August 12

This Day in History

Also on This Day

Lead Story
Skeleton of Tyrannosaurus rex discovered, 1990
American Revolution
Washington anticipates British strategy, 1776
Automotive
"Tucker: The Man & His Dream" debuts, 1988
Civil War
John Hunt Morgan captures a Federal garrison at Gallatin, 1862
Cold War
East Germany begins construction of the Berlin Wall, 1961
Crime
Great Train robber escapes from prison, 1964
Disaster
Russian sub sinks with 118 onboard, 2000
General Interest
King Philip's War ends, 1676
Armistice ends the Spanish-American War, 1898
Soviets test "Layer-Cake" bomb, 1953
Nicklaus sets title record, 1973
JAL air crash, 1985
Hollywood
James Bond creator Ian Fleming dies, 1964
Literary
English poet laureate Robert Southey is born, 1774
Music
The Wizard of Oz movie musical premieres in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, 1939
Old West
Fur trader Manuel Lisa dies, 1820
Sports
Rising NFL star paralyzed by hit, 1978
Vietnam War
Henry Cabot Lodge sworn in as Ambassador to Vietnam, 1965
VC launch new offensive, 1969
World War I
British Parliament passes Defense of the Realm Act , 1914
World War II
Hitler institutes the Mother's Cross, 1938
Roosevelt and Churchill confer, map out short- and long-term goals, 1941

Vietnam War

Aug 12, 1965:

Henry Cabot Lodge sworn in as Ambassador to Vietnam

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At the swearing-in ceremony for the new Ambassador to Vietnam, Henry Cabot Lodge, President Johnson proclaims that the United States would not continue to fight in Vietnam "if its help were not wanted and requested." The appointing of Lodge and the recall of former Ambassador Frederick Nolting, Jr., signaled a change in U.S. policy in South Vietnam. Lodge was a firm believer in the domino theory and when he became convinced that the United States could not win in Vietnam with President Ngo Dinh Diem, he became very critical of Diem's regime in his dispatches back to Washington. Diem was ultimately removed from office and assassinated during a coup by opposition South Vietnamese generals that began on November 1, 1963. Diem and his brother, Ngo Dinh Nhu, were assassinated some time after midnight on November 2.

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This Week in History, Aug 12 - Aug 18

Aug 12, 1965
Henry Cabot Lodge sworn in as Ambassador to Vietnam
Aug 12, 1969
VC launch new offensive
Aug 13, 1966
Prince Sihanouk criticizes the United States
Aug 13, 1972
Sappers raid Long Binh ammo dump
Aug 14, 1964
Hanoi prepares for more air attacks
Aug 14, 1965
Seventh Marines land at Chu Lai
Aug 14, 1972
Former Attorney General Ramsey Clark reports on his tour of North Vietnam
Aug 14, 1973
U.S. bombing of Cambodia ceases
Aug 15, 1968
Heavy fighting erupts in and around the DMZ
Aug 15, 1969
Woodstock begins in upstate New York
Aug 15, 1970
Regional Forces victorious
Aug 15, 1971
North Vietnamese capture Vietnamese marine base
Aug 16, 1964
General Khanh ousts General Minh as chief of state
Aug 16, 1966
Congress investigates antiwar demonstrators
Aug 16, 1967
Tonkin Gulf Resolution challenged
Aug 16, 1972
Heavy air attacks on North Vietnam
Aug 17, 1968
117,000 combat missions flown over North Vietnam in three years
Aug 17, 1973
U.S. troops to withdraw from Thailand
Aug 18, 1965
Marines launch Operation Starlite
Aug 18, 1966
Australians defeat VC at Long Tan
Aug 18, 1968
Communists launch new offensive
Aug 18, 1971
Australia and New Zealand decide to withdraw troops from Vietnam

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