1960s Timeline

Latest Podcasts

Politics | Culture | Entertainment | Sports

Sep 16

American-Style Bars Thrive in Saigon

Sept. 16, 1962 - You can drink at the “Texas Bar” in Saigon now. If you don’t like Texas, you can always try the California, the Miami or the Hollywood Bars. At a Saigon restaurant, if you don’t want the Chinese or Vietnamese or French food, you can get a hamburger and a banana split. The Americanization of Saigon has increased greatly this year with the arrival of thousands of U.S. troops sent to serve as advisers and to give logistical support to the Vietnamese in their war

Sep 13

Gen. Taylor Finishes Southeast Asian Tour

Sept. 13, 1962 - General Maxwell D. Taylor (pictured with President Kennedy last year) gave an optimistic report today on the military aspects of South Vietnam’s fight against Communist guerrillas. Once additional progress is made in the military area and more protection is offered to Vietnamese peasants, the general said, there must be a shift to economic and social problems where “there is a good deal of work to be done.” General Taylor, who will take over as chairman of th

Sep 11

U.S. Officials in Vietnam “Cautiously Optimistic” on War

Sept. 11, 1962 - Top U.S. military authorities in Saigon have described the campaign against Communist guerrillas in South Vietnam with “cautious optimism” to General Maxwell D. Taylor (pictured left last October). General Taylor, Chairman-designate of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, attended a three-hour briefing as part of his visit to South Vietnam, where the U.S. is committed to the support of the Government in its attempt to fight off the Communist Viet Cong. General Taylor l

Sep 4

South Vietnam Expels Newsweek Correspondent

Sept. 4, 1962 - The government of South Vietnam acted today to expel Francois Sully (pictured), Saigon correspondent for Newsweek magazine, on charges that he was “systematically hostile” to the country. President Ngo Dinh Diem’s regime informed Mr. Sully, a French citizen, that his application for a routine extension of his visa had been rejected on the ground that it had been presented too late. It was made clear, however, that the real reason for the rejection was official

Sep 3

Gen. Taylor Indicates Possibility of Increased Role for U.S. in Vietnam

Sept. 3, 1962 - General Maxwell D. Taylor (pictured with Vice President Johnson in May), newly appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said today that the U.S. was prepared to play a larger role in South Vietnam if necessary to block the Communist threat. General Taylor, who arrived in Tokyo today from Honolulu on the first leg of an Asian tour, was responsible for drafting the current plan for massive U.S. support of Saigon’s fight against the Viet Cong. He was Pres

Aug 29

U.S. Casualty Update in Vietnam Provided by Government

Aug. 29, 1962 - Eleven U.S. military men had been killed and twenty-eight wounded in the Vietnam war against Communist guerrillas up until Aug. 20, Government officials said today. American soldiers and Marines are serving as front-line advisers and as pilots for helicopters and other aircraft. In addition, 23 American military men have died from non-military causes while serving in Vietnam. In the southern Mekong Delta region today, Viet Cong guerrillas killed nine South Vie

Aug 27

South Vietnam Scores Military Successes Without Political Follow-Through

Aug. 27, 1962 - South Vietnam’s massive campaign against Communist guerrilla strongholds at the southern tip of the country appears to have achieved some significant successes during its first 12 days. However, there is no sign that President Ngo Dinh Diem’s Government plans to try to convert the military gains into political advantages. No political advisors have been sent into the areas where an estimated 4,000 troops have been operating since Aug. 15. Some Vietnamese army

Aug 26

Infighting between U.S. and South Vietnamese Forces

Aug. 26, 1962 - Simmering hostility between U.S. and South Vietnamese forces is imperiling joint efforts against the Viet Cong. Troops of the U.S. Army’s Special Forces are being withdrawn from certain exposed jungle outposts near the Laotian border because of fear they will not have sufficient backing against Viet Cong onslaughts. The Viet Cong has made the Americans special targets. One Vietnamese unit refused to provide armored convoy for Americans planning to evacuate wou

Aug 25

War from the Skies in Vietnam

Aug. 25, 1962 - The “eagle flights” of U.S. helicopters have given a new dimension to the South Vietnamese army’s grinding campaign against elusive Communist insurgents lurking in the swamps of South Vietnam. But mud and the vulnerability of the so-called eagles to small-arms fire from the ground frequently allow the enemy to make good his escape. An eagle flight consists of a few U.S. helicopters laden with Vietnamese troops. The aircraft cruise over the countryside until Co

Aug 21

Administration Sees Vietnam War as Temporary Draw

Aug. 21, 1962 - The Kennedy Administration’s latest estimate of the war in South Vietnam is that the U.S.-backed Vietnamese forces and Viet Cong have fought to a temporary draw. Both sides are continuing to build up their strength. While the South Vietnamese and their U.S. advisers are developing new techniques and doctrines for jungle warfare, the Viet Cong is also becoming more effective and is growing. The strength of the Viet Cong is estimated at 20,000 men. This is a sig

