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| 1961 | Diplomacy |  |
| Saigon Visits President Diem in Saigon & offers him America's support |
| 1963 | Assassination | |
| 21st Nov Dallas Johnson takes the oath of office on board Air Force One just before it departed Love Field |
| 21st Nov Dallas Vice-President Johnson (who had been riding two cars behind Kennedy in the motorcade through Dallas , and was not injured) become President of the United States upon Kennedy's death. At 2:38 P.M |
| 29th Nov The first official investigation of the Kennedy assassination is established by President Johnson, a week after the assassination |
| 1963 | Government | |
| Appointed President of the USA, 36th President |
| 1963 | NSAM 273 | |
| 26th Nov Launches operation NSAM 273 |
| 1963 | Plan 34A | |
| 20th Nov Honolulu Approves action against nth Vietnam by CIA supported sth Vietnamese forces |
| 20th Nov Honolulu Operation Plan 34A is announced at the Honolulu Conference |
| 1963 | Warren Commission | |
| 29th Nov The first official investigation of the Kennedy assassination is established by President Johnson, a week after the assassination |
| 1964 | Assassination | |
| Just before the 1964 presidential election, President Johnson orders the Warren Commission documentation to be sealed against public availability for 75 years (until 2039) |
| 1964 | Battle of Tonkin Gulf | |
| 2nd Aug Tonkin Gulf A class that triggers USAbombing against Nth Vietnam |
| 2nd Aug Tonkin Gulf Claims USS Maddox was attacked 30 miles offsore not 13 miles claimed by nth Vietnam |
| 2nd Aug Tonkin Gulf The Tonkin Gulf incident is used to escalate the war in Vietnam |
| 2nd Aug Tonkin Gulf USS Turner Joy & Maddox report they have been attacked by Nth Vietnamese torpedo boats |
| 5th Aug Tonkin Gulf Orders the bombing of North Vietnamese bases in retaliation for the Tonkin Gulf attack |
| 1964 | Coup d'Etat | |
| Sends a USAnaval force towards Brazil to prevent a leftist takeover |
| 1964 | Government | |
| Sends a USAnaval force towards Brazil to prevent a leftist takeover |
| 8th Jan Johnson declares war on poverty |
| 11th Jan 1st government report regarding dangers of smoking is issued by Luther Terry |
| 27th Feb Introduces the Civil Rights Act |
| 1964 | Resolution Tonkin Gulf | |
| 7th Aug Tonkin Gulf Congress authorizes "measures to repel any armed attack against forces of the US" |
| 7th Aug Tonkin Gulf Enables Johnson to use armed force to help SEATO members to "defend their freedom" |
| 1964 | Warren Commission | |
| Just before the 1964 presidential election, President Johnson orders the Warren Commission documentation to be sealed against public availability for 75 years (until 2039) |
| 1965 | Alliance | |
| Feb Hanoi Prime Minister Kosygin is pressured by the North Vietnamese to provide unlimited military aid to counter the American "aggression" |
| 1965 | Barrel Role | |
| Approves the bombing of communist routes in Southern Laos |
| 1965 | Battle of Drang | |
| 19th Oct Drang 1st major battle of the Vietnam War between the United States Army and the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) |
| 19th Oct Drang North Vietnamese Army troops attack the USASpecial Forces camp at Plei Me in a prelude to the Battle of Ia Drang |
| 1965 | Bombing of Dong Hoi | |
| 7th Feb Dong Hoi Johnson approves Operation Flaming Dart, the bombing of a North Vietnamese army camp near Dong Hoi |
| 8th Feb Dong Hoi The beginning of limited offensive attacks on military targets in Nth Vietnam |
| 8th Feb Dong Hoi USAair attacks take place on bases at Dong Hoi in retaliation for Pleiku |
| 1965 | Bombing of Ho Chi Minh Trail | |
| Mar Ho Chi Minh Trail The 1st air strikes against the Ho Chi Minh trail |
| 1965 | Bombing of Vietnam | |
| 13th May The 1st bombing pause is announced by the USAin the hope that Hanoi will now negotiate |
| 19th May USAbombing of North Vietnam resumes |
| 1965 | Coup d'Etat | |
| 27th Jan General Khanh seizes full control of South Vietnam's government |
