The Vietnam Conflict was a military conflict in present day Vietnam from 1959 to April 30, 1975. Its chief cause was the failure of Vietnamese Nationals to gain control of southern Vietnam both during and after their struggle for independence from France in the First Indochina War of 1946-54. The U.S. deployed large numbers of military personnel to South Vietnam between 1954 and 1973, with the largest number of American combat troops beginning to arrive in 1965. In 1973, President Nixon announced the suspension of offensive action against North Vietnam, and with the signing of the Peace Accords, direct U.S. involvement officially ended in Vietnam. The last American troops left the country on April 30, 1975, and total American casualties were 212,000.