, a position that France had denied to Ho Chi Minh two years prior.

1948 US Supports French Vietnam

Under President Harry S. Truman, the United States begins to contribute money and supplies to the French war effort in Vietnam.

Oct 1948 Truman Reelected

President Harry S. Truman is elected to a second term.

Mar 8, 1949 Elysée Agreement

Bao Dai signs the Elysée Agreement, which gives Vietnam “independence” within the French Union. Still, the French retain control over all key governmental functions.

Jan 18, 1950 China Recognizes Vietnam

The People’s Republic of China, now a Communist state, recognizes Ho Chi Minh’s government, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

Jan 30, 1950 Soviets Recognize Vietnam

The Soviet Union recognizes Ho Chi Minh’s government, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

Feb 4, 1950 US Gives Military Aid

The United States recognizes Bao Dai’s government, the Republic of Vietnam, and gives France $15 million in military aid.

Aug 1950 US Military Advisors in Saigon

The first group of U.S. military advisors—the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG)—arrives in Saigon.

Oct 1952 Ike Wins

Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected President of the United States. Richard M. Nixon is elected as his Vice President.

Feb 10, 1954 Eisenhower Rejects Troop Commitment

President Eisenhower refuses to commit American troops to the Franco-Vietnamese War. In a press conference he states, “I cannot conceive of a greater tragedy for America than to get heavily involved now in an all-out war in any of those regions.”

Mar 13, 1954 Dien Bien Phu Begins

The Viet Minh launches its first assault on French forces at Dien Bien Phu. The battle will rage for over two months.

Mar 1954 Eisenhower Debates Intervention

President Eisenhower’s administration revisits the question of direct intervention in the Franco-Vietnamese War.

Apr 17, 1954 Nixon Supports Troop Commitment

In a speech before the press, Vice President Richard Nixon explains that “if to avoid further Communist expansion in Asia and Indochina we must take the risk now of putting our boys in, I think the Executive has to take the politically unpopular decision and do it.”

May 7, 1954 French Surrender

The French surrender to the Viet Minh. The Geneva Conference on the status of Indochina begins.

Jul 7, 1954 Bao Dai Appoints Ngo Dinh Diem

Bao Dai names Ngo Dinh Diem the new leader of what will become South Vietnam.

Jul 21, 1954 Vietnam Divided

France and Ho Chi Minh sign the Geneva Accords, in which Vietnam is to be divided at the seventeenth parallel until elections can be held in 1956 to reunify the country. The South Vietnamese government and the United States refuse to sign, though both promise to abide by the agreement.

Aug 1954 Vietnam Emigration

Some 850,000 North Vietnamese, mostly Catholics, emigrate to South Vietnam; 80,000 residents of the South, primarily Viet Minh sympathizers, move to the North.

Nov 22, 1954 Ho Chi Minh in Time

Time magazine features Ho Chi Minh on its cover along with a lengthy feature profiling the new president of North Vietnam. “Ho Chi Minh, dedicated Communist,” the article reads, “is a matchless interplay of ruthlessness and guile.”

1955 US Supports Diem

Ngo Dinh Diem, with the help of the United States, consolidates power in Saigon and rejects the Geneva Accords. Fearing (correctly) that he will lose against Ho Chi Minh, Diem refuses to hold countrywide elections. Still, the United States remains committed to his regime.

Nov 1955 Ho Chi Minh Land Reforms

Ho Chi Minh, following the communist doctrine, orders sweeping “land reforms” in North Vietnam; thousands of people classified as landowners and wealthy farmers are imprisoned, tortured, or executed. In a mass exodus, many Vietnamese families flee and head to South Vietnam.

1956 Diem Repression

Ngo Dinh Diem begins a campaign to repress those who fought for or sympathized with the Viet Minh.

Oct 1956 Ike Reelected

Dwight D. Eisenhower is reelected to a second term as President of the United States.

1957 Diem Visits Ike

President Ngo Dinh Diem visits the United States. He is welcomed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and other top government officials.

1957 Guerrilla War

Ex-Viet Minh forces in the South organize and, with the support of Ho Chi Minh, begin a campaign of guerrilla warfare against Diem’s administration.

