Vietnam Conflict
Ends
Power point created by Robert Martinez
Primary Content – History Alive !
Photographs as Cited.
1968 Election
President Nixon entered the White House
with a mandate to end America’s
participation in the Vietnam Conflict.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nlayton/107762947/
To that end, Nixon relied heavily on his national
security advisor, Henry Kissinger. Both drew
two basic conclusions about Vietnam. First,
they agreed that the war was not winnable.
Second, they decided that the U.S. could not
just “cut and run.”
http://johngushue.typepad.com/
An abrupt withdrawal from Vietnam would
damage U.S. credibility by showing both
friends and foes that the U.S. could not be
trusted to stand by its allies. Instead, Nixon
sought to achieve “peace with honor.” He
wanted to end the war in a way that left the
reputation of the U.S. intact.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4016527.stm
http://www.glynn.k12.ga.us/~pwilliam/BHS/academics/junior/mitts/dambera11308
Nixon decided on a carrot-and-stick approach
– a tactic that combines actions that reward
(the carrot) with actions that punish (the
stick). Using this approach, he hoped to
persuade the North Vietnamese to accept a
negotiated end to the war.
http://micron2.typepad.com/chriscrocker/2007/01/private_mortgag.html
In 1969, Nixon sent Kissinger to Paris to reopen
talks with North Vietnamese diplomats.
Kissinger proposed ending the bombing of the
North (the carrot) – in exchange for an
agreement on both sides to withdraw their
troops from South Vietnam. In addition, he
insisted that South Vietnam remain
independent.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?o=7&f=/chronicle/archive/2002/06/09/MNCFTIME3.DTL
The North Vietnamese rejected this offer,
saying they were prepared to remain in
Paris, “until the chairs rot.”
http://searchviews.com/archives/2005/09/the_three_degre.php
When diplomacy failed, Nixon introduced
“Vietnamization.” South Vietnam would
gradually take over conduct of the war, while
American GIs would steadily be withdrawn.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/92971534@N00/167233861/
The plan of Vietnamization had 3 main
goals: establishing political reforms by
increasing popular participation in
government, rural development to bring
economic opportunity to the
countryside, and strengthening South
Vietnam’s military forces.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/92971534@N00/183712706/
http://www.glynn.k12.ga.us/~pwilliam/BHS/academics/junior/mitts/dambera11308
The “carrots” offered by the United
States did not satisfy the North
Vietnamese. Nixon considered several
military options to pressure North
Vietnam to negotiate, including
increased bombings.
http://www.history2u.com/book7_cold_war.htm
Nixon called his military strategy, the “madman
theory,” which would make North Vietnam,
the Soviet Union, and China, believe that he
would do anything to win the war. Nixon
briefly put nuclear forces on alert as a bluff.
http://portrait.kaar.at/USA%202/image47.html
Nixon had show a willingness to expand the
war. In March 1969, he secretly ordered B-52s
to begin bombing Cambodia, a neutral nation
on Vietnam’s western border.
http://faculty.smu.edu/dsimon/Change-Viet4.html
http://www.vietnamwar.com/combatchronicles5.htm
By 1971, fewer than 175,000 U.S. combat soldiers
were left in Vietnam. ARVN (South Vietnamese
Army) had carried out the ground fighting in
neighboring Laos, but a larger North
Vietnamese Army (NVA) could easily defeat the
ARVN. Vietnamization not yet a reality.
http://donaldkirk.com/events.htm
The My Lai Massacre had taken place in March 1968,
but had been covered up by the military. U.S.
soldiers, believing My Lai to be a Viet Cong
stronghold, had gone there on a search-and-destroy
mission. To their surprise, they found no armed Viet
Cong in the village, just women, children, and old
men.
http://www.comedonchisciotte.org/site/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1780
My Lai Massacre
Nevertheless, one morning the soldiers
rounded up and executed about 500 of
the civilians. Only a handful of villagers
survived.
http://www.wellesley.edu/Polisci/wj/Vietnam/Images
News of the massacre shocked Americans,
though many doubted that such and atrocity
could occur. Others believed the soldiers were
just following orders or that their actions were
justified. Enough Americans expressed outrage,
that Nixon decide to accelerate the withdrawal
of troops in Vietnam.
http://faculty.smu.edu/dsimon/Change-Viet4.html
On October 15, 1969, peace activists staged the
biggest antiwar demonstration in U.S. history:
the nationwide Vietnam Moratorium Day.
Organizers asked Americans to take the day off
to reflect the war. More than 2 million people
responded in a day of dramatic and widespread
protest.
http://www.uwosh.edu/archives/caphist
http://www.emystic.com/protest/moratoriumday.html
http://namtour.com/IaDrang.html
Kent State
Massacre
The invasion of Cambodia in 1970, increased
another surge in protests. Students held
mass rallies and demonstrations, some of
which turned violent. The Kent State
shootings were the most shocking example.
http://faculty.smu.edu/dsimon/Change-Viet4.html
On May 4, students at Kent State University
were holding a peace rally after several days
of violent unrest, which included the burning
of the ROTC building on campus. National
Guard troops were called in by the governor.
http://faculty.smu.edu/dsimon/Change-Viet4.html
After some students began throwing rocks, the
troops opened fire. Four students were killed
and nine were wounded. Ten days later, a
similar incident took place at Jackson State
College. Protesters threw debris at police, and
the officers responded with shotgun and
machine-gun fire that left two students dead.
http://faculty.smu.edu/dsimon/Change-Viet4.html
In 1971, a top-secret study known as the
Pentagon Papers were leaked to the New York
Times. The study reviewed how previous
administrations had deceived (lied) Congress
and the public about Vietnam. Nixon fought to
stop the publication of the study, however, the
Supreme Court sided with the New York Times.
