1968 campaigned on a pledge to end the war but to secure “peace with honor” Even as he began the gradual withdrawal of troops and reduced the number of new draftees, he pursued “Vietnamization”: shifting the bulk of the combat to South Vietnam (as they became better trained and capable of assuming responsibility). Richard M. Nixon and Vietnam

“Peace with honor”  It was important to Nixon for the U.S. to exit the war honorably…to avoid the humiliation of having lost the war  The Paris Peace Talks had begun before Nixon took office but negotiations were difficult and often stalled  Nixon appointed Henry Kissinger to head much of the negotiations

Main goals of the negotiations: U.S. Wanted:  All communist troops out of So. Vietnam  Return of American POWs N. Vietnamese wanted:  Immediate withdrawal of US troops  Coalition gov’t. in the South to include Vietcong

Vietnamization  Refusing to accept N.Vietnam’s demands for peace, Nixon continued his policy of Vietnamization…AND  To stop the flow of supplies to the Vietcong in the south, he ordered the secret bombing of the Ho Chi Minh Trail  The HCMT ran thru neighboring Cambodia

Ho Chi Minh Trail

1970  Trying to get the peace talks moving, Nixon ordered U.S. troops to attack the Vietcong and NVA ( North Vietnamese Army) across the border into Cambodia.  Immediate reaction from the anti-war movement at home: infuriated, it blasted Nixon for widening the war !

Kent State University  Student protesters set fire to the ROTC building…  The Ohio governor called in the Nat’l. Guard  On May 4, 1970 the 2 sides confronted one another: students threw rocks and bottles  Guardsmen answered by firing 65 shots into the crowd, killing 4 and wounding 13 others

OHIO performed by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

My Lai Massacre  March, 1968: Lt. William Calley ordered the village of My Lai destroyed…hundreds of civilians murdered  Calley claimed he was following orders  Life magazine published photos of the event…American public outraged  Calley convicted by military court  Entire episode was more fuel for the “Stop the War” movement

The Pentagon Papers  Classified gov’t. documents on U.S. in Vietnam  Docs leaked to the NY Times  Co-author Daniel Ellsberg at the eye of the storm  Nixon tried to block publication (NY Times v. United States)…Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Times

End of the War  Paris Peace Accords: January, 1973  American troops coming home  N Vietnam to keep troops in S vietnam  NLF (the Vietcong) to become legit political party in S. Vietnam  N. Vietnam to return American POWs (Sen. John McCain was one of them)

Peace finally…or not  Spring of 1975, N. Vietnamese launched attacks against the South  Without U.S. support, the ARVN was doomed  American Embassy in Saigon overrun  Vietnam unified under 1 flag…the flag of communist North Vietnam

Evacuation of the US Embassy: Saigon 1975

 War Map War Map