America was involved in the Vietnam Warfrom 1954 to 1975. Following the Second World War, communist leader Ho Chi Minh was successful in regaining control of Indochina. However, France soon returned to power. The First Indochina War (1946-1954) broke out as a result of the conflict between Ho Chi Minh's Viet Minh forces and the French. France was eventually crushed at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, which resulted in peace talks opening at the Geneva Conference. The U.S. decided to support the division of Vietnam at the 17th parallel and endorsed Ngo Dinh Diem. Both Kennedy and Johnson attempted to win the war in Vietnam with Operation Rolling Thunder and the introduction of ground forces. The Tet Offensive of 1968 proved to be the breaking point for the US as the American public caught a glimpse of a failing effort. By the end of 1968, the US was looking to honorably end the war in Vietnam. President Richard Nixon attempted to achieve that sought-after end through strategies such as Vietnamization, bombing campaigns in Cambodia & Laos. Eventually, the US and North Vietnam entered into the Paris Peace Accords which officially ended American involvement in the war. Without the assistance of the US, South Vietnam capitulated under the pressure of the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong on April 30, 1975. The North Vietnamese achieved victory and the war in Vietnam was officially finished.