The War’s End and Impact Chapter 16, Section 4

Nixon Starts the Pullout ●Peace talks began in 1968, but couldn’t come to an agreement ●Vietnamization: Nixon’s plan for gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces as South Vietnamese troops assumed more combat duties o Even though commitment of ground forces scaled back after 1968, more bombs were dropped in North Vietnam and along the Ho Chi Minh Trail

Troubles on the Home Front Intensify ●Nixon, frustrated with negotiations, decided to attack North Vietnamese forces in Cambodia “If, when the chips are down, the world’s most powerful nation, the United States of America, acts like a pitiful, helpless giant, the forces of totalitarianism and anarchy will threaten free nations … throughout the world.” -President Nixon, 1970

●College campuses erupted into protests ●Students at Kent State University in Ohio threw rocks and bottles at the National Guard. o One guardsman thought he heard a sniper’s shot and fired his rifle, inciting more guardsmen to shoot  Four students were killed

"Ohio"

o Led to more demonstrations at colleges  Jackson State University in Mississippi witnessed two more students who were killed ●African American university - not as much publicity

●Demonstrations in support of Nixon as well “I’m very proud to be an American, and I know my boy that was killed in Vietnam would be here today if he was alive, marching with us… I know he died for the right cause, because in his letters he wrote to me he knew what he was fighting for: to keep America free …” -Robert Geary, May 1970

●March 1968: American troops searching for enemy troops in an area with strong Vietcong presence - My Lai o Many American soldiers killed by Vietcong dressed as civilians o Lieutenant William Calley’s unit began shooting and killing unarmed civilians ( civilians)  Not all soldiers participated  Inadequate military investigation

o Life magazine published photos from the massacre  Shocked many Americans and fueled anti-war protests  1971: Lt. Calley convicted for his role in the My Lai Massacre

●Pentagon Papers: classified U.S. government study that revealed American leaders intentionally involved the United States in Vietnam without fully informing the American people o Leaked to the New York Times in 1971

The War Finally Ends ●Nixon wins re-election in 1972 ●January 1973: Paris Peace Accords o agreement between the U.S., North and South Vietnam, and the Vietcong that effectively ended the Vietnam War  cease-fire, U.S. withdrawal, North Vietnamese troops would remain in South Vietnam, Vietcong would be a legitimate political party and exchange of POWs ●neither side honored the cease-fire ●Spring 1975: Saigon falls and Vietnam is unified

The Vietnam War Has A Lasting Effect ●More than 58,000 died and 300,000 injured ●Communist parties controlled Laos and Cambodia o Vietnam and Laos are STILL communist countries today ●Nation never fully expressed its appreciation to returning veterans

Vietnam Veterans Parade New York City 1985

●War Powers Act: 1973 law passed by Congress restricting the president’s war-making powers o President must consult Congress within 48 hours of committing American forces to a foreign conflict ●Less funding for Johnson’s Great Society ●Made Americans more suspicious of foreign commitments o fear of “another Vietnam”

Review - What happened at My Lai? What was the ultimate effect of the withdrawal of American troops? What effect did the Vietnam War have on the power of the President?