| 18th Feb Saigon General Khanh finally ousted from power and a new military/civilian government installed, led by Dr. Phan Huy Quat |
| 1965 | Demonstrations | |
| 31st Aug President Johnson signs a law criminalizing draft card burning, leads to widespread demonstrations |
| 16th Oct Anti-war rallies occur in 40 USAcities and in international cities including London & Rome |
| 1965 | Doctrine Johnson | |
| Washington The USA announces it will only intervene if there is a threat of Communist takeover |
| 1965 | Draft Card Burning | |
| 31st Aug President Johnson signs a law criminalizing draft card burning |
| 1965 | Flaming Dart | |
| 7th Feb Dong Hoi Johnson approves Operation Flaming Dart, the bombing of a North Vietnamese army camp near Dong Hoi |
| 1965 | Game Warden | |
| Jan Operation Game Warden begins US. Navy river patrols on South Vietnam's 3000 nautical miles of inland waterways |
| 1965 | Government | |
| 34 die during demonstrations at Watts , a black area of Los Angeles |
| Introduces War on Poverty |
| The Voting Rights Act is passed |
| 19th Jan Inaugurated President of the USA |
| 1965 | Johnson Doctrine | |
| Washington The USA announces it will only intervene if there is a threat of Communist takeover |
| 1965 | Landing Danang | |
| 8th Mar Danang The 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade are the 1st USAground combat force in Vietnam |
| 1965 | Legislation | |
| 31st Aug President Johnson signs a law criminalizing draft card burning, leads to widespread demonstrations |
| 1965 | Market Time | |
| 11th Mar 1st day of Operation-Market Time-USA, results in the North Vietnamese shifting to the more difficult land route along the Ho Chi Minh trail |
| 11th Mar Joint effort between the USANavy & South Vietnamese Navy to disrupt North Vietnamese sea routes used to funnel supplies into the South |
| 1965 | Memo Bundy | |
| 27th Jan Bundy & McNamara advise Johnson the USAhas reached a 'fork in the road' in Vietnam & must either soon escalate or withdraw |
| 27th Jan NSA Bundy & Defense SecretaryMcNamara send a memo to Johnson stating America's military involvement is Vietnam failing |
| 1965 | Memo McNamara | |
| 27th Jan Bundy & McNamara advise Johnson the USAhas reached a 'fork in the road' in Vietnam & must either soon escalate or withdraw |
| 27th Jan NSA Bundy & Defense SecretaryMcNamara send a memo to Johnson stating America's military involvement is Vietnam failing |
| 1965 | Mobilization | |
| 1st April President Johnson authorizes sending 2 more Marine battalions & up to 20,000 logistical personnel to Vietnam |
| 1st April The decision to allow offensive operations is kept secret from the American press & public for 2 months |
| 20th April Honolulu McNamara, Westmoreland, Wheeler, William Bundy & Ambassador Taylor recommend to the President sending another 40,000 combat soldiers |
| 21st April President Johnson raises America's combat strength in Vietnam to more than 60,000 |
| 3rd May The 1st USAArmy combat troops, 3500 men of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, arrive in Vietnam |
| 1965 | Napalm Bombing | |
| 8th Mar Johnson authorizes the use of Napalm, a petroleum based anti-personnel bomb that showers hundreds of explosive pellets upon impact |
| 1965 | Oath | |
| 20th Jan Washington Declares, "We can never again stand aside, prideful in isolation. Terrific dangers & troubles that we once called foreign now constantly live among us |
| 1965 | Opinion Poll | |
| Feb Opinion polls shortly after the bombing indicate a 70 percent approval rating for the President and an 80 percent approval of USAmilitary involvement |
| 1965 | Peace | |
| 22nd Dec Washington Announces a 36 hr cease-fire commencing Chris tmas eve to negotiate with Nth Vietnam |
| 27th Dec Washington Agrees to extend the cease-fire indefinitley to promote negotiations with Nth Vietnam |
| 1965 | Rolling Thunder | |
| 13th Feb President Johnson authorizes Operation Rolling Thunder |
