Background Notes

Vietnam

The French occupied Ananam before W.W. II.

The Japanese occupied Ananam during W.W. II.

The French re-occupied Vietnam after W.W. II.

Ho Chi Minh established the Lao Dong (workers’ party)

The French were defeated in 1954 at Dienbienphu by Giap

The Geneva Convention (1954) called for:

          A cessation of hostilities

        17^th Parallel-demarcation line until elections are held

        Bao Dai (south Vietnam) denounced the agreement and U.S. agrees. but doesn’t sign it.

U.S. Involvement

1954-$100 million in foreign aid to Saigon

1955-U.S. agrees to train the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN)

        -Diem refuses to participate in national elections

1957-Communist insurgency in S.V.N begins with 37 armed companies in

he Mekong Delta

1959-NVN begins to infiltrate arms and cadres into SVN via the

Ho Chi Minh Trail

1961-U.S. Army recommends combat troops be sent, but JFK rejects idea

1962-Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) is formed and

           12,000 military advisors are sent to RVN

        -National Liberation Front form battalion size units in Central VN

1963-Diem is over-thrown and killed. U.S. knew about the plot, but did not

        warn him, nor did the U.S. help the Generals take over.

       -15,000 advisors are now in VN

       -$500 million in foreign aid are sent to Saigon