Gen. William Westmoreland, Commander of U.S. Military Assistance Command Vietnam, sends a request for more troops. With nearly 200,000 U.S. military personnel in South Vietnam already, Westmoreland sent Defense Secretary Robert McNamara a message stating that he would need an additional 243,000 men by the end of 1966. Citing a rapidly deteriorating military situation in which the South Vietnamese were losing the equivalent of an infantry battalion (500 soldiers) a week in battle, Westmoreland predicted that he would need a total of 600,000 men by the end of 1967 to defeat the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese. Although the high tide of U.S. troop strength in South Vietnam never reached the 600,000, there were more than 540,000 U.S. troops in South Vietnam by 1969.
Also on This Day
- Lead Story
- The Boston Tea Party, 1773
- American Revolution
- Sons of Liberty dump British tea, 1773
- Automotive
- OPEC states raise oil prices, 1979
- Civil War
- Johnston named commander of Army of Tennessee, 1863
- Cold War
- Truman declares state of emergency, 1950
- Crime
- A terrorist bomber begins his deadly rampage, 1989
- Disaster
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- General Interest
- Earthquake rocks the American wilderness, 1811
- Earthquake devastates Gansu province of China, 1920
- Battle of the Bulge begins, 1944
- Pakistani forces defeated in Bangladesh, 1971
- Hollywood
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- "Larry King Live" ends after 25 years on CNN, 2010
- Literary
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- Music
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- Old West
- Edwards declares the Texas Republic of Fredonia, 1826
- Presidential
- Clinton orders air attack on Iraq, 1998
- Sports
- OJ Simpson rushes record 2,000 yards in a season, 1973
- Vietnam War
- Westmoreland asks for more troops, 1965
- Kissinger announces that North Vietnamese left negotiations, 1972
- World War I
- Germans bombard English ports of Hartlepool and Scarborough, 1914
- World War II
- Battle of the Bulge, 1944
Westmoreland asks for more troops
Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!
This Week in History, Dec 16 - Dec 22
- Dec 16, 1965
- Westmoreland asks for more troops
- Dec 16, 1972
- Kissinger announces that North Vietnamese left negotiations
- Dec 17, 1971
- Cambodian forces under heavy pressure
- Dec 18, 1972
- Nixon orders the initiation of Operation Linebacker II
- Dec 19, 1964
- Another bloodless coup topples the government in Saigon
- Dec 19, 1972
- North Vietnam condemns Linebacker raids
- Dec 20, 1960
- National Liberation Front formed
- Dec 20, 1967
- President Johnson visits Australia, Thailand, and Vietnam
- Dec 21, 1969
- Thailand announces plans to withdraw troops
- Dec 21, 1972
- Defense Department reports eight B-52s lost during Linebacker II
- Dec 22, 1971
- Soviet Union attacks Chinese policy toward Vietnam
- Dec 22, 1972
- Washington announces Linebacker II raids will continue
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