The War Ends

VIETNAMIZATION Nixon promises to end war in Vietnam if elected Nixon knows US no longer has enough soldiers to fight in war Public opinion wanting soldiers back home Nixon begins “De-Americanizing” the war 1. turns more of the fighting over to the South Vietnamese 2. gradually brings US ground troops home

VIETNAMIZATION Goals of Vietnamization 1. give South Vietnamese leaders enough time to create stable anti-communist government 2. If could not be achieved – delay collapse of the South Vietnamese government until after US troops were home (help avoid appearance of embarrassing US defeat)

VIETNAMIZATION Nixon began slowly withdrawing American forces from South Vietnam : Nixon takes office 540,000 US troops in Vietnam : 24,000 US troops in Vietnam Still faced opposition from antiwar activists 1. Vietnamization did not immediately end the war

VIETNAMIZATION Nixon also begins secret peace negotiations with North Vietnam National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger meets in Paris with North Vietnamese revolutionary Le Duc Tho (1969)

WIDENING THE WAR Begins bombing Cambodia 1. disrupt supply lines along the Ho Chi Minh Trail 2. Make NV believe he’s crazy - do anything to gain favorable terms at the negotiating table and end the war 3. Concealed the air strikes from American people, including members of Congress and some key military figures

WIDENING THE WAR War expands further in 1970 Nixon sent US and ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) troops into Cambodia and Laos 1. destroy NV army bases 2. hopes to pressure NV leaders into seeking peace Renewed bombing campaign 1. Madman Theory – make NV think Nixon is crazy and will do anything to end war

WIDENING THE WAR Underestimated the NV resolve (as Johnson had done) Even after the death of Ho Chi Minh (1969), the NV continue to fight for independence NV staged major invasion, driving deep into SV (March 1972)

INCREASING PROTESTS Nixon announced that he ordered US troops into Cambodia on April 30, 1970 Antiwar protests intensified around the country “As much as we hated the war on April 29, we hated it more on April 30” – antiwar protestor

Kent State Kent State Massacre 1. Campus protest at Kent State University - students protesting the war and ROTC on campus 2. National Guard sent to put down the protest 3. Troops open fire on crowd 4. 4 students killed, 9 others wounded

Kent State Massacre

INCREASING PROTESTS 1969 poll showed more than half of Americans opposed the war Peace movement became more mainstream and respectable to many middle-class Americans 250,000 protestors gathered in Washington, DC Vietnam veterans threw down medals in front of the Capitol to protest the war

INCREASING PROTESTS Radical Protests 1. more than 5,000 bombs set off (NYPD, Pentagon, the Capitol) by Weathermen 2. attempt to shut down Chicago 3. negative reactions to extremist groups or terrorist measures

Increasing Protests My Lai Massacre – US troops on search & destroy mission to village of My Lai 2. No VC found 3. at least 450 civilians killed

Increasing Protests Pentagon Papers – secret government documents are printed in the New York Times 2. papers revealed government officials had been misleading the American people about the war for years

Nixon runs for re-election Nixon stressed law & order at home and assured voters that he would bring a quick end to the war Weeks before the election, Kissinger announced “peace is at hand” Nixon wins re-election in landslide victory (1972)

The End is Near Peace negotiations stall Nixon wants to force NV to make concessions 1. Nixon orders around-the-clock bombings of Hanoi and Haiphong (Dec 1972) – “Christmas Bombings” Bombing ends, talks continue

Christmas Bombings 1972

The End is Near NV, SV, and US finally reach settlement – Jan US agrees to withdraw all troops and to help rebuild Vietnam 2. both sides agreed to release all prisoners of war 3. agreement did not settle key issue – the political future of South Vietnam

The END All US troops removed by 1973 NV troops invade SV – reach Saigon in April 2. US military rushed to evacuate Americans still working in Saigon ,000 Vietnamese evacuated and taken to the US

Evacuation of Saigon

The END SV surrenders April 30, NV establishes communist gov’t 2. after 2 decades of division, Vietnam becomes a reunited country

Effects on Southeast Asia Vietnamese killed ,000 SV soldiers killed ,000 SV civilians killed 3. estimated 1 million VC and NVA killed Environmental Damages 1. US planes dropped 8 million tons of bombs in the region 2. defoliants contaminated the food and water Vietnamese refugees million SV fled the country ,000 SE Asian refugees eventually settled in US

Effects on Veterans 600 Americans were held as POWs 1. years in NV jails 2. long periods of solitude and torture 58,000 Americans killed 2,500 Americans missing 300,000 Americans wounded - many paralyzed and severely disabled

Effects on Veterans US soldiers were exposed to dangerous defoliants later developed into cancer and other diseases Their children born after the war had high rates of birth defects Returning soldiers were not greeted with parades and celebrations Became targets for anger or shame felt by fellow citizens 1. verbal abuse – “baby killer” 2. spit on

Effects on Veterans Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - horrible experiences caused nightmares, violent behavior, or flashbacks

Political Effects Did not stop communism from taking over South Vietnam Spent $150 billion on the war 1. added greatly to the national debt 2. fueled inflation 3. diverted funds that could have gone to domestic programs

Political Effects Americans view of government changed 1. angry about officials misleading them 2. believed Johnson & Nixon exceeded their Constitutional powers - Congress passed War Powers Act (1973) to prevent another Vietnam 3. The way Americans think about foreign conflicts – “Are we getting into another Vietnam?”

Remembering Vietnam

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall Dedicated in 1982, in Washington, DC Maya Ling Yin – designer, architect student at Yale University Inscribed with over 58,000 names of Americans who died or went missing in Vietnam

Vietnam Memorials Vietnam Women’s Memorial Dedicated 1993, designed by Glenna Goodacre Honors the women of the US Armed Forces who took part in the war Portrays 3 nurses (Hope, Faith, & Charity) coming to the aid of a soldier 8 servicewomen killed in action

Vietnam Memorials Three Servicemen Memorial Dedicated 1984, designed by Frederick Hart His goal was to show the moving evocation of the experience and service of the Vietnam veteran.