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Chapter 13: Nixon’s War
FQ: Did Nixon achieve ‘Peace with honour’?
Nixon’s Vietnam policy
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Bombing: A secret bombing campaign began on the Ho Chi Minh trail. This
involved bombing of neutral Cambodia.
Pacification: Basing United States personnel in villages so that they could work
with and assist the South Vietnamese in their daily lives, thus improving relations
between the Americans and the South Vietnamese people (winning them over)
Vietnamization: The gradual removal of United States troops and their
replacement with South Vietnamese troops. The USA would continue to supply
weaponry to Sth Vietnam.
Phoenix Programme: The United States trained South Vietnamese agents to
infiltrate the Viet Cong and compile information for arrests. There was no corruption
which saw innocent people suffer, however Phoenix did harm the Viet Cong.
Peace Talks
Due to protests Nixon was under pressure to reach a settlement (Boosted
by the My Lai massacre of 1968 when over 300 Sth Vietnamese villagers
were murdered by US soldiers).
From Feb 1970 Henry Kissinger began talks with Le Duc Tho of Nth
Vietnam. The talks were on the make-up of the South Vietnamese
government.
Chapter 13: Nixon’s War
FQ: Did Nixon achieve ‘Peace with honour’?
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Invasion of Cambodia and Laos:
April 1970 Nixon ordered troops into Cambodia
to attack communist bases.
In 1971 the South Vietnamese army with US
air support invaded Laos and tried to cut the
Ho Chi Minh trail.
Both of these set off new protests in the USA
against the war
The NVA strikes:
In response to the Americans and to
strengthen their own bargaining position the
NVA launched a major invasion of South
Vietnam in March 1972. This lasted for several
months and the communists made many gains.
Ceasefire:
In October 1972 Kissinger and Le Duc Tho
agreed on a draft treaty. President Thieu
demanded amendments and the talks about
the treaty went until December.
In order to speed up the process Nixon ordered
a massive bombing attack on North Vietnam
from mid-December. This “Christmas”
bombing helped to bring about a ceasefire
which was as signed Paris on 27 January 1973.
Chapter 15: The Fall of Saigon
FQ: Why did the Saigon regime fall so rapidly to the NVA?
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American Withdrawl
Despite the ceasefire of 1973 the struggle between North and South never really
stopped. From 1973 the South Vietnamese army was fighting on its own with the
use of American weaponry.
The USA wanted to forget the Vietnam war as soon as possible.
In August 1974 Nixon resigned over the Watergate scandal. His successor President
Ford was keen to divorce the USA from Vietnam and from March 1975 no further
American aid was given to Indochina.
The fall of Saigon
During 1974 the NVA attacked South Vietnam’s northern provinces. As each
collapsed they came closer to Saigon.
An airlift removing American citizens and friends from Saigon city took place.
Many others who wanted to escape couldn’t and there were desperate scenes of
people trying to escape in the streets
Saigon fell on April 30 1975.
The second Indochina war was over.
Things that peeved the Vietnamese:
Post Geneva Conference 1954
Eisenhower/Kennedy
Diem 1954-64
- Operated through Diem
- Let Diem do what he
wanted
- Had Ho Chi Minh
assassinated
- Family oligarchy
- Strategic hamlets
- Oppression of Buddists and
peasants.
- Censored newspapers
- Cancelled elections
- Advisers sent in from USA
(16,000)
Johnson
1964-68
- Operation rolling
thunder
- Tonkin Gulf
incident &
resultion
- Defoliation –
Napalm
- Search and
destroy
- 200,000-500,000
1968 with allies
(NZ,Oz etc)
Nixon
1968-73
- Bombing HCM
trail
- Pacification
- Phoenix
programme
- Vietnamization
- Invaded Laos
and Cambodia
- Peace talks
- Watergate
crisis