My Lai
The Massacre at My Lai Vietnam, once a French colony, was devastated by the Vietnam War. After World War II, American contemplated liberating Vietnam from French control, but such an action was never seen. Ho Chi Minh, a Vietnamese nationalist and communist, lead guerilla warfare against France. Within a matter of years, the United States had no more sympathy for Vietnam and began lending money to France to aide in their war efforts. By 1954, France was barely holding ground so the Geneva Accord was drawn. American managed to divide Vietnam into north and south regions. North Vietnam would be communist while South Vietnam would be non-communist and an election in 1956 would determine if the country would be reunited. But such an election never occurred. The United States realized that Ho Chi Minh would win and Vietnam would become communist, so the election was cancelled. Minh began to recruit communist sympathizers in South Vietnam, soon the Vietcong, as the regime was call, launched a guerilla attack on South Vietnam leader Ngo Dinh Diem and his supporters. Diem quickly alienated South Vietnam and the Vietcong grew strong. United States Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy deployed hundreds of US military advisors to South Vietnam to train an army for the southerners.