Lesson 44 Vietnam: Peace With Honor

Lesson Objectives Understand the goals, provisions and consequences of President Nixon's Vietnamization policy. Describe the efforts of President Nixon to change global strategic alignments and the implications of his initiatives. Describe and analyze changes in the military situation in Vietnam from 1969 to Describe and assess the impact of US political developments from 1969 through 1975.

Richard M. Nixon January 20, 1969

Vietnamization During 1968 presidential campaign, Nixon pledged to have a secret plan for ending the Vietnam War Initiated a plan to increase the size and effectiveness of South Vietnamese forces while drawing down size of US military role in that country. Transfer the war to the South Vietnamese

Vietnamization President Nixon - November 3, 1969 Major speech on Vietnamization policy Speech Text:( 31:58 )

Vietnam War Casualties

Troop Levels

Cambodian Incursion 29 April - 22 July 1970

Cambodian Incursion 29 April - 22 July 1970 Results: Casualties : US: 338 KIA ARVN: 809 KIA NVA: 12,000+ KIA (estimated) Huge stocks of NVA weapons, ammo, food captured US Domestic: Widespread protest in US, particularly on college campuses Congress took first action to limit US involvement in SEA Cooper-Church Amendment

Congress and the War Use of Budget to Restrict Operations in SEA Cooper-Church Amendment (1970) Sponsored by Sen. John Cooper (R-KY) & Sen. Frank Church (S-ID) Reaction to US-led invasion of Cambodia (April 1970) Prohibited use of US troops in Cambodia after June 30, 1970 Approved by Senate on June 30, 1970, after troops US withdrew House approved watered-down version December 1970 Significance: First time Congress had restricted the deployment of US troops in wartime

US Strategy in Vietnam JCS Proposal 1965 Build a Korean-war style defensive line across DMZ Conduct operations into Laos to permanently cut supply lines (Ho Chi Minh Trail) Proposed by Westmoreland in 1967, again in 1968 Never approved or rejected by LBJ, SecDef Summers

Lam Son 719 Before one draws any comparisons between the Laos operations and airmobile operations conducted by the U. S. Army, it must be realized that LAMSON 719 was a very special operation in which strict rules governed U. S. military operations across the Laotian border. While the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces could operate freely on the ground and in the air within Laos, U. S. Forces were restricted to air operations under specific rules of engagement and were prohibited from fighting on the ground. Lieutenant General John J. Tolson, USA Airmobility , p. 236 Vietnam Studies series, CMH Pub 90-4 Washington: Department of the Army, February - 25 March 1971 Attempt to cut Ho Chi Minh Trail

Lam Son 719 Concept of Operations 8 February - 25 March 1971

Lam Son February - 25 March 1971 Results: Casualties : US: 215 KIA ARVN: 1,500-3,500 KIA * NVA: 2,000 KIA (estimated) Some NVA weapons, ammo, food captured * ARVN reports vary US provided logistic support to border, air support in Laos ARVN did not perform well in face of stiff NVA resistance Poor planning and execution by ARVN leadership Generally regarded as indicating a failure of Vietnamization

Easter (Spring) Offensive March 30 - October 22, 1972

Easter (Spring) Offensive March 30 - October 22, 1972

Easter (Spring) Offensive March 30 - October 22, 1972 ARVN performed reasonably well with US air support DRV gained valuable space inside RVN for future offensives Major conventional invasion on three fronts: Across DMZ Central Highlands West of Saigon Also gained bargaining chip in negotiations Nixon began planning for Linebacker II Nixon initiated Operation Linebacker Bombing of North Vietnamese logistics targets Sustained bombing of North Vietnamese strategic targets Delay in starting due to need to return airpower to SEA (May 9 - October 23, 1972)

Paris Peace Accords January 23, 1973 Henry Kissinger (left) and Le Duc Tho initial agreement

