1960s Timeline

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Feb 17

McCone Replaces Bissell with Richard Helms at CIA

Feb. 17, 1962 - John A. McCone (pictured), the new director of the C.I.A., has begun to rebuild the agency’s high command by putting a career intelligence man in charge of covert operations. He has chosen Richard M. Helms, an assistant director, to succeed Richard M. Bissell as deputy director of plans. Mr. Bissell’s long-rumored resignation and the prospective appointment of Mr. Helms were confirmed today by a C.I.A. spokesman. Mr. Bissell was in charge of the failed invasio

Feb 16

Washington Officials: Defeat of Viet Cong Could Take 10 Years

Feb. 16, 1962 - Washington officials predicted today the ultimate defeat of the Communist guerrillas in South Vietnam by the Government of President Ngo Dinh Diem. They conceded, however, that it may take years — without any spectacular victories — before the Government forces, with material help from the U.S., could wear down the guerrillas. They pointed out that it took over 10 years for the British finally to eliminate the Communist guerrilla movement in British Malaya. Th

Feb 15

Ambassador Nolting Bids South Vietnamese Stop Criticizing Government

Feb. 15, 1962 - Frederick E. Nolting, Ambassador to South Vietnam, said today that social, economic and political reforms in South Vietnam could be accomplished quickly if the Vietnamese stopped criticizing the regime of President Ngo Dinh Diem (pictured) and tried to improve it from within. Mr. Nolting seemed to be trying to convince the Government of President Diem that it would enjoy U.S. support through thick or thin. This is in line with the “sink or swim with Diem” them

Feb 14

U.S. Seeking Information from Chinese on Missing Korean War Soldiers

Feb. 14, 1962 - State Department authorities said today the U.S. was still trying to get an accounting from Communist China of American troops missing in the Korean War. The inquiries were said to be a regular item in the talks held periodically between the U.S. and Communist Chinese Ambassadors in Warsaw. The State Department says it has no evidence that any of the 389 missing are still alive. But the U.S. position is that the Beijing regime should tell whatever it knows abo

Feb 14

President Says He's Being as "Frank as Possible" on Vietnam

Feb. 14, 1962 - Responding to criticism, President Kennedy said today he was being as frank as possible about U.S. involvement in the war in Vietnam. He asked that such sensitive matters be left to “responsible leaders” of both parties. The President countered charges of excessive secrecy with a statement that no American combat troops “in the generally understood sense of the word” had been sent into Vietnam. Yet he conceded, without giving statistics, that military support

Feb 13

U.S. Destroyer Escorts Arriving in Vietnam

Feb. 13, 1962 - United States destroyer escorts will arrive at Danang in South Vietnam this week to bolster the South Vietnamese Navy’s patrol against Communist guerrilla infiltration by sea. This was made known today as Gen. Paul D. Harkins (pictured center) arrived in Saigon to take charge of the newly created United States Military Assistance Command, which will control the rapidly expanding American military intervention against the Communist guerrillas. Most of the Commu

Feb 13

GOP Wants "Full Report" on Vietnam from Kennedy

Feb. 13, 1962 - The Republican National Committee called on President Kennedy today to “make a full report to the American people” on U.S. involvement in the fighting in South Vietnam. In its publication, “Battle Line,” the committee charged that the President had been “less than candid” in his comments on the extent of American support for South Vietnam’s battle against Communist insurgents. The publication raised the question whether the U.S. was “moving toward another Kore

Feb 11

Katu Tribe Sets Poison Traps in Vietnam

Feb. 11, 1962 - U.S. military personnel on reconnaissance in central Vietnam have run into hostile aborigines, belonging to the Katu tribe, who set traps for them with poisoned arrows. Although the Vietnamese maintain that the Katu are heavily infiltrated with Viet Cong Communist guerrillas, it is extremely doubtful that they are familiar with Marx or Lenin. The Katu are blood hunters who sacrifice animals and humans to appease the spirits. Captives are stabbed to death with

Feb 11

Washington Officials See Mounting Danger in Vietnam

Feb. 11, 1962 - What President Kennedy has called the “increasing ferocity” of the war in South Vietnam and the increasing involvement of the U.S. in it are causing concern in Washington. Officials feel there is a mounting danger that more U.S. servicemen will be killed in what are now openly described as U.S. military operations against Communist rebels in South Vietnam. Last week, a U.S. helicopter piloted by an American was shot down while carrying South Vietnamese supplie

Feb 9

James Cagney Narrates Documentary on Communism "The Road to the Wall"

Feb. 9, 1962 - Narrated by actor James Cagney, "The Road to the Wall" explores the steady march of Communism through the years. It begins with the writings of Karl Marx and tracks milestones up until the construction of the Berlin Wall, which began last August. #Podcast #podcasts #podcasting #podcaster #podcasters #podcastlife #podcastshow #podcastlove #podcastaddict #podcasthost #history #historylover #historybuff #historychannel #HistoryLesson #ColdWar #ColdWarHistory #cold

