1960s Timeline

Jan. 24, 1962 - The Army assigned its youngest general today to responsibility for directing the ground force’s expanding efforts in guerrilla warfare. The assignment went to Brig. Gen. William B. Rosson, 43, a paratrooper and combat veteran who has seen most of the world’s trouble spots over the last 20 years. Army Secretary Elvis J. Stahr Jr. designated General Rosson as special assistant to Gen. George H. Decker, Army Chief of Staff, in charge of “special warfare.” Under o

Jan. 18, 1962 - United States planes have sprayed jungle growth along the Saigon-Saint Jacques road in South Vietnam to remove foliage hiding Communist guerrillas. The results are not known yet. The chemical mixture is supposed to kill all trees and brush, but the withering and dropping of leaves may take five days to three weeks. The spraying operation along the highway was accompanied by the dropping of pamphlets assuring farmers that the chemicals were harmless to humans a

Jan. 17, 1962 - Despite considerable improvement in its information and propaganda services, the South Vietnamese Government is losing its fight with the Communists for the minds of the civilian population. American officials in South Vietnam say the Viet Cong maintain an edge in the propaganda war because Communist political agents are “closer to the people.” Government representatives spend only a few hours in a village, while clandestine Viet Cong agents live among the vil

Jan. 12, 1962 - Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara (right) will fly to Hawaii Sunday for a day-long conference Monday on the Communist threat to South Vietnam. The Secretary will preside over meetings at Pearl Harbor with military and civilian officials responsible for economic and military aid to the Southeast Asian country. The Secretary’s mission is intended to underscore the Administration’s continuing interest in assisting the South Vietnamese in their war against C

Jan. 11, 1962 - A plan by U.S. officials to “defoliate” trees and bushes in South Vietnam with a chemical sprayed from planes as a means of combating Communist guerrilla operations has been delayed. The question of how to publicize this form of chemical warfare has held up the program for several weeks. Meanwhile, agents of the Viet Cong have spread reports of American plans to cut a swath of devastation through the countryside. The spraying now is expected to begin soon, fol

Jan. 9, 1962 - The Kennedy Administration believes there is a fairly good chance of saving South Vietnam from communism, but it foresees a long and bitter struggle lasting many years without dramatic victory or resolution. Reassessments of the military situation in South Vietnam and of the willingness of President Ngo Dinh Diem to seek wider support from his peasant people have also led officials in Washington to conclude that the country can be preserved without any large-sc

Jan. 6, 1962 - An American construction foreman on the $4 million Saigon airport improvement project was fatally wounded in an ambush today by Communist guerrillas. Clyde Summers, of California, died in a Saigon hospital. Mr. Summers, the superintendent at a quarry north of Saigon, was caught in the ambush while riding in a pickup truck. With bullets in his legs, shoulder, and back of the head, he shouted to the Vietnamese driver to speed up. Then he lost consciousness. The d

Jan. 4, 1962 - The United States and South Vietnam announced today a “broad economic and social program” to raise living standards in South Vietnam. The program was explained by State Department officials as an effort to demonstrate Washington’s faith in the future of a free South Vietnam, to complement substantial increases in military aid, and to enhance the popularity of the Government of President Ngo Dinh Diem. The development program is part of a larger effort to help S

Dec. 31, 1961 - Aided by a build-up in U.S. military support, South Vietnam is preparing a strong counter-offensive against Communist guerrilla forces threatening President Diem’s pro-Western Government. Numerous techniques are being inaugurated to help turn the tide of battle against the Viet Cong, as the Communist guerrillas are called. One of these techniques is “defoliation” from the air (pictured), a chemical means of stripping leaves from the foliage that hides Viet Con

Dec. 30, 1961 - A United States Army specialist kidnapped by Communist guerrillas on Christmas Day is alive, reliable sources said today. The sources said that the guerrillas had displayed the 26-year-old soldier before gatherings of peasants as an “American imperialist trying to conquer South Vietnam.” The soldier, a teacher of English evening classes, was riding a bicycle toward a village north of Saigon to visit one of his students when he was kidnapped. Since the incident

