1960s Timeline

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May 15, 2022

South Vietnam Not Requesting American Combat Troops At This Time

May 15, 1962 - South Vietnam will not request American combat troops at this stage of the Southeast Asian crisis, a high American source...

May 13, 2022

Government Soldiers Fail To Flush Viet Cong in Mekong Delta

May 13, 1962 - United States helicopters carried more than 1,000 South Vietnamese soldiers into the marshlands of the Mekong Delta...

May 12, 2022

Viet Cong Blow Up Troop Train, Threaten U.S.-Sponsored Resettlement Project

May 12, 1962 - A small Communist force blew up a troop train Thursday in central Vietnam, causing heavy Vietnamese losses. Today, other...

May 11, 2022

McNamara "Tremendously Encouraged" by Developments in Vietnam

May 11, 1962 - United States aid to South Vietnam has reached a peak and will start to level off, Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara...

May 9, 2022

McNamara: U.S. Will Not Send Combat Troops to Vietnam

May 9, 1962 - Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara (hatless at center) said today that there is no plan for introducing American...

May 9, 2022

Australia To Join U.S. in Aiding South Vietnam

May 9, 1962 - Australia announced today that she was prepared to give token military and civilian aid to embattled South Vietnam. The...

May 6, 2022

16,000 Casualties in Vietnam This Year

May 6, 1962 - Authoritative military sources said yesterday that there had been more than 16,000 casualties this year in South Vietnam’s...

May 3, 2022

South Vietnamese Troops, Carried by American Helicopters, Strike Viet Cong Reds

May 3, 1962 - United States Army and Marine helicopters carried South Vietnamese troops today to the edge of Plaine des Jones, a marshy...

May 2, 2022

Two Released Sergeants Deny Pleading for Clemency from Viet Cong

May 2, 1962 - Two American sergeants denied today they ever begged for clemency during 22 days of captivity among the Viet Cong. The...

May 1, 2022

Viet Cong Free Two U.S. Army Sergeants from Captivity

May 1, 1962 - Two U.S. Army sergeants captured by the Viet Cong more than three weeks ago were freed today by their captors. The...

Apr 30, 2022

Under Secretary of State George Ball Speaks Out on Vietnam

Apr. 30, 1962 - George W. Ball (pictured), Under Secretary of State, warned today that the war against the Communist Viet Cong in South...

Apr 28, 2022

U.S. Special Forces Training Rhade Tribesmen to Fight in Vietnam

Apr. 28, 1962 - The U.S. Special Forces are arming, training, and organizing the Rhade tribesmen of South Vietnam into a surprisingly...

Apr 27, 2022

Communist China Supporting North Vietnam

Apr. 27, 1962 - The Chinese Communists are said to be stepping up their military advisory program in North Vietnam to counter the...

Apr 25, 2022

Vietnamese Rangers, with help from U.S. Marines, Rout Communists

Apr. 25, 1962 - Vietnamese Rangers and the Civil Guard, with help from U.S. Marines, dealt a major blow today to Communist insurgents in...

Apr 24, 2022

Government Troops Kill 69 Viet Cong Insurgents

Apr. 24, 1962 - South Vietnamese troops, backed by American air support, killed 69 Communist guerrillas today in a running battle 34...

Apr 23, 2022

Wounded Sergeant in Vietnam Denied Purple Heart

Apr. 23, 1962 - An American sergeant wounded in the leg by Communist fire has been denied the Purple Heart. Although the incident was two...

Apr 18, 2022

Viet Cong Proving a Tough and Elusive Foe in South Vietnam

Apr. 18, 1962 - The Communist insurgents (pictured) are still winning most of the clashes in the arc of South Vietnamese provinces from...

Apr 16, 2022

U.S. Marines Wait for Action in South Vietnam

Apr. 16, 1962 - United States Marines awaited their first action today in the intensified war against Communist guerrillas in South...

Apr 15, 2022

Former C.I.A. Director Dulles Arrives in Saigon with Pentagon Study Group

Apr. 15, 1962 - Another indication of deepening U.S. involvement in South Vietnam’s campaign against the Communist guerrillas called the...

Apr 15, 2022

U.S. Marine Helicopter Unit Lands in South Vietnam

Apr. 15, 1962 - A U.S. Marine helicopter unit landed in Vietnam today. The Marines will be based at Soc Trang, capital of Ba Xuyen...