Jul 8, 1959 First American Deaths

Two military advisors are killed by Viet Minh guerilla soldiers in a raid at Bien Hoa in South Vietnam. These are the first American deaths (non-combat) reported in Vietnam.

May 5, 1960 US Increases Advisors

The United States announces that it will increase the number of military advisors in South Vietnam from 327 men to 685 men.

Nov 8, 1960 Kennedy Elected

Democrat John F. Kennedy defeats Republican candidate Richard M. Nixon to become the 35th president of the United States.

Nov 11, 1960 South Army Coup Fails

President Ngo Dinh Diem defeats an attempted coup by his own South Vietnamese government forces, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN).

Dec 20, 1960 National Liberation Front and Viet Cong Formed

The National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam, also known as the National Liberation Front (NLF) is formed to crush Diem’s regime. The insurgent organization and its military wing—the Viet Cong (VC)—will be funded by the North Vietnamese government, and staffed by Ex-Viet Minh guerilla soldiers from the South. (Northern-born troops will join the VC in 1964.)

Apr 1961 Johnson Visits South Vietnam

Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson visits South Vietnam and offers military and economic aid to Diem. By the end of the year, the U.S. military presence in Vietnam will reach 3,200 men (although combat units will not be deployed until 1965).

Dec 22, 1961 First US Combat Death

An American serviceman dies in Vietnam, the first combat death reported. For many Americans, the death will mark the beginning of the Vietnam War.

1961 South Government Officials Killed

Viet Cong guerrilla fighters kill some 4,000 South Vietnamese officials.

Feb 6, 1962 Military Assistance Command Vietnam

The MAAG is replaced by the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV). United States military advisors are authorized to fire if fired upon. By the end of the year, the U.S. military presence in Vietnam will reach 11,000.

Feb 27, 1962 Diem Survives Assassination Attempt

Two South Vietnamese VC pilots bomb Ngo Dinh Diem’s presidential palace. Diem escapes the assassination attempt.

1962 Strategic Hamlet Program

The United States and the South Vietnamese government attempt to initiate the Strategic Hamlet Program in an effort to group the peasant population into fortified villages. The program is designed to isolate the rural population from Viet Cong influence and, by providing education and health care, strengthen Diem’s hold over the countryside. However, many of the peasants resent being uprooted from their homes and opposition to Diem grows; for this reason, the VC will easily infiltrate the hamlets.

May 8, 1963 South Vietnamese Protests

South Vietnamese police fire shots into a crowd of Buddhist monks demonstrating against President Diem’s regime. The event will inspire others to protest.

Jun 11, 1963 Buddhist Monks Self-Immolate

Thich Quang Duc, a 66-year-old Buddhist monk, sets himself afire in protest of the South Vietnamese government, its religious intolerance, and discriminatory policies; in following months, other Buddhists will follow his example and self-immolate to demonstrate against the regime. Quang Duc’s suicide, captured in an iconic Life magazine photograph, shocks—and confuses—many Americans. For some, the event will underscore the problems with American support for the South Vietnamese government.

Jun 1963 Vietnam Linked to Southeast Asia

In a press conference, President John F. Kennedy speaks of the war in Vietnam; he declares, “to withdraw from that effort would mean a collapse not only of South Vietnam, but Southeast Asia. So we are going to stay there.”

Oct 2, 1963 Credibility Gap

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara tells the press that the Kennedy administration intends to withdraw most American forces from South Vietnam by the end of 1965. The gap widens between information released by the U.S. government and the actual situation in Vietnam.

Nov 1, 1963 Diem Overthrown

With U.S. encouragement, South Vietnamese General Duong Van Minh overthrows the Diem regime, and the following day he orders the execution of Diem and his brother. General Duong’s military rule is recognized by the United States.

Nov 22, 1963 Kennedy Assassinated

While riding in a motorcade through Dallas, Texas, President John F. Kennedy is shot and killed. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson assumes the presidency.

Apr 1964 Students Burn Draft Cards

Some 1,000 students gather in New York City to protest the Vietnam War. Twelve burn their selective service registration cards—draft cards—in a symbolic gesture of opposition to the war.

