Reading V:Nixon: Vietnam & Foreign Policy

Objectives...•Examine how Nixon managed the Vietnam War.•Describe how the home front reacted to Nixon’s policies on Vietnam.

Richard M. NixonRepublican

Nixon’s campaign issues in 1968 election...•Stated that he had a “secret plan” to end the war•An end to the riots and the "crisis of the cities.”•Return our country to the rule of "law and order”•Strengthen our national defense •Reduce of taxes… Rollback the Great Society

Results of the 1968 Election

Party/ Elector/ Pop Vote%

Nixon: Rep… 301… 43.2%

Humphrey: Dem… 191… 42.6%

Wallace: Am. Ind. 46… 12.9%

Richard Milhous Nixon37th President - Republican

1969 - 1974

Nixon’s Inauguration

January 20, 1969

It is not necessary to memorize this... Use this as an overview & refer back to it for understanding

The Nixon time line that ends the war…1969: -“Vietnamization” - Nixon states that it is time for SV to

take control of the war

1969: -Nixon orders secret bombing of Cambodia, Laos & NV ...The goal was to cut the Ho Chi Minh supply lines

1970: -US Invades Cambodia with ground troops

1971: -Nixon orders SV army to invade Laos-Nixon mines harbors in NV & orders massive bombing raids against NV & Cambodia

1973: -Paris Peace Agreement is signed & the US withdraw begins

1975: -North Vietnam troops take Saigon

The Nixon DoctrineJuly, 1969

The Nixon Doctrine announced that the US expected our allies to take care of their own military defense.

• AKA: "Vietnamization” – Nixon’s policy t o end the U.S.' involvement in the war... “...train South Vietnam's forces and assign to them an ever-increasing combat role, at the same time steadily reducing the number of U.S. combat troops.”

Vietnamization was the result of the shift in public opinion following Tet Offensive.

In the 1968 campaign Nixon promised voters he would find a way to end the Vietnam War ...A “secret plan.” Shortly after being elected he decided that a quick withdrawal "would result in a collapse of confidence in American leadership ...A nation cannot remain great if it betrays its allies and lets

down its friends.“

Many Americans felt Nixon had betrayed his campaign promise.

Nixon’s War

The Silent Majority Speech (1969) The “silent majority” refers to the people who are in the majority and do not publically express their opinions. Nixon believed that the “silent majority” was overshadowed by the outspoken minority protesting against the war.

Having changed his mind about the withdraw from Vietnam, Nixon made a speech asking for the support of America’s “silent majority.” Nixon asked for support from the people who did not demonstrate against the war and were law biding hard working Americans.

“And so tonight—to you, the great silent majority of my

fellow Americans—I ask for your support."

- RMN 1969

Henry KissingerNixon’s National Security Advisor

1969-1973

• The key influence on Nixon’s Vietnam policy… -Advises Nixon to not accept defeat

-Represents Nixon at The Paris Peace Talks

-Advises “Vietnamization”

-Advocates Secret bombing raids in Cambodia

Cambodian children rolling an unexploded bomb to a scrap metal dealer…

Nixon withdraws troops, but expands the war into Laos & Cambodia with bombing

raids & eventually a troop invasion. The anti-war movement is energized.

Cambodia Bombing Points: 1965-1973

1969: Vietnam Moratorium MovementOct 15th, 1969 - The Moratorium to End the War in Vietnam - A massive teach-in against the war that takes place all across the US.

Nov 13th, 1969 - March Against Death - 40K people paraded silently & single file down Pennsylvania Ave to the White House. Each person carried a sign with the name of a dead American soldier. The march finished at the Capitol where they placed the signs in coffins.

Nov 15th, 1969 – The Moratorium March in Washington, D.C. -500,000 demonstrators against the war, including many performers & activists.

Nixon comments on the above protests... "Now, I understand that there has been, and continues to be,

opposition to the war in Vietnam on the campuses and also in the nation. As far as this kind of activity is concerned, we expect it; however under no circumstances will I be affected whatever by it."

Kent State - May 4, 1970 AKA: The Kent State Massacre

• After 4 days of protesting the invasion of Cambodia• 23 panic stricken, ill trained & exhausted Ohio National

Guardsmen shoot into an unarmed crowd of 200 protestors

Life Magazine - May 15,19704 dead & 9 wounded

Kent State - May 4, 1970

Allison KrauseProtester

Sandy ScheuerNot protesting

Jeffrey MillerNot protesting

Bill Schroeder-Not protesting-Walking to class - Shot in the back-Ironically an ROTC student

Kent State - May 4, 1970 AKA: The Kent State Massacre

Watch the following... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI7-m919ynU

Kent State triggers 8 million students boycotting the colleges they attend.

The My Lai MassacreMarch 16, 1968 (Public became aware in 1969)

• U.S. soldiers massacre 504 unarmed civilians, mostly women & children

• My Lai causes worldwide outrage & reduces American support at home for the war in Vietnam.

Lt. Wm. Calley gave the orders to kill the civilians.Life in prison - reduced to 3 years

The Pentagon Papers (1971) • A 7,000 page secret study

prepared by the Dept. of Defense.

• This PPs summarized & analyzed U.S. political & military involvement in Vietnam.

• The PPs showed that the Johnson Administration..."systematically lied, not only to the public but also to Congress."

• Daniel Ellsberg - The DoD employee who stole the PPs & delivered them to the NY Times. The NY Times published the papers citing freedom of press & the publics right to know the truth regarding Vietnam.

• Ellsberg was charged with conspiracy, espionage & theft of government property.

Daniel Ellsberg

The significance of the PPs…•Further eroded support for the war •A Supreme Court case established the people’s right to privileged government information.

Nixon orders “dirty tricks” used against Ellsberg…

• RMN orders the Dept. of Justice to prosecute Ellsberg

The “Dirty tricks” were discovered during the Watergate investigation...

• The Plumbers (Hired thugs working for Nixon) break into Ellsberg’s psychiatrists office seeking information that they will use to discredit him.

• The CIA is given orders to “incapacitate” Ellsberg... Nobody really knows what “incapacitate” means, but some see it as the order to murder Ellsberg.

The Paris Peace AgreementThe Paris Peace Conference began in 1968 & made little or

no progress.

The terms of the 1973 Paris Peace Agreement...• A ceasefire went into effect • U.S. troops would begin withdraw• Prisoners would be returned• The remains of the dead would be returned• The future of SV would be determined through

democratic elections

The economic & human cost of the VW…

• 58K Americans KIA• 305K Americans WIA• Cost: $150 billion• 3-4M Vietnamese killed• 2M Lao & Cambodian killed

April, 1973:The last soldiers arrive home

The foregone conclusion of the American withdrawal

from Vietnam…

April of 1975, North Vietnamese troops take control of Saigon.

The last helicopter leaving the roof top of the US Embassy in Saigon

Panic to get on one of the last helicopters out

26th Amendment June, 1970

• Lowers the voting age from 21 to 18• Passage was greatly influenced by the war.