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VIETNAM WAR TIMELINE – 1968 TO 1970 This War timeline has been compiled by Alpha History authors. It spans the period from American escalation to the anti-war movement. Although US involvement in Southeast Asia began in 1957, this article will begin with the escalation period in 1968.

1968 January 1 The number of US Marines deployed in Vietnam reaches more than 81,000. January 15 Several thousand women, led by Jeanette Rankin, protest against the in Washington DC. January 16 A representative of the North Vietnamese government announces that Hanoi will not consider peace talks until the US ceases its bombing of the North. January 20 US forces engage the North Vietnamese Army for the first time near Khe Sanh. January 30 The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army launch the , sustaining heavy losses. January 31 The Tet Offensive unfolds in dozens of locations around . In Saigon, Viet Cong troops capture the US embassy for several hours, before being overrun and killed.

February 1 Former Republican vice president announces his candidacy for the presidency, promising to bring the Vietnam War to an “honorable end”. February 25 US forces announce they have taken full control of the former capital Hue, which had fallen during the Tet Offensive. March 1 Disillusioned with the war, Robert McNamara is replaced as US Secretary of Defencse by Clark Clifford. March 16 The village of My Lai is raided by American troops. Several hundred civilians, including 56 babies, are killed. March 31 Lyndon Johnson announces a partial halt in bombing runs over . He tells the American people that he will not seek re-election as president in November. April 4 Civil rights campaigner and outspoken critic of the Vietnam War, Martin Luther King, is assassinated in Memphis., TN May 5 NVA and Viet Cong troops launch a major offensive against US and South Vietnamese strongholds, a campaign dubbed ‘mini-Tet’. May 13 Peace talks between the and North and South Vietnam commence in Paris. June General , the US military commander in Vietnam, is replaced by General Creighton Adams. June 6 Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy dies after being shot by a lone assassin in California. July 1st General replaces General William Wesmoreland as US military commander in Vietnam. October 31 Outgoing president Lyndon Johnson calls a halt to the bombing of North Vietnam. November 2 South Vietnamese leader Nguyen Van Thieu refuses to enter into peace negotiations in Paris if the Viet Cong is given full rights as a participant. November 5 Republican candidate and former vice president Richard M. Nixon is elected as US president, defeating the Democratic candidate Hubert H. Humphrey. November 26 Outgoing US president says the Paris peace talks will include a delegation from the Viet Cong. December US troop numbers in Vietnam reach approximately 540,000.

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1969 January 5 With more than half a million American soldiers in Vietnam, US president Richard Nixon announces his plan for ‘’. January 5 Henry Cabot Lodge is named as chief US negotiator at the Paris peace talks, replacing Averell Harriman. January 20 Richard Nixon is inaugurated as president of the United States. January 25 Opening of the Paris peace talks between the US, North and South Vietnamese and the Viet Cong. January 31 US military strength in Vietnam numbers 539,800 personnel. February 16 The Allies observe a 24 hour ceasefire for the Tet holiday. The Viet Cong ignores the ceasefire and carries out numerous attacks, killing several US soldiers. February 26 An NVA-Viet Cong attack on the Bien Hoa town and airbase is thwarted by American and ARVN forces. March US Army begins an investigation into the killing of civilians during an operation in My Lai, Quang Ngai province, in March 1968. March 2 Elections are held in villages and hamlets in rural South Vietnam, with a voter turnout in excess of 80 percent. March 17 President Nixon authorises , the bombing of suspected Viet Cong positions in Cambodia. April 3 US commanders confirm that 33,641 Americans have now died in the Vietnam War, exceeding the number killed in the of 1950-53 (33,629). April 5 Two days of anti-war demonstrations and protests are held in a number of US cities including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Washington DC. April 23 In the United States, more than 250 student leaders declare that they will refuse to obey draft orders while US operations in Vietnam continue. May 3 US defence secretary Melvin Laird says his government will only consider troop withdrawals if NVA troops are withdrawn and Viet Cong activity is significantly reduced.

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May 9 A report in the New York Times exposes the ‘secret’ US bombing of Cambodia, infuriating president Richard Nixon. May 12 The NVA and Viet Cong launch a series of attacks across South Vietnam. May 14 Nixon unveils a peace proposal, later rejected by Hanoi, for a joint US and NVA withdrawal from South Vietnam. May 20 The ‘Battle of ’ on , Thua Thien province concludes with a US-ARVN tactical victory. June 8 Richard Nixon announces the first withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam, with 25,000 scheduled to be returned home by late August. July The US begins its program of phased troop withdrawals, sending home 800 soldiers. July 20 Racial tensions explode at a Marine base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, as a riot between black and white Marines leaves one man dead and 15 injured. August 4 Nixon’s advisor Henry Kissinger begins secret meetings with delegates from North Vietnam. September 2 The death of from natural causes. He is succeeded as North Vietnamese leader by Le Duan. September 5 Lieutenant William Calley is charged with murder, in relation to the events at My Lai in March 1968. September 16 Richard Nixon announces another round of troop reductions, with 40,500 men, almost half of them Marines, to be withdrawn from Vietnam. October 15 Some 100,000 people attend protests in Washington DC and Boston to mark the National Moratorium against the War. November 13 News of the circulates in America, more than 18 months after the event. November 15 Half a million people attend the ‘Moratorium to End the War’ rally in Washington, DC. December US military personnel in Vietnam have been reduced by 115,000 from the previous year.

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1970 March 18 Cambodian leader Prince Sihanouk is overthrown by a military coup led by General Lon Nol. April 30 Nixon controversially announces that US forces will cross the border to attack enemy bases in Cambodia. May 4 Troops of the Ohio National Guard open fire on protesting students at Kent State University, killing four. May 8 A three-day anti-war rally in Melbourne, Australia attracts more than 100,000 people. June 3 North Vietnamese troops begin approaching Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, but are halted by US airstrikes. October 7 Nixon, speaking on US television, proposes a ceasefire and peace negotiations. Hanoi does not respond. October 9 Cambodia becomes the Khmer Republic, a pro-US military- ruled state under General Lon Nol.

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