Jul 30, 1964 North Vietnam Complains

North Vietnamese officials in Hanoi file a formal complaint with a commission set up by the Geneva Accords, declaring that under the protection of American destroyers, South Vietnamese vessels had bombarded northern ports.

Aug 2, 1964 USS Maddox

Responding to raids on northern ports, North Vietnamese gunboats attack the USS Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin; the Maddox suffers little damage and no casualties are reported. The U.S. declares that its destroyer was on routine patrol in international waters and that it did nothing to provoke the attack, nor did it play any part in the South Vietnamese raids. Four years later, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara will admit that the U.S. had in fact cooperated with the South.

Aug 4, 1964 First North Vietnam Bombing

The USS Maddox reports a second assault by North Vietnamese gunboats, though evidence of such an attack is inconclusive. President Lyndon B. Johnson orders retaliatory strikes. The U.S. bombs North Vietnam for the first time.

Aug 7, 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

The U.S. Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gives President Lyndon Johnson the power to take whatever actions he sees necessary to defend South Vietnam against Viet Cong forces.

Sep 1964 North Vietnamese Troops In South

The first unit of North Vietnamese troops is sent to the South; by May 1965 they will number 6,500.

Nov 3, 1964 Johnson Landslide

Lyndon B. Johnson wins the presidential election in a tremendous landslide.

Feb 7, 1965 Viet Cong Attack Pleiku

The Viet Cong attack a U.S. Air Force base at Pleiku, South Vietnam, killing eight Americans and wounding more than 100.

Mar 2, 1965 Operation Rolling Thunder

Responding to a VC assault on the U.S. Air Force base at Pleiku, South Vietnam, President Johnson authorizes Operation Rolling Thunder. The operation is a bombardment campaign meant to cripple North Vietnam’s transportation system and its industrial centers in order to halt the flow of men and supplies into the South.

Mar 2, 1965 Chicago Convention Ends in Riots

At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Hubert H. Humphrey wins the presidential nomination; meanwhile anti-war protestors clash with police in the streets outside the convention. Chicago’s Democratic mayor, Richard Daley, authorizes officers to use any force necessary to clear the protests. Hundreds of people are arrested, and dozens of demonstrators, reporters, police, and bystanders are injured in the chaos.

Mar 8, 1965 First US Combat Units

The first U.S. combat units arrive in Vietnam.

Mar 24, 1965 Anti-War Teach-in

The Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) hold the first anti-war teach-in at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Students, faculty, and local citizens participate in debates, lectures, and film presentations meant to challenge assumptions about the Vietnam War.

Apr 17, 1965 SDS Rally in DC

In Washington D.C., thousands attend a protest rally organized by the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

May 21, 1965 Berkeley Teach-in

Over 30,000 people attend a three-day anti-war teach-in at U.C. Berkeley. Among those in attendance are novelist Norman Mailer, socialist leader Norman Thomas, philosopher Alan Watts, civil rights activist Bob Moses, and Mario Savio, a prominent leader of the Free Speech Movement. The event, organized by the Vietnam Day Committee (VDC), will be the largest of its kind held during the Vietnam War.

May 1965 Search and Destroy Missions

American ground forces engage the Viet Cong in direct fighting for the first time. Platoons are sent to “search and destroy,” that is, to ambush enemy forces and then withdraw immediately (rather than fortify and hold hostile territory). The highly aggressive “search and destroy” military strategy will be employed throughout Gen. Westmorland’s tenure.

Jul 16, 1965 “Jungle Marxist”

For the second time, Time magazine features Ho Chi Minh on its cover. In its cover article entitled “The Jungle Marxist,” Time magazine asks, “What makes kindly old ‘Uncle Ho’ so hard-nosed?”

Aug 31, 1965 Penalties for Draft-Dodging

The U.S. Congress passes an amendment to the Selective Service Act that will criminalize the destruction of draft cards—notices to individual (male) citizens of required service in the U.S. military; President Johnson signs it into law. Those committing the act will now be subject to a five-year prison sentence and up to $10,000 in fines.

Sep 1965 First Mass Demonstration Against Vietnam

In the U.S., the first mass public demonstrations against American involvement in the war in Vietnam take place.