| 2nd Mar Operation Rolling Thunder begins as over 100 American fighter-bombers attack targets in North Vietnam |
| 2nd Mar Scheduled to last 8 weeks, Rolling Thunder will continue for 3 yrs |
| 1965 | Siege of Chu Lai | |
| 18th Aug Chu Lai 1st major USAground operation in Vietnam as USAMarines wage a preemptive strike against 1500 Viet Cong planning to assault the USAairfield at Chu Lai |
| 1965 | Siege of Da Nang | |
| 8th Mar Da Nang The 1st USAcombat troops arrive in Vietnam as 3500 Marines land at China Beach to defend the American air base at Da Nang |
| 1965 | Siege of Embassy | |
| 29th Mar Saigon Vietcong terrorists bomb the USAembassy in Saigon |
| 1965 | Siege of Phuoc Long | |
| 13th May Phuoc Long The Vietcong attack the USAspecial forces camp in Phuoc Long |
| 1965 | Siege of Pleiku | |
| Pleiku The Vietcong attack a USAinstallation, orders USAevacuation & reprisals |
| 6th Feb Pleiku Vietcong guerrillas attack the USAcompound at Pleiku in the Central Highlands , killing 8 Americans, wounding 126 & destroying 10 aircraft |
| 1965 | Siege of Plei Me | |
| 19th Oct Plei Me North Vietnamese Army troops attack the USASpecial Forces camp at Plei Me in a prelude to the Battle of Ia Drang |
| 1965 | Speech | |
| 7th April John Hopkins University Delivers "Peace Without Conquest" Speech offering Hanoi "unconditional discussions" to stop the war in return for massive modernization of Vietnam |
| 28th June Washington Announces on TV, "We will stand in Vietnam" |
| 1965 | Starlite | |
| 18th Aug 1st major USAground operation in Vietnam as USAMarines wage a preemptive strike against 1500 Viet Cong planning to assault the USAairfield at Chu Lai |
| 1966 | Battle of Con Thien | |
| July Con Thien Heavy fighting near Con Thien kills nearly 1,300 North Vietnamese troops |
| 1966 | Birmingham | |
| April 5,000 USAtroops backed by helicopters & armored vehicles sweep nth of Saigon |
| April Most battles are dictated by the Vietcong, who prove elusive |
| 1966 | Bombing of Vietnam | |
| Washington Bombing against Nth Vietnam includes road, rail, oil depots & industrial plants |
| 13th May Stops bombing, instructs the Nth Vietnamese he expects "equally constructive" gestures |
| 15th May Washington Johnson orders a resumption of the bombing |
| 1966 | Crimp | |
| Jan Chu Chi Chu Chi is razed and patrolled but American forces fail to locate a Vietcong HQ |
| 8th Jan The goal of the campaign is to capture the Vietcong's headquarters near Saigon |
| 1966 | Mayflower | |
| 13th May Washington Announces a "pause" in the bombing |
| 15th May Washington Hanoi Radio denounces the bombing halt as a "worn out trick" |
| 15th May Washington Johnson orders a resumption of the bombing |
| 1966 | Mobilization | |
| USAforces in Vietnam reach 385,000 men, plus an additional 60,000 sailors offshore |
| 1966 | Peace | |
| 2nd Feb Washington A Harris poll supports this & an increase in USAtroop levels to 500,000 |
| 2nd Feb Washington At a National Security Council decides to end the cease-fire |
| 1966 | Rolling Thunder | |
| Washington Bombing against Nth Vietnam escalates to include road, rail, oil & industrial plants |
| 1966 | Siege of Chu Chi | |
| Jan Chu Chi Chu Chi is razed and patrolled but American forces fail to locate a Vietcong HQ |
| 1966 | Siege of Route 13 | |
| 30th June Route 13 On Route 13 linking Vietnam to the Cambodian border USAforces are brutally assaulted |
| 1967 | Asylum Alliluyeva | |
| 6th Mar Delhi Stalin's daughter, Svetlana Alliluyeva, requests asylum at the USAEmbassy |
| 1967 | Battle of Dak To | |
| 19th Nov Dak To Blunts Nth Vietnam's penetration into the Southern Highlands |
| 19th Nov Dak To Nov 19-Nov 23, The Peoples Army, PAVN, is defeated by the USA |
| 1967 | Bombing of Lang Vei | |
| 2nd Mar Lang Vei The USAaccidentally bombs Lang Vei, 80 civilians are killed |
| 1967 | Bombing of Vietnam | |
| Washington The Stennis Committee criticizes Johnson for not increasing the bombing |
| 1967 | Committee Stennis | |
| Washington The Stennis Committee criticizes Johnson for not increasing the bombing |
