Supporting and Overthrowing Diem

At the treaty of Geneva in 1954, Indochina was divided into Laos, Cambodia, North Vietnam and South Vietnam even though it was agreed to hold elections in 1956 to unifythe two parts of Vietnam. Ngo Dinh Diem refused to hold the elections (he was the leader of South Vietnam). 

The death of Diem caused celebrations among many people in South Vietnam but also lead to political chaos in the Nation. The US became more heavily involved in the Vietnam war.

The Strategic Hamlet program was a plan by the government of South Vietnam and the US during the Vietnam war to combat the communist insurgency by pacifying the countryside and reducinbg the influence of the communists among the rural population. In 1962 the government of South Vietnam with advice and financing from the US began the implementation of the Strategic Hamlet program. The strategy was to isolate the rural population from contact with and influence by the National Liberation FRont, (Viet Cong). This program played an important role in shaping of the events in South Vietnam during the late 1950s and early 1960s. These programs attempted to create new communities of protected hamlets.

The program was a failure alienating more rural Vietnamese than it helped and contributed to the growth on influence of the Viet Cong. After Ngo Dinh Diem was overthrown in November 1963, the program was cancelled. 

The Geneva Conference 1954 (April 26 - July 20) was a conference among several nations that took place in Geneva Switzerland, in order to settle outstanding issues resulting in the Korean War and disscuss the possibility of restoring peace in Indochina. The Soviet Union, US, FRance, UK, and Republic of China were participants throughout the conference, while other countries concerned were represented during discussion of question of interest to them. These included the countires that contributed troops to the U forces in the Korean War, and countries that participated in the reolution of the first Indochina War between France and Viet Minh.

The Domino Theory was a theor prominent from the 1950s to the 1980s, that speculated that if one country in the region came under the influence of communism, then the surrounding countries would follow in the domino effect. The Domino Theory was used by successice United States administrations during the cold war to justify the need for American intervention around the world.

Although US president (9th at the time) Dwight D Eisenhower, never actually used the term "Domino Theory" he described it at a confernce meeting on April 7th 1954.

The battle of Diem Bien Phu was the decisive engagement in the first Indochina war (1946-1954). After French forces occupied the Dien Bien Phu valley in late 1953, Viet Minh commander Vo Nguyen Giap amassed troops and placed heavy artillery in caves of the mountains overlooking the French camp. Boosted by China aid, Giap mounted assaults on the oppositions strong points beginning in March 1954, eliminating use of Frewnch airfire. Viet Minh forces overran the base in early May, promoting the French government to seek an end to the fighting with the signing of the Geneva Accords of 1954.

The Gulf of Tonkin incident began on August the 2nd 1964, when an American ship the US Maddox was performing a radar sweep of the North Vietnamese coast. The destroyer was attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo patrol boats and the nearby USS Ticonderoga carrier quickly sent out aircrafts to help defend Maddox. The US planes were able to destroy one of the boats while severly damaging the others. Later that night, the ships detected swiftly approaching vessels and fired into the night.

The war in Europe began in September 1939, when Germany under Chancellr Adolf Hitler invaded Polan. Britain and France responded declaring war on Germany but took little action over the following months. in 1940, Germany launched its next initiative by attacking Denmark and Norway followed shortly by attacks on Belgium, Netherlands and France. All these nations were conquered rapidly.