The End of the War & its Legacy 22-5 – pp. 754-761

Nixon & Vietnamization In the summer of 1969 Pres. Nixon announced the first US troop withdrawal from Vietnam. The previous January negotiations to end the conflict got underway but stalled over who should withdraw & who should be in power in S. Vietnam (text p. 755). National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, devised a plan titled “VIETNAMIZATION” that called for the gradual withdrawal of US troops to allow the South Vietnamese army to play a more active combat role in the war. Over the next 3 years the number of US troops fell from over 500,000 to less than 25,000! Vietnamization was based on the idea of “peace with honor” – allowing the US to maintain its dignity in the face of its withdrawal from war. Nixon also wanted to maintain US power at the negotiations. He also wanted the SV government to remain in place. However, at the same time Nixon ordered massive bombing campaign against the NV supply routes & bases. He also Ok’d the bombing of neighboring countries Laos & Cambodia, which were believed to be harboring Vietcong. See “MADMAN” theory quote on page 755.

Public Reaction to Nixon’s Vietnam War Policy… Silent Majority- referred to moderate, mainstream Americans who quietly supported the US war effort in Vietnam. Mai Lai – A US platoon in 1968 massacred innocent civilians in this small Vietnamese village while searching for Vietcong. Shocked the nation. Invasion of Cambodia – ordered by Nixon in 1970 to clear out N. Vietnamese & Vietcong supply centers. This set off college protests at home& angered Congress as Nixon acted without their order. Kent State – a major University in Ohio where a massive student protest led to the burning of an ROTC building leading to the National Guard being called in to keep peace. In May of 1970 a National Guardsman fired live rounds into a crowd of student protestors killing 4. Jackson State – shortly after Kent State at this Mississippi University National Guardsman again fired on a crowd of student protestors killing 2. Pentagon Papers – revealed US involvement with Vietnam going back to the Truman administration & also showed a detailed history of diplomatic & military secrets that were kept from the American people; although not especially damaging to Nixon directly he took great measures to keep them from being published.

Final outcome of the vietnam war The Christmas Bombings: The US dropped 100,000 bombs on N. Vietnam over the course of 11 days, stopping only on Christmas. Part of Nixon’s “Final Push” after another round of peace talks between the 2 sides had fallen apart. Terms of Agreement at war’s end: Shortly after the Christmas bombing campaign ended the warring parties returned to the peace table & hammered out this agreement on 1-27-73. Under the agreement there would be a ceasefire & NV troops would remain in SV, however, if they acted aggressively the US would respond with “full force”; the last of the US combat troops withdrew in March of 1973. Fate of South Vietnam after American troop withdrawal: The cease-fire collapsed & fighting between NV & SV escalated until 1975 when NV launched a full scale invasion of SV. The US provided economic aid to SV but no troops; in 1975 Saigon fell to NV & SV surrendered to NV.

Legacies of the vietnam war Human costs:58,000 US killed in action; 300,000 wounded; (NV & SV deaths were over 2 million). Returning Vietnam Veterans: Families of Vietnam Vets welcomed them home put the nation as a whole gave them a cold return; no celebrations or parades- rather many faced indifference or hostility from a war bitter nation. Also – many vets suffered from severe PTSD making their return harder. Within Vietnam: this war left Vietnam divided & unstable. Harsh treatment of SV by NV led to many refugees (“boat people”). Within Cambodia: US invasion of Cambodia (looking for Vietcong) led to brutal Civil War; the Communist Khmer Rouge (Pol Pot) seized power & perpetrated a genocide that lead to the deaths of an estimated million people.

4 Legacies of the War in vietnam… Because the war was so controversial & had divided the nation into supporters & opposers (Hawks & Doves) those divisions persisted & chipped away at the American morale. The fact that we had not clearly won also shocked many. The war led to major US policy changes (draft was abolished; the power of the President to wage war was cut back (“War Powers Act” said the Pres. Must inform Congress w/in 48 hrs. of sending forces into a hostile area without a declaration of war & those troops may only remain for 90 days unless Congress declares war). The war significantly altered Americans’ views on foreign policy – made people wary of the US intervening in the affairs of other nations. Contributed to cynicism (diminished faith) among Americans about their government & political leaders since they provided a lot of false information about the war.

Chapter 22 test is tomorrow! Test Preparation… Test Construction Multiple Choice Matching (names & bold terms) 5 Review questions (1st televised debate; Warren Commission; Truman’s goal w/ atomic bomb; Eisenhower Doctrine; Voting Rights Act of 1965 TOTAL TEST POINTS: 50 *first test of MP4 – get off to a good start!! Use review on front of packet; See power points for the chapter on the web page; Make sure you have read all sections; Practice with the Chapter Assessment on p. 764-765