Dec. 29, 1961 - American military personnel in South Vietnam were instructed today to stay within the Saigon (pictured) city limits. Military officials also urged the soldiers to travel with companions whenever possible. The action followed official confirmation by the military advisory group that a 26-year-old American army specialist was missing. He was last seen on the streets of Saigon Christmas morning. The young soldier taught several evening classes in English and had

Dec. 28, 1961 - A United States Army sergeant is believed to have been kidnapped by the Viet Cong (pictured), as the Communist guerrillas in Vietnam are known. The soldier disappeared on Christmas while on a holiday trip near Saigon. Since then, helicopter and ground search parties have been constantly looking for him. The latest Communist propaganda in Saigon now blares: “Kill all Americans!” and “Throw the American imperialists out of South Vietnam!” The reported kidnapping

Dec. 25, 1961 - Two South Vietnamese paratroopers were killed and three Americans injured Saturday when a U.S. Army helicopter crashed near Communist guerrilla territory west of Saigon. The helicopter was carrying the South Vietnamese paratroopers on a combat mission. Communist rebels fired a mortar and rifles at the fallen helicopter, hitting its body. The American crewmen burned the aircraft to keep it out of rebel hands. The helicopter was one of 36 that arrived in Saigon

Dec. 19, 1961 - U.S. military men in South Vietnam were understood today to be operating in battle areas with South Vietnamese forces that are fighting Communist guerrillas. Although the Americans are not engaged in actual combat operations, they are authorized to shoot back if fired upon. About 2,000 Americans in uniform are now in South Vietnam. These soldiers, under new arrangements with the Government there, are taking part in tactical operations in battle areas. The oper

Dec. 14, 1961 - President Kennedy has promised more military assistance to South Vietnam in its fight against the Communists. Mr. Kennedy’s pledge was in the form of a letter to South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem in response to a written appeal from the latter. President Diem had written, “if we lose this war, our people will be swallowed by the Communist bloc.” President Kennedy in his reply remarked that U.S. efforts to aid South Vietnam’s defense would no longer be n

Dec. 11, 1961 - Two U.S. Army helicopter companies arrived in Saigon today. The helicopters, to be flown and serviced by U.S. troops, are the first direct military support by the U.S. for South Vietnam’s war against Communist guerrilla forces. At least 33 H-21C twin-rotor helicopters and their pilots and ground crews, an estimated total of 400 men, arrived aboard the Military Sea Transportation Service aircraft ferry Core. In the anti-guerrilla operations in the mountains, he

Dec. 8, 1961 - The U.S. called on non-Communist nations today to rally to the defense of South Vietnam. Warning that the Southeast Asian nation was in “clear and present danger of Communist conquest,” the Administration solicited political backing for its decision to step up aid to the Government of President Ngo Dinh Diem. The appeal for wider support was voiced by Secretary of State Dean Rusk (left) and supported with the publication of a special State Department booklet. T

Dec. 7, 1961 - Communist China announced in a broadcast today that it would send a military delegation to Communist North Vietnam “in the near future.” The move followed a Beijing statement that termed the situation in Vietnam “extremely serious” and warned against the United States-backed build-up of South Vietnamese defense forces. #vietnam #vietnamese #vietnamflashback #vietnamwar #vietnamflashbacks #VietnamVet #VietnamVeteran #history #HistoryNerd #historyinpictures #hist

Dec. 5, 1961 - War dogs from the U.S. Army are being brought to South Vietnam to hunt Communist guerrillas in underground jungle hideaways. The canine auxiliary to the South Vietnamese ground forces demonstrated its value in a trial operation last week. South Vietnamese Government officials who witnessed the demonstration said the dogs, a pair of German shepherds, had flushed eight guerrillas from underground sanctuaries near Hoc Mon, about 30 miles southwest of Saigon. All w

Nov. 16, 1961 - President Kennedy has decided on the measures that the U.S. is prepared to take to strengthen South Vietnam against attack by Communists. The measures closely follow the recommendations made by Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor (left), the President’s military advisor. The United States’ plans do not include the dispatching of combat units at this time. They call for sending several hundred specialists in guerrilla warfare, logistics, communications, engineering, and int