United States halts bombing of North Vietnam

Lyndon B. Johnson announced a partial halt to bombing North Vietnam and said he would not seek another term. He also called for negotiations. The decision followed mounting casualties, dissent and the...

King’s assassination in Memphis intensified grief and political crisis across the United States. A year earlier he had condemned the war as connected to racism and poverty, arguing that military...

The 1st Cavalry Division linked up with Marines after months of siege and air supply. The corridor ended the encirclement, but did not erase the costs of the battle to nearby communities or settle the...

Representatives of the United States and Democratic Republic of Vietnam opened talks in Paris. Disputes over who could participate and the war’s political future delayed progress; the NLF and the...

Notes by Nixon aide H. R. Haldeman record discussion of efforts to “monkey wrench” Johnson’s peace initiative before the election. The episode demonstrates how domestic electoral calculation entered...

A cable to Johnson reported that Chennault contacted South Vietnamese ambassador Bùi Diễm and urged Saigon to wait for a better deal under Nixon. The intervention complicated peace efforts and...

Nixon took office promising to end U.S. involvement. His administration pursued “Vietnamization,” transferring more combat responsibility to South Vietnamese forces while continuing heavy bombing...

The United States began the secret Operation Menu bombing of Cambodian border areas. The campaign violated Cambodian neutrality and intensified conflict across Indochina; estimates of civilian...

U.S. veteran Ronald Ridenhour sent letters to members of Congress and senior officials after hearing accounts of the killings at Mỹ Lai from soldiers. His intervention helped trigger investigations....

U.S. Army histories estimate that troop strength reached roughly 543,000 in April 1969. This peak came as Nixon’s administration began publicly emphasizing withdrawals and “Vietnamization.” The number...