In 1961, President Kennedy began sending increasing numbers of American military advisors to South Vietnam to shore up the declining fortunes of its autocratic leader, Ngo Dinh Diem. The 1963 coup that resulted in Diem’s death worsened circumstances in the fragile, troubled country. This led JFK’s successor, Lyndon Baines Johnson, to vastly expand U.S. involvement to avert South Vietnam’s collapse. In 1965, LBJ initiated the bombing of North Vietnam and committed American combat troops to South Vietnam—the first steps in what would become a massive and futile U.S. military effort.