Feb 9

U.S. Build-Up in South Vietnam Continues

Feb. 9, 1962 - The decision announced yesterday to set up a new U.S. command in Saigon under a full general is said to be a result of the growing extent of U.S. involvement in support of military operations against the Communists in South Vietnam. The military build-up in recent weeks has produced these developments: - Three U.S. Army combat helicopter companies and a company of light observation planes arrived. Some units were thrown into action almost immediately. - U.S. Na

Feb 8

President Kennedy Picks General Harkins to Head Vietnam Command

Feb. 8, 1962 - The U.S. established a new military command in Communist-threatened South Vietnam today and named a four-star general to head it. A primary purpose in creating the command was to manifest the determination of the U.S. to prevent a Communist take-over. The new military headquarters, established with the concurrence of the Government of President Ngo Dinh Diem, is called “United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam.” Its commander will be Gen. Paul D. Hark

Feb 7

U.S. Military Personnel Pour Into South Vietnam

Feb. 7, 1962 - Two U.S. Army air support companies totaling 300 men arrived in Saigon today from the plains of Kansas to bolster South Vietnam’s jungle war against Communist guerrillas. The U.S. Navy aircraft ferry Core landed the men and 21 Canadian-built U-1A Otters — large single-engine planes that can use short, makeshift runways, carry 10 soldiers each, and range about 600 miles. The new units, which have been based at Fort Riley, Kan., were identified as the 18th Aviati

Feb 6

U.S. Army Helicopters Take Fire from Viet Cong

Feb. 6, 1962 - One U.S. Army helicopter crashed and burned, and two others were hit by Communist Viet Cong guerrilla fire today on an American-supported combat mission ferrying South Vietnamese troops into action. There were no American or South Vietnamese Government military casualties. “It was another miraculous escape for us,” said an American military source who was part of the mission. The operation involved 15 U.S. Army helicopters. U.S. military authorities in Saigon t

Feb 4

South Vietnamese Troops Hit Reds With Assist from U.S. Air Force Helicopter Company

Feb. 4, 1962 - A U.S. Air Force helicopter company carrying Vietnamese troops routed Communist forces today around the village of Hung My, near the southern tip of South Vietnam. However, the maneuver failed to achieve its goal, which was to kill or capture a strong Viet Cong force that had been harassing the area. One U.S. helicopter was shot down and a second was hit. The American crewmen and Vietnamese soldiers aboard the downed craft were picked up by helicopter minutes a

Jan 31

President Kennedy Pleased with OAS Exclusion of Cuba

Jan. 31, 1962 - President Kennedy expressed satisfaction today with the actions taken against Cuba by the Organization of American States. At his news conference, the President called attention to the fact that all of the 21 members except Cuba had joined in resolutions opposing “Communist penetration of this hemisphere,” supporting the Alliance for Progress, and excluding Cuba from the Inter-American Defense Board. “It is the first time the independent American states have d

Jan 30

Communist China Excoriates Robert F. Kennedy

Jan. 30, 1962 - Communist China’s propaganda campaign against President Kennedy was extended today to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, the President’s brother. A Government radio broadcast out of Beijing said today: “Robert Kennedy, a close lieutenant and political advisor to his brother for many years, was born in 1925 and so is still a youth. But he is already old in his career as a political policeman, a rabid reactionary, a hounder of progressives and of labor unions a

Jan 30

Organization of American States Votes Cuba Out

Jan. 30, 1962 - Foreign ministers of the Organization of American States voted today by a two-thirds majority to exclude Cuba from participation in the inter-American system. The ministerial conference also voted to bar any arms traffic with Cuba. The decision was taken on the ground that Cuba’s Marxist-Leninist regime was “incompatible” with the democratic principles of the hemispheric system. The vote was taken after Cuban foreign minister Osvaldo Torrado (left) asserted th

Jan 27

FBI Says Communists Seek to Influence Students Here

Jan. 27, 1962 - The Communist party in this country is stepping up a nationwide campaign to influence students, an FBI official said today. Cartha D. De Loach (pictured), assistant director of the FBI, said that in recent months party functionaries have been making speeches at colleges across the country. Mr. De Loach traced the Communist party’s “renewed emphasis on youth” to its national convention in New York in December, 1959. There, he said, General Secretary Gus Hall no

Jan 27

U.S. Pilots Deliver Food and Ammunition to Isolated South Vietnamese Troops

Jan. 27, 1962 - U.S. pilots are risking their lives dropping live pigs and chickens to starving South Vietnamese troops at army outposts along the Laos frontier. Major Charles P. Barnett described today how nine forts, isolated by Communist guerrillas, were resupplied by air after some were out of food and dangerously low on ammunition. The occupants of two outposts had been reduced to eating field mice and bamboo shoots late in December when Major Barnett flew through mounta