Vietnam+path+to+War

Vietnam is a very small country in South East Asia. It was controled by France until communists revolt lead by Ho Chi Minh. They gain independence from France just like how we got independence from Great Britain, but it took a nine year war. Vietnam is then split between the communist north and capitalist south. South is controled by Ngo Dinh Diem and is gaining power. Civil war breaks out between the two sides. Truman was president during when France still controled Vietnam and he sent support to them to keep colonies and containment. Eisenhower also gave support because he thought that if one country feel to communism then many more would fall so he sent military advisors to the south to control the people more and keep them capitalist. JFK then becomes president and suppotys an overthrow of Ngo Dinh Diem because he was corrupt and he sends more advisors. Next Johnson becomes president and commites the US into the war by bringing in troops to fight in the war for the first time. At the Gulf of Tonkin is where the first shots are fired because boats there try to destroy one of our ships without provocation causing them to go to war. The first plan that they had was operation rolling thunder where they would drop bombs on Vietnam. Then ground troops were sent in.