PRESIDENT NIXON & THE WITHDRAWAL FROM VIETNAM

L obj: to consider whether the USA lost the war in Vietnam, or whether

the Vietcong won it.

US Presidents (during Vietnam)

• Dwight Eisenhower 1953 – 61

• John F Kennedy 1961 – 1963

• Lyndon B Johnson 1963 – 1969

• Richard Nixon 1969 – 1974

• Gerald Ford 1974 - 1977

ENDING THE WAR

• After the Tet Offensive LBJ concluded the war could not be won military.

• He reduced the bombing campaign and started to negotiate for peace.

• March 1968 – Paris peace conference – lasted 5 years!! (

• LBJ also announced he would not seek re-election as President

What did each side want?

• USA – wanted South Vietnam to be independent and free from ‘Foreign’ (Communist) influence

• North Vietnam – wanted the South free from ‘foreign’ (American) influence

• Unclear what South Vietnam actually wanted

• USA – democracy – pressured by voters• N Vietnam – dictatorship – no votes – no pressure

President Nixon

• 1969 elected – said he wanted to bring troops home BUT he could not ABANDON Vietnam

• Idea = ‘win the war and win the peace’

• Reality – no intention of stopping the war

• Aim = Vietnamisation

VIETNAMISATION

• US withdrawal to be replaced by ARVN

• ARVN – trained, given equipment = Vietnamisation (stand on their own 2 feet)

• ‘US boys are foreign and should not be there’ –bringing them home made him popular.

MADMAN

• Nixon hope to frighten the Vietnamese into a negotiated agreement

• He wanted to make them believe he ‘could’ attack them with nuclear bombs

• He did escalate the war into other countries too!

• NVA – used bases in neighbouring Cambodia to assemble its forces

• US had been secretly bombing these bases since 1969

• 1970 – Nixon went for broke – sending 100,000 US & ARVN forces into & invading Cambodia

• They captured huge amounts of weapons & supplies

• In Laos – Communist forces (Pathet Lao) were trying to take over the country

• They were supplied by the NVA

• In 1971 the ARVN invaded Laos – supported by US bombing from the air

• The ARVN were defeated – but they did enough to stop a NVA/VC attack on the south.

US WITHDRAWAL

• Oct 1972 – USA announced ‘peace was at hand’ (almost ready!)

• Suddenly there was confusion

• The South Vietnamese leader – Thieu –refused to accept the terms

US WITHDRAWAL

• Xmas 1972 – US conducted a huge bombing campaign

• Dropped more bombs in 11 days then did in 1969 – 1971

• Also put pressure on Thieu – with financial support promised!

US WITHDRAWAL

• Paris Peace Accords signed – 27th January 1973

• Established a ceasefire & withdrawal of US forces

• POW’s would be returned

• After the North & South would hold talks for a settlement.

US WITHDRAWAL

• Paris Peace Accords signed – 27th January 1973

• Established a ceasefire & withdrawal of US forces

• POW’s would be returned

• After the North & South would hold talks for a settlement.

• US troops left 29th March 1973

US WITHDRAWAL

• Thieu decided to end the ceasefire straight away

• Meant civil war = 56,000 ARVN dead – 100,000 NVA

• PROBLEM – US soldiers spent money in south Vietnam – now gone the economy collapsed

• Thieu asked for help – but the US congress reduced aid – NOT increased it!

THE FALL OF SAIGON

• March 1975 – the North invaded the South

• The ARVN collapsed – retreating quickly

• Thieu resigned

• 30th March 1975 Communists chased the US embassy staff out of Vietnam

• North were vengeful – killing 60,000 of Thieu’s supporters

• Vietnam was now one country – AND A COMMUNIST ONE

How did War affect the policy of Containment.

• Policy of containment was in tatters – showed despite US military strength they could not stop the spread of Communism.

• American policies actually speeded up the domino effect

• Propaganda disaster

• Suspicious of involving troops in conflicts they could not easily win.

Did the USA lose, or did the Vietcong win?

USA LOST

• Failure of USA to defeat VC

• Young, inexperienced troops – low morale

• South Vietnam Govt was weak & corrupt

• Opposition at home

VC WON

• The peasants supported and hid the VC

• VC ambush tactics

• Supplied by Russia/China

• Bravery of North Vietnamese