may 31, 1961 - US increases support
Description:
JFK sends military advisors to aid the South Vietnamese government providing military assistance and resources such as napalm, herbicides, and defoliants.The escalating US involvement in Southeast Asia is driven by a fear of the domino theory, which contends that the falling of one country to communism would result in other surrounding countries succumbing to communism. The containment strategy, laid out by George Kennan in the Long Telegram, dictates that the United States do everything in its power to prevent the spread of communism.
Added to timeline:
Date:
may 31, 1961
Now
~ 65 years ago