By the end of 1970, Congress repealed the Gulf
of Tonkin Resolution, which had allowed the
president to increase the military efforts in
Vietnam. In February 1971, Congress passed
legislation forbidding U.S. troops from
operation outside the borders of South
Vietnam.
http://www.temakel.com/histmatanzademilay.htm
http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/vietnam/OrthoVietnam/frameindex.html
Two years later, when Congress learned that
Nixon secretly bombed Cambodia, it passed
the War Powers Resolution, placing limits on a
president’s power to use the armed forces in
hostilities without congressional authorization.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/the_economy/403224.stm
On January 27, 1973, representatives of the
United States, South Vietnam, North Vietnam,
and the Viet Cong signed the Paris Peace
Accords. This treaty set the goal of “ending
the war and restoring peace in Vietnam.”
http://www.eden.org/eric/blog?p=62
The Paris Peace Accords called for a
cease-fire and kept the dividing line
between North and South Vietnam at
the 17th parallel. It also called for the
withdrawal of all U.S. troops and the
release of U.S. prisoners of war.
http://www.msu.edu/~odomemer/vietnam.htm
By March 29,1973, the United States had
withdrawn all combat forces from
Vietnam.
http://www.eden.org/eric/blog?p=62
Arriving home, may soldiers were dismayed to
find themselves the victims of their
country’s bitter debate over the war. Unlike
soldiers returning from World War II, most
Vietnam veterans were not treated like
heroes.
http://www.chlive.org/kkaplan/vietnam%20%20war.htm
Many soldiers were haunted by their fears in battle and
by the death and destruction they had witnessed. Of
the 2.6 million Americans who served in Vietnam,
nearly a half million suffered from post-traumatic
stress disorder. Symptoms of this mental illness
include anxiety, irritability, nightmares, and
depression.
http://www.eden.org/eric/blog?p=62
http://site.www.umb.edu/forum/1/billw/member/Forums/45141384.html
More than 760 Americans were taken prisoner
by the North Vietnamese. Of these prisoners,
110 died in captivity. POWs lived in miserable
conditions, often in solitary confinement, and
they faced regular interrogations and torture.
Returning POWS including a younger Senator John McCain (far right).
http://faculty.smu.edu/dsimon/Change-Viet4.html
North Vietnam released all POWs by April
1,1973. Another 2,600 Americans were
missing in action (MIA). Some 1,800
MIAs are still unaccounted for today.
Few, if any, are thought to be alive.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/shewhopaints/540811429/
The cease-fire did not hold for long. In 1975,
the NVA launched an all-out offensive. South
Vietnamese President Thieu pleaded with
United States for help. President Gerald Ford
urged Congress to boost military aid. But
Ford did not demand that U.S. forces return
to Vietnam.
South Vietnamese President Thieu
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/21/newsid_2935000/2935347.stm
“America can regain the sense of pride that
existed before Vietnam. But it cannot be
achieved by refighting a war that is finished
as far as America is concerned.”
- President Gerald Ford
April 23, 1975
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6685816
On April 27, 1975, the NVA surrounded Saigon.
U.S. embassy personnel worked frantically to
evacuate more than a thousand Americans
and several thousand frantic South
Vietnamese. Helicopters airlifted most of
them form the embassy rooftop to U.S. ships
waiting offshore.
http://www.chlive.org/kkaplan/vietnam%20%20war.htm
On April 30, NVA tanks and troops entered
Saigon unopposed. President Thieu had
resigned and fled 9 days earlier. His
replacement, Duong Van Minh, surrendered
unconditionally. “I declare that the Saigon
government, from central to local level, has
been completely dissolved.”
http://www.wellesley.edu/Polisci/wj/Vietimages/nva-tank.html
The Vietnam War left the United States in a
state of shock. More than 58,000 soldiers
died in the war and another 300,000 were
wounded, many of them losing limbs.
http://www.life.com/Life/lifebooks/military/gallery/8.html
http://www.yale.edu/terc/democracy/may1text/may1text.html
To some Americans, the soldier’s
sacrifices seemed pointless. The
United States had lost the war – a war
that could have been avoided.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/zormsk/362096734/
For awhile, the country reduced its
involvement in global conflicts. In
addition, Americans no longer
automatically trusted what their leaders
told them (credibility gap.)
http://www.slate.com/id/2134768
The Vietnam Memorial erected in 1982 helped
many Americans – especially Vietnam
veterans – come to terms with the war. The
Wall encouraged Americans to reflect on the
conflict and thus heal some of the war’s
wounds.
http://www.wingettphotography.com/wdc/collection/pages/Vietnam_Memorial_Statue-1.html