The+Path+to+the+War+of+Vietnam

When Japan surrendered to the US forces, the Japanese took their troops out of Vietnam. **Ho Chi Minh** saw this withdrawal as an opportunity for him and his followers to rebel against the French who have occupied Vietnam before Japanese rule, and he declared Vietnam's dependence. Ho asked the US for help against Vietnam, Truman never replied because the US allied with **France**, a democratic nation, in their struggle with Vietnam. So, Ho turned to other Communists for support, like China and the Soviet Union. When Eisenhower became president he worried that other nations in Asia will fall to **Communism** since nations have already begun to. He called this the Domino Effect. Eventually, the French lost the war against the Vietnamese people and withdrew their troops. An international agreement was put into place in which the country would be divided on the 17th parallel. Ho became the leader of the North half whereas anti-communist forces held the Southern half. This agreement also called for the nation to hold elections so that the country would be led under one ruler. Knowing that Ho would win, the elections never took place because the US didn't want the nation to became communistic.
 * Ngo Dinh Diem** became the ruler of the South half of Vietnam but was unpopular. Later Diem was assassinated as people saw him as not fit to lead South Vietnam against the Communist forces. JFK sent 400 **military advisors** to South Vietnam to help teach them how to fight the war against the communist forces in North Vietnam. After JFK was assassinated, Lyndon Johnson became president and supported the new South Vietnam leader. In August 1964, an American destroyer, the USS Maddox, was patrolling the **Gulf of Tonkin** when they were attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats. Lyndon Johnson ordered airstrikes against North Vietnam, and he wanted Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin resolution which basically gives him, the President, all the power over the current situation. President Johnson started Operation Rolling Thunder which is a constant bombing of Vietnam. This led into the landing of Marines in Vietnam in 1965.