Aug 20

Viet Cong Evade South Vietnamese Troops

Aug. 20, 1962 - For 4 days in the southern swamplands of South Vietnam, crack Government troops supported by U.S. Marine helicopters, fighter planes, and armored river craft rolled across Camau peninsula seeking 2,000 Communist Viet Cong guerrillas. As weary troops returned to Government security areas over the weekend, it became obvious that once again the Viet Cong had used its powers of survival effectively. The Government high command is arguing with U.S. advisers over th

Aug 4

Viet Cong See Possible Defeat

Aug. 4, 1962 - For the first time in South Vietnam’s fierce guerrilla warfare, Communist insurgent leaders have revealed concern over a defeat by Government forces (pictured). The admission came in a clandestine radio broadcast directed to the Viet Cong. The broadcast was monitored in Saigon this week. An unidentified broadcaster sharply criticized guerrilla commanders for having departed from standard defense tactics when attacked by Government troops in a rebel stronghold n

Aug 3

Australian Jungle Fighters Arrive in Vietnam

Aug. 3, 1962 - A battle-hardened team of Australian jungle fighters arrived in Saigon today to train South Vietnam’s forces in the newest anti-guerrilla tactics. Thirty Australian Army officers and enlisted specialists will show Government troops how to carry the war against the Viet Cong into their own domain, the trackless jungles. The Australian commander is Col. Frank P. Serong (pictured), his country’s top expert in jungle warfare. He will be on the staff of Gen. Paul D.

Jul 28

Americans Stationed in Vietnam Don’t Share Kennedy Administration’s Optimism

July 28, 1962 - The Kennedy Administration’s cautious optimism on the progress of South Vietnam’s war against the Viet Cong is not widely reflected among Americans stationed in Saigon to help in that fight. The furthest any American there is willing to go is to say that President Diem’s regime has a 50-50 chance of defeating the Communist guerrillas. Many others, including officers training and advising the South Vietnamese Army, believe the odds are slimmer than that. Almost

Jul 24

Secretary McNamara in Meetings on Vietnam

July 24, 1962 - Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara says the South Vietnamese are “beginning to hit the Viet Cong insurgents where it hurts most — in winning the people to the side of the Government.” Mr. McNamara ended a 12-hour secret session with top U.S. military and diplomatic leaders yesterday with the same reassurance he has voiced in the past. “Our military assistance to Vietnam is paying off,” he said. Mr. McNamara said the strategic hamlet program was providing pro

Jul 23

Secretary McNamara Cautiously Optimistic on Vietnam

July 23, 1962 - Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara has predicted eventual victory for the West in South Vietnam. “It will take years rather than months, but the Communists eventually will be defeated,” he said on his arrival in Honolulu today. Mr. McNamara is there for top level meetings with military and diplomatic officials on American involvement in South Vietnam. A South Vietnamese Government source said today that a two-day sweep last week near the border of Cambodia w

Jul 20

Government Forces Launch Major Attack in South Vietnam

July 20, 1962 - South Vietnamese Government forces swooped down on the Communist-controlled Plain of Reeds 60 miles west of Saigon today. They were reported to have killed 85 guerrillas and seized arms and ammunition. The operation, described as one of the most successful of recent weeks in South Vietnam’s grinding war against the Communist Viet Cong, was supported by 30 U.S. Army and Marine helicopters. Captured war material included one 81-mm mortar, one .50-caliber machine

Jul 19

South Vietnamese Troops Launch New Phase of War

July 19, 1962 - At least 1,000 Government troops were landed yesterday and Tuesday about 35 miles north of Saigon by U.S. and Vietnamese helicopters in a new and mostly secret phase of the war against the Viet Cong. Forty-one Air Force helicopters were used in the operation. By this evening, the forces were reported to have swept about 20 miles southeast of Tanuyen in Phuoc Thanh Province. The goals of the drive are to sweep the Viet Cong from the area and to round up farmers

Jul 18

Four U.S. Airmen Found Alive in South Vietnam

July 18, 1962 - Four U.S. airmen, missing since their transport plane crashed into a South Vietnamese jungle mountainside Sunday, were found alive today after they had been virtually given up for lost. Hope had diminished that the crew of the Air Force C-123 could have survived. Twenty-one planes took part in the four-day hunt over territory dotted with bands of Communist guerrillas. A helicopter, unable to land at the rugged crash site 150 miles northeast of Saigon, lifted t

Jul 15

U.S. Army Helicopter Shot Down by Viet Cong

July 15, 1962 - A U.S. Army helicopter with five Americans and two Vietnamese aboard was shot down by Communist insurgents today. It crashed in flames near the Laotian border in the central highlands of South Vietnam. One American, an officer, was found alive, a U.S. military spokesman said. The fate of the others was undetermined. Their names were not available. Four of the Americans missing from the lost helicopter were members of the copter’s crew. The fifth was an officer