1. Geneva Conference 1954

This international conference at Geneva in 1954 partitioned the country at the seventeenth parallel until elections could be held and the country unified.

2. Ho Chi Minh

This was the leader who led Vietnam in its successful war of independence against the French. He was a communist leader who had strong feelings for the American founding fathers and the Declaration of Independence. The northern part of the country was called the Democratic Republic of Vietnam with it capital Hanoi.

Elections were scheduled to be held in 1956, but South Vietnam refused to participate on the grounds that it was not a signatory to the Geneva Treaty. However, it was obvious that any candidate besides Ho Chi Minh would lose an election in Vietnam. It would be like running against George Washington.

As a result of the non cooperation of the South, North Vietnamese troops left over from the War of Independence began to harass the Government of South Vietnam.

This is the idea that if one country falls to communism in Asia then others will follow like Dominos. Again referring to the Truman Doctrine, United States Policy was based on the idea that Communist expansion must be stopped. North Vietnam was being aided by both China and the Soviet Union. As a result President Eisenhower sent advisors and money to South Vietnam. President Kennedy sent the first American Troops in 1961. By 1962 Kennedy had sent 4000 troops to Vietnam and the first deaths were reported.

In 1963 because the present government in South Vietnam was so corrupt and oppressive the US helped overthrow the government of Ngo Dinh Diem. Under President Johnson American involvement reached its climax.

Under the pretext that Viet Cong torpedo boats had fired on American vessels President Johnson asked a joint meeting of Congress to approve the Gulf of Tonkin resolution which basically said that the President had full power to do what ever was necessary to protect Americans and its allies in the Vietnam conflict.

The American Air Force began to bomb daily in North Vietnam as far North as Hanoi. Incendiary devices and defoliating bombs were used (Agent Orange). From 1965 to 1968 more tons of explosives were dropped than against all the Axis powers in the Second World War.

February 1968, The Vietcong and the Soviet-backed North Vietnamese were still able to mount the demoralizing Tet Offensive despite the 500,000 American Troops in Vietnam. Surprise attacks led to heavy American and South Vietnamese casualties. All these despite overly optimistic reports from the Pentagon on the progress of the War.

It became clear by 1968 that a peace would have to be negotiated rather than won on the battle field.

By this time the US suffered World Wide condemnation for its involvement in the Vietnam War. In addition, support at home deteriorated. Johnson was obsessed with winning the war but because of the lack of popular support decided not to run again in 1968.

President Nixon promised APeace with Honor@ and was elected President. Peace negotiations broke down and as a result Nixon decided to start the bombing again after a Hiatus by Johnson to get the peace talks going. At the end of 1972 North Vietnam was subjected to the heaviest bombing since the beginning of the War (Enter Jane Fonda). Additional raids into Cambodia were started to cut off North Vietnamese supply lines.

National Security Advisor then Secretary of State. He led secret negotiations with the North Vietnamese ala shuttle diplomacy. Eventually it led to the Peace of Paris in 1973 which led to the Withdrawal of American Troops from Vietnam. It also led to the release of POWs held by the North.

With the United States withdrawal in 1973 resistance of the South took a turn for the worse. By the end of 1974 South Vietnam lost heart and ordered a withdrawal to the coast. On April 30, 1975 North Vietnamese troops entered Saigon and they renamed the Capital Ho chi Minh City in honor of the Communist leader who died in 1969. Eventually all that was once Indo China (Laos and Cambodia) was now under Communist Rule. It cost the US 140 billion dollars and 47,253 battle deaths plus 10,449 non battle deaths for a total of 57,702 deaths.

In the years that followed, Vietnam had conflicts with China over borders where their traditional antagonism got the best of them. Soon they took over Cambodia and installed another dictator called Pol Pot who was responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths. From then till now they have had nothing but trouble. The American boycott of Vietnam and the ineptitude of Communist economies has caused a great deal of misery. However in 1995, President Bill Clinton has opened up diplomatic relations with Vietnam. This will eventually lead to the boycott being dropped.