Congress and the War Use of Budget to Restrict Operations in SEA Case-Church Amendment (1973) After Paris Peace Accords (Jan 1973), Nixon hinted at US intervention if North Vietnam attacked South Introduced by Senators Clifford Case (R ‐ NJ) & Frank Church (D ‐ ID) Prohibited U.S. military activity in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia after August 15, 1973 without Congressional approval. Passed by Senate 64-26, House (June 1973) Significance: Essentially ended US military activity in Southeast Asia

Nixon Resigns August 9, 1974 President Gerald Ford

Linebacker II

Final Offensive DRV planned final offensive for 1976

Probing Attacks

Final Offensive DRV planned final offensive for 1976 Encouraged, DVR ordered additional probes in 1975

The Final Days

Final Offensive DRV planned final offensive for 1976 Encouraged, DVR ordered additional probes in 1975 DRV politburo again astonished by speed of success Ordered push to Pleiku and on to coast RVN President Thieu ordered strategic retreat Gave up northern provinces to protect Saigon and south ARVN retreat turned into a rout

The Final Days Hué Fell March 25 Da Nang Fell March 30 II Corps Fell April 2 Pleiku Abandoned March 16

Last Flight From Danang CBS Evening News – March 1975 ( 5:49 ) March 29, 1975

Fall of Saigon ( 43:40 – 58:15 ) Battlefield Vietnam – Part 12

US Evacuation of Saigon Early plans had identified: 8,000 US and third country citizens for evacuation Number of potential South Vietnamese evacuees never determined Estimate: 17,000 US employee + 6 family members = > ~120,000 evacuees Late March 1975: Evacuations by commercial aircraft began Last fixed-wing transport (C-130) left Tan San Nhut airport 29 April Later estimates went as high as 200,000! Contingency plans always existed for evacuation of US citizens Also included “At risk” Vietnamese citizens “At Risk” = US employees and agents

Fall of Saigon Newsreel Footage ( 6:04 )

Operation Frequent Wind April 29-30, 1975 Final helicopter evacuation of US citizens and others Pickup points at Tan San Nhut airport and US Embassy Air America (CIA-run airline) also committed 24 helicopters US Marine helicopters operated from off-shore ships USAF helicopters from Thailand shuttled to ships

Operation Frequent Wind April 29-30, 1975 Helicopter operations from Saigon progressed smoothly

Operation Frequent Wind April 29-30, 1975 April 30, :53 AM Last US Marine helicopter lifted off the roof of the US Embassy

Evacuation of Saigon Iconic image: “Evacuation from the U.S. Embassy roof”

U.S. Embassy - Saigon 1972

Evacuation of Saigon Pittman Apartment building used by CIA staff (top of elevator shaft - not a heliport) Story

Operation Frequent Wind April 29-30, 1975 Meanwhile, as South Vietnam forces crumbled … …scores of VNAF officers commandeered aircraft and headed to Thailand or the US fleet offshore. Created desk space problem on aircraft carrier USS Midway Scenes Ditching

Operation Frequent Wind VNAF Major Buang, wife, five children arrive on USS Midway

Operation Frequent Wind USS Midway after stop in Thailand to retrieve fixed wing aircraft

Fall of Saigon ( Full video – 56:59 ) Battlefield Vietnam – Part 12

Major Issues What was the impact of the Cambodian Incursion on the US domestic situation? What was Vietnamization? What was Lam Son 719? How did Lam Son 719 reflect on the Vietnamization effort? Specifically, how did Congress react to the Cambodian incursion? What were the results of the Easter (Spring) Offensive of 1972? What action did the US take as a result of the Easter (Spring) Offensive of 1972? What was Linebacker II and what was its objective?

Lesson 45 Vietnam War in Retrospect Next:

Lesson Objectives Relate and analyze the impact on the Vietnam War of U.S. political events from the signing of the Paris Accord (1973) to the fall of Saigon (1975) Relate and analyze the miltary events in Vietnam from 1973 to 1975 that led to the collapse of South Vietnam.

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