| 1967 | Demonstrations | |
| 15th April San Francisco Over 100,000 in New York & over 50,000 in San Francis co demonstrate against the War |
| 1967 | Exile of Johnson | |
| 6th Mar Delhi Stalin's daughter, Svetlana Alliluyeva, requests asylum at the USAEmbassy |
| 1967 | Government | |
| Diplomsatic relations are broken with Iraq, resumed 1984 |
| 21st Feb The 18 nation disarmament conference re-opens in Geneva |
| May Advises Foreign Minister Abba Eban not to make a pre-emptive strike against Egypt |
| 1967 | Invasion of Vietnam | |
| 13th June Turns down the Joint Chiefs of Staff's request for more troops |
| 1967 | Junction City | |
| 22nd Feb The USA& Sth Vietnamese forces begin Operation Junction City |
| 1967 | Pennsylvania | |
| July Paris 3 month diplomacy with Nth Vietnam leading to a meeting between the USA& Hanoi in 1968 |
| 1967 | Rolling Thunder | |
| Bombing against Nth Vietnam escalates to military bases |
| 1968 | Assassination | |
| 3rd April Memphis Five days later, President Lyndon B. Johnson declares a national day of mourning for the lost civil rights leader |
| 1968 | Battle of Khesanh | |
| Khesanh The Vietcong lose 10,000 & are defeated |
| Khesanh The Vietcong try to capture a 6,000 man USAbase with a force of 40,000 |
| 1968 | Bombing of Vietnam | |
| 19th parallel Announces the cessation of bombing Nth of the 19th parallel in Vietnam |
| 31st Mar 20th parallel Announces cessation of bombing nth of the 20th parallel to negotiate a solution |
| 31st Oct Announces bombing in nth Vietnam will stop |
| 31st Oct Announces negotiations will begin, 5 days before the Presidential Election |
| 1st Nov Calls a complete halt to the bombing of Nth Vietnam during diplomatic talks |
| 1968 | Capture of Pueblo, USS | |
| Jan The Nth Koreans capture USS Pueblo, Johnson sends 26 more B-52s to the Pacific |
| 1968 | Casualties | |
| The USAhas lost over 31,000 lives & are losing 300 per week |
| 1968 | Complete Victory | |
| 8th April Washington Over 100,000 begin an offensive against communist forces in 11 provinces around Saigon |
| 1968 | Conference of Paris | |
| 10th May Paris Peace talks begin in Paris with North Vietnamese officials |
| 1968 | Government | |
| Establishes the Senior Interdepartmental Group for high officials below cabinet level |
| 31st Mar Announces decision to retire |
| 11th April Civil Rights Bill, signs a bill for open housing |
| 1st July Signs the treaty announcing talks are to take place on strategic arms limitation |
| 21st Aug Says will attend summit with Kosygin on Sept 30th, aborted by Soviet invasion of Czech |
| 1968 | Igloo White | |
| Washington Sensors are dropped on the Ho Chi Minh Trail, activity triggers off bombing raids |
| 1968 | Mobilization | |
| Washington By the end of 1968 550,000 are stationed in Vietnam |
| 1968 | Peace | |
| 31st Oct Announces negotiations will begin, 5 days before the Presidential Election |
| 1968 | Pegasus | |
| 1st 15 Kheh 30,000 raise the siege of marines in Khe Sanh, the Nth Vietnamese retreat into Laos |
| 1968 | Retirement | |
| 31st Mar Washington Announces decision to retire |
| 1968 | Rolling Thunder | |
| 1st Nov Brought to a halt, emphasis is placed on the trail network in Laos |
| 1968 | Siege of Khe Sanh | |
| 1st 15 Kheh 30,000 raise the siege of marines in Khe Sanh, the Nth Vietnamese retreat into Laos |
| 1968 | Tet Offensive | |
| Cities such as Kontum, My Tho, Ben Tre & Hue are destroyed during fighting |
| The Tet Offensive results in Johnson having to bow out of the Presidential elections |
| 31st Jan Washington An offensive launched by the nth Vietnamese to overthrow the sth Vietnamese government |
| Mar The nth Vietnamese offensive is repelled but this leads to anti-war protests |
| Mar The Tet offensive is contained by the USAat the cost of 165,000 civilian lives |
| 1969 | Arc Light | |
| Cambodia becomes a target for Operation Arc Light |
| 1969 | Bombing of Cambodia | |
| Cambodia becomes a target for Operation Arc Light |