Sep 1965 First Draft Burning Conviction

Pacifist David J. Miller, 24, becomes the first person convicted for burning a draft card under a new law signed by President Johnson in August 1965.

Dec 25, 1965 Bombing Halt

In an attempt to spur negotiations with North Vietnam, President Johnson orders a halt in the bombing. The pause will last just over a month.

Dec 31, 1965 Troop Levels in 1965

By the end of 1965, the U.S. troop strength in Vietnam exceeds 200,000.

Mar 31, 1966 Students Burn Cards

Student David O’Brien and three friends burn their draft cards on the steps of the South Boston Courthouse in protest of the war in Vietnam.

Jul 6, 1966 POW’s Mobbed in Hanoi

U.S. prisoners of war (POWs) are led through the streets of Hanoi, where they are attacked by angry mobs.

Dec 31, 1966 Troop Levels in 1966

By the end of 1966, American troops stationed in Vietnam number 389,000. More than 6,000 Americans have been killed and 30,000 wounded in 1966 alone.

Apr 15, 1967 King Demonstrates Against War

Martin Luther King, Jr. leads thousands of demonstrators to the United Nations building in New York, where he delivers a speech attacking U.S. foreign policy in Vietnam. Over 100,000 people attend the rally.

Mar 1967 Westmoreland’s Conflicting Assessments

At the request of President Johnson, General William Westmoreland, commander of American troops in Vietnam, expresses optimism in his public statements about the war. In private, Westmoreland reports that he sees no end in sight to the combat.

Apr 1967 Robert McNamara Expresses Doubt

In a private letter to President Johnson, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara expresses grave concern about the war in Vietnam. “The picture of the world’s greatest superpower killing or seriously injuring 1,000 noncombatants a week,” he writes, “while trying to pound a tiny backward nation into submission on an issue whose merits are hotly disputed, is not a pretty one.”

Robert McNamara Admits Futility

Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara publicly acknowledges the futility of bombing North Vietnam and the grave repercussions of this strategy at home and abroad.

Oct 21, 1967 March on the Pentagon

Thousands march to the Pentagon to demonstrate against the war in Vietnam.

Nov 30, 1967 McNamara Released

President Johnson “releases” Robert McNamara from his duties as Secretary of Defense. Johnson offers McNamara, who has grown increasingly pessimistic about U.S. progress against the North Vietnamese, a position as head of the World Bank.

Dec 31, 1967 Troop Levels in 1967

By the end of 1967, the U.S. military presence in Vietnam has increased to 485,000.

Jan 31, 1968 Tet Offensive

Beginning on the Vietnamese Tet holiday, Viet Cong forces shock U.S. troops with a wave of attacks supported by North Vietnamese troops. Heavy fighting will continue for months. Ultimately, the Tet Offensive will be a catastrophe for the NLF and the Viet Cong, which lose 37,000 fighters. But it is also a serious blow for the United States, which loses 2,500 men. Public support for the war in the U.S. plummets.

Feb 28, 1968 More Troops Requested

General Westmoreland requests 206,000 more troops.

Mar 16, 1968 My Lai

American soldiers, including the “Charlie” Company, a platoon led by Second Lieutenant William Calley, massacre hundreds of civilians—mostly women, children, and elderly men—in the hamlet of My Lai (pronounced “MEE LEYE”) in South Vietnam.

Mar 25, 1968 Johnson Seeks End

President Johnson meets with his military advisors who urge him to find a way to end the war in Vietnam.

Mar 31, 1968 Johnson Declines Reelection

President Johnson states in a nationwide television broadcast, “We are prepared to move immediately toward peace through negotiations. So tonight, in the hope that this action will lead to early talks, I am taking the first step to deescalate the conflict [in Vietnam].” He also announces that he will not seek reelection in 1968.

Apr 3, 1968 Preliminary Talks Begin

Ho Chi Minh’s government declares it is prepared to talk about peace. Preliminary talks will begin in May, yet the U.S. troop level in Vietnam will continue to rise.

