1. Nixon’s War: Vietnamisation
Monday, 07 May 2018
Learning Objectives:
To understand the ways in which President Nixon tried to end the war in Vietnam.
To be aware of how successful these different tactics were.

2. Meet President Nixon
In 1968, presidential elections were held in the USA.
The winner was a Republican – Richard Nixon.
In his campaign he had promised that he would end the war and bring US soldiers home from Vietnam.
Nixon became president in January At this point, 500,000 US soldiers were in South Vietnam.
Now he was president, he was expected to deliver on his promise.
He needed to bring soldiers back home…

3. It gets sticky for Tricky Dicky…
However, Nixon faced a massive problem.
If he suddenly brought all of the soldiers back home, the US would lose the war.
No US president had ever lost a war before.
Nixon certainly didn’t want to be the first!
So he needed to find a way of bringing soldiers back home but also not lose the war.
What on earth do I do?
Task:
How could Nixon bring the soldiers back home but not lose the war? Think – Pair - Share

4. Today we’ll look at peace talks and Vietnamisation.
Nixon’s Options
Bombing raids
Peace talks
Vietnamisation
Invade Cambodia/
Laos
Madman Theory
Today we’ll look at peace talks and Vietnamisation.

5. Monday, 07 May 2018
1. Peace Talks
By the late 1960s both sides in the Vietnam War were tired of the fighting and wanted peace.
Talks to end the war were arranged in Paris in 1968.
The USA wanted South Vietnam to be independent & free from ‘foreign’ (Communist) interference.
North Vietnam also wanted South Vietnam to be independent & free from ‘foreign’ (USA) interference.
Neither side really trusted each other and were worried that if they withdrew from the war the other side would immediately grab South Vietnam and claim victory.
As a result, the talks went nowhere.
A US cartoon from 1968 – ‘After six hours of talking agreement is finally reached – corned beef sandwiches for lunch’.

6. 1. Peace Talks However, things did get better for the USA in one area.
In 1969 the USSR and China had a big falling out.
For a time it even looked like a war might start.
This led to both USSR and China trying to improve relations with the USA.
This might make future peace talks easier.

7. Nixon's attempts to end the Vietnam War Peace Talks – Key points
Monday, 07 May 2018
Nixon's attempts to end the Vietnam War Peace Talks – Key points
What was it?
Peace talks started in 1968 in Paris.
Why did it fail?
North Vietnam wanted a united Communist Vietnam.
The USA would never agree to this.
The talks went no-where.
However the falling out between China and USSR meant both of these now tried to improve relations with the USA.

8. Monday, 07 May 2018
2. Vietnamisation
Nixon planned to gradually withdraw US troops from South Vietnam and replace them with locally trained soldiers.
The US would provide money for equipment.
That way South Vietnam would be protected from invasion from the communist North, and the USA could withdraw with its honour in tact.
This was called Vietnamisation.

9. 2. Vietnamisation But would Vietnamisation be that simple?
Monday, 07 May 2018
2. Vietnamisation
But would Vietnamisation be that simple?
What problems do you predict?

10. 2. Vietnamisation – Phase 1
Monday, 07 May 2018
2. Vietnamisation – Phase 1
Phase 1: Staged withdrawal.
25,000 US soldiers left in 1969
150,000 in 1970
400,000 in total by 1971.
This would leave ‘just’ 150,000 US troops in Vietnam.
Nixon was acting on his promises and bringing most US soldiers home.
But was it working?
Did it run smoothly?

11. 2. Vietnamisation – Phase 2
Monday, 07 May 2018
2. Vietnamisation – Phase 2
Phase 2: Increase funding to ARVN (South Vietnamese Army).
Conscription was introduced to all men in the South aged – but this was hard to achieve in a country as disrupted as South Vietnam.
The ARVN would be trained & equipped by the USA. However, few US commanders believed the ARVN had a chance of winning even with new supplies.
Poor expertise was one issue, a greater one was desertion from the army.
Most US commanders felt the ARVN would not be capable of defending the South once the USA had left.
Problems of Vietnamisation

12. 2. Vietnamisation failing…
Monday, 07 May 2018
2. Vietnamisation failing…
It had seemed that Vietnamisation was initially working.
US soldiers were returning home and their local South Vietnamese replacements were holding their own.
However, the reason for this was the Vietcong were recovering from the setbacks of the Tet Offensive.
The calm ended in 1972 when North Vietnam, armed with Soviet tanks, invaded South Vietnam.
With fewer US troops there was little Nixon could do to stop this.
Nixon was facing defeat in Vietnam.

13. Vietnamisation – Key points
Monday, 07 May 2018
Vietnamisation – Key points
What was it?
An attempt by President Nixon to deliver on his promises and return American soldiers home.
He would gradually withdraw US soldiers from Vietnam and replace them with local soldiers from the South Vietnamese army (ARVN).
The US would provide training, money and equipment.
Why did it fail?
400,000 US soldiers did return home.
Money was spent on training and equipping South Vietnamese soldiers to replace them
However the local ARVN soldiers (South Vietnamese Army) did not have the expertise needed to fight the North Vietnamese.
Many deserted when faced by attacks from the VC.

14. Your Task
Source A criticises Nixon’s policy of Vietnamisation. How do you know?
Explain using Source A and your contextual knowledge.
4 marks

15. A Sample Answer
Source A clearly criticises Vietnamisation as the US soldier is shown as a scarecrow. This is being picked apart by birds which represent the VC/NVA. This links to the South Vietnamese soldiers who replaced US troops being less well trained and deserting in large numbers. It proved easy for the Communists to beat them, such as in the 1972 invasion.