What would have happened in Vietnam if President Kennedy had lived? Explore recordings that illuminate JFK's thoughts about the situation in Southeast Asia in the early 1960s.

In the final month of the Kennedy presidency, a mere 21 days before he was killed, South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem was assassinated. These recordings explore US involvement in the coup.

With the death of President Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson inherited a war whose ultimate path was still uncertain. How did LBJ approach the conflict in his new role as commander-in-chief?

The Tonkin Gulf Resolution enhanced President Johnson's authority to use military force in Southeast Asia. But what do White House recordings reveal about the naval encounter in the Gulf?

President Johnson's decision to bomb North Vietnam—and to use Marines to protect air bases—ushered in the use of US combat troops in Southeast Asia.

US troop levels in Vietnam increased by nearly 800 percent between 1964 and 1965. And more than half a million troops were in country by 1968.

One of the most eventful years in American history began with the Tet offensive in Vietnam and ended with the election of Richard Nixon.

President Nixon sought a way out of Vietnam while maintaining American "credibility" as a bulwark against Communist aggression.