Apr 4, 1968 MLK Assassinated

Martin Luther King, Jr. is assassinated at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. His assassin, James Earl Ray, pleads guilty and is sentenced to 99 years in prison.

May 27, 1968 Draft Card Burning Ruled Free Speech

In United States v. David Paul O’Brien, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that the criminal prohibition of draft card burning does not violate the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech.

Jun 4, 1968 1968 Deaths Exceed 1967

The U.S. command in Vietnam announces that American battle deaths in the first six months of 1968 exceed the total in 1967.

Jun 23, 1968 America’s Longest War

The war in Vietnam—its beginning marked by the first death of an American serviceman reported on 22 December 1961—becomes the longest war in American history.

Nov 6, 1968 Nixon Elected

Republican Richard Nixon is elected president of the United States.

Dec 31, 1968 Troop Levels in 1968

By the end of 1968, U.S. troops in Vietnam number 535,100; the ARVN claims some 820,000 fighters; VC and northern soldiers top 600,000. During the year, more than 14,500 Americans die in the war, the highest annual toll thus far.

Jan 25, 1969 Peace Talks Begin in Paris

Peace talks are held in Paris. Representatives from the U.S., the South Vietnamese government, and the NLF are present.

May 1969 Vietnamization

The number of U.S. troops in Vietnam peaks at 543,000. President Richard Nixon announces his plan for “Vietnamization” of the war—that is, training and transitioning South Vietnamese troops to assume the roles that have been fulfilled by American troops—and promises to withdraw 25,000 American soldiers.

Jun 27, 1969 Life Portraits

Life magazine prints the portraits of the 242 Americans killed in action in Vietnam during a single week in May, a week identified by the magazine as “average for any seven-day period during the war.” Twelve pages feature the faces of young people, mostly working-class black and white men, some in uniform, some posing for high school graduation in cap and gown.

Sep 3, 1969 Ho Chi Minh Dies

At the age of 79, six years before his armies seize Saigon, Ho Chi Minh dies. Rather than cremate his body, as Minh had specified in his will, Minh’s family has the leader embalmed and put on display in a mausoleum.

Nov 16, 1969 Nixon Promises Withdrawal

President Nixon promises to withdraw 35,000 additional troops from the war in Vietnam.

Nov 15, 1969 DC Anti-War Protest

Some 600,000 Americans attend an anti-war protest rally in Washington, D.C.

Dec 15, 1969 Nixon Promises More Troops Home

President Nixon promises to bring home 50,000 troops from Vietnam by April 1970.

December 31,1969 American Casualties in 1969

American combat deaths in Vietnam exceed 33,629, the number lost in the Korean War.

Apr 30, 1970 Cambodia Invasion

In a nationally televised broadcast, President Nixon announces that American and South Vietnamese units have invaded Cambodia to destroy bases that have provided aid to the NLF.

May 1, 1970 Kent State Demonstration

Students at Kent State University in Ohio organize a massive public demonstration against the American invasion of Cambodia.

May 2, 1970 National Guard Called to Kent State

On the second day of anti-war demonstrations at Kent State University students torch the R.O.T.C. building on campus. In response, the mayor of Kent, Ohio asks the governor to call in the National Guard.

May 4, 1970 Kent State Killings

The Ohio National Guard attempts to disperse the growing crowd on the fourth day of anti-war protests at Kent State University. When demonstrators refuse to follow orders, chaos ensues. Members of the Guard shoot into the crowd, killing four and wounding nine; one student is paralyzed for life. Of the four killed, two had been protesting while the other two had been walking to class. College campuses all across the country shut down. Photographs of the dead and wounded are printed worldwide, intensifying growing sentiment against American aggression in Cambodia and the war in Vietnam.

May 14, 1970 Jackson State Deaths

Police shoot and kill two students during anti-war protests at the historically black Jackson State College in Mississippi. Though the incident is similar to the shootings at Kent State, it receives far less attention from the press.

May 15, 1970 Neil Young Pens Ohio

Immediately after seeing the photos of the Kent State tragedy, published in today’s issue of Life magazine, musician Neil Young takes a walk in the woods and then sits down to compose the song “Ohio,” with the chorus line: “Four dead in Ohio” (lyrics below). It is performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, and becomes the protest anthem of a generation. David Crosby cries when the group finishes recording the song in the studio.

