Appeals to “Silent Majority” Nixon wins 1968 Election Campaigns for “Peace with Honor” Campaigns on Strategy to End the War

Nixon’s War: Vietnamization Thinking Skill: Explicitly assess information and draw conclusions Objective: Assess the success of Vietnamization and the subsequent consequences Prep: Open 2 documents: Ohio song and video from Modern World History Online “Nixon and Cambodia”

The Pentagon Papers – Secret bombing of Cambodia uncovered Question – Were the bombings in Cambodia a good idea? Alternate Perspective on Impact of Cambodia bombing Nixon addresses nation

Philip Gibbs James Earl Green Jackson State Campus Protests against Bombings in Cambodia 4 killed at Kent State 2 Killed at Jackson State

“Ohio” “Ohio” by Neil Young Tin soldiers and Nixon coming, We're finally on our own. This summer I hear the drumming, Four dead in Ohio. Gotta get down to it Soldiers are cutting us down Should have been done long ago. What if you knew her And found her dead on the ground How can you run when you know?

US troops continue to pull out of Vietnam…

Nixon brings home the troops as rapidly as Johnson had sent them.

1973 Paris Peace Accords Agreements: Cease-Fire U.S. Troop withdrawal POW’s exchanged (hundreds return home) NV troops remain in South NLF a legitimate political party SV government remains in power pending a political settlement But… No cease-fire; no political agreement… President Nixon greets John McCain, who had been a POW for over 5 years

1975 – Saigon falls President Gerald Ford took over for Nixon after the Watergate scandal. In 1975, remaining U.S. officials were evacuated by helicopter during NV offensive.

Aftermath of the War 58,000 U.S. troops killed 300,000 wounded Millions of Vietnamese and Cambodians killed Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos ruled by Communists American reluctance to commit troops to foreign wars Loss of trust in Govt. (Tonkin, Cambodia, Pentagon Papers) 1973 War Powers Act limits power of President to deploy troops without Congress’ approval Less money for Great Society domestic programs Sec. McNamara’s Book & ApologyBook Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC