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The Coup. November 1, 1963 S. Vietnamese army officers staged a coup and assassinated Diem JFK supported the coup but not the assassination LBJ did not think it was a war worth fighting but did not know how to get out Vietcong attacks continued and American involvement grew and became deeper.
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The Coup • November 1, 1963 • S. Vietnamese army officers staged a coup and assassinated Diem • JFK supported the coup but not the assassination • LBJ did not think it was a war worth fighting but did not know how to get out • Vietcong attacks continued and American involvement grew and became deeper
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution • LBJ wanted to expand congressional support for the war • August 1964- N. Vietnamese patrol boat allegedly attacked American destroyers • This allowed the president to take necessary means • 1965- LBJ begun to escalate U.S. involvement • Between 1965 and 1968 there was in increase of 180,000 soldiers to more than 500,000
Fighting the War • American troops found it difficult • Dense jungles • Muddy trails • Swampy rice paddies • Began to conduct search and destroy missions • Seek out the Vietcong or N. Vietnamese unites and destroy them • Napalm • Agent Orange
The Tet Offensive • January 31, 1968- N. Vietnamese and Vietcong launched a series of attacks • Marked a turning point in the war • Targeted American military bases in South's major cities • Vietcong troop raided the embassy in Saigon • Thousands of casualties and the fighting lasted for months • South and America finally won