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,

We’re finally on our own.

This summer I hear the drumming,

Four dead in Ohio.

Gotta get down to it Soldiers are cutting us down

Should have been done long ago.

What if you knew her

And found her dead on the ground

How can you run when you know?

Dec 31, 1970 Troop Levels in 1970

Over 420,000 American soldiers remain in Vietnam. President Nixon promises to withdraw another 150,000 within the next year.

Mar 1971 William Calley Sentenced for My Lai

A military court sentences First Lieutenant William Calley to life in prison for the murders of 22 Vietnamese civilians in the My Lai village in 1968.

Apr 24, 1971 Washington Protest March

Some 200,000 people march in Washington, D.C. to protest the war in Vietnam.

Jun 13, 1971 The Pentagon Papers

The New York Times begins publishing portions of the “Pentagon Papers.” Daniel Ellsberg, an American military analyst with an extremely high-level security clearance and a former employee of the RAND Corporation, has leaked the documents to reporter Neil Sheehan. They contain top-secret information collected by the Department of Defense about U.S. political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967.

May 1971 Congress Votes to Withdraw Troops

The House and the Senate vote to withdraw all U.S. troops in Vietnam by year’s end.

Jul 1, 1971 Twenty-Sixth Amendment Ratified

The 26th Amendment is ratified, lowering the national voting age from 21 to 18.

Mar 30, 1972 Operation Linebacker

President Nixon orders massive bombing of North Vietnam in response to a major attack (the Easter Offensive) launched by the NLF in South Vietnam.

Jun 17, 1972 Watergate

Five men are caught burglarizing the headquarters for the Democratic National Committee, located at the Watergate hotel in Washington, D.C. Their arrests will set into motion the events that will eventually result in President Nixon’s resignation.

Aug 11, 1972 American Ground Forces Leave

The last U.S. ground troops leave Vietnam. Thousands of airmen, advisors, and support personnel remain.

Nov 7, 1972 Nixon Reelected

Nixon defeats Democratic candidate Senator George McGovern in the presidential election. McGovern has run on an anti-war platform that would grant amnesty to draft evaders who have left the country, and would exchange American withdrawal from Vietnam for the return of American prisoners of war (POWs).

Jan 27, 1973 Vietnam Ceasefire Signed

Representatives from South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and the United States sign a peace agreement in which a ceasefire is declared, the U.S. agrees to withdraw combat troops, and the government of South Vietnam promises to hold free elections to allow its people to decide their future.

Feb 1973 American POWs Released

North Vietnam releases nearly 600 American POWs.

Mar 29, 1973 Vietnam War Officially Ends

The Vietnam War is officially over for the United States. The last U.S. combat soldier leaves Vietnam, but military advisors and some Marines remain. Over 3 million Americans have served in the war, nearly 60,000 are dead, some 150,000 are wounded, and at least 1,000 are missing in action.

Jul 1973 Congress Prohibits US Intervention

Despite renewed fighting between the NLF and the South Vietnamese, the U.S. Congress votes to prohibit any further U.S. combat role in Vietnam.

Apr 1974 Congress Rejects Vietnam Aid

The ceasefire in Vietnam is officially over. The U.S. Congress rejects President Nixon’s request for increased military aid to South Vietnam.

Aug 9, 1974 Nixon Resigns

President Nixon resigns amidst the Watergate scandal; his vice president Gerald Ford takes office.

Apr 29, 1975 Thousands Flee Saigon

The New York Times features an image of hundreds of South Vietnamese civilians scrambling to board a single U.S. helicopter. During the final weeks of April, an invasion of Saigon by the North Vietnamese has become certain, and thousands attempt to flee the region.

Apr 30, 1975 Saigon Falls

The North Vietnamese take Saigon; the war in Vietnam ends.

May 12, 1975 Time Declares Ho Chi Minh “The Victor”

Just days after the government of South Vietnam surrendered to the VC and North Vietnamese armies, Ho Chi Minh appears on the cover of Time magazine, this time with the heading, “The Victor.”

Source: Schmoop University