1. Nixon “Vietnamizes the War

2. Vietnamization
Although Richard Nixon was often characterized as bitter and suspicious, his foreign policy expertise made up for his shortcomings.
Nixon desire to mitigate public tensions concerning Vietnam. To do this, he instituted a policy known as Vietnamization.
This policy entailed removing 540,000 U.S. troops in South Vietnam over a long duration of time. The South Vietnamese would be supplied with American money, weapons, and training to deal with the war independently from American military intervention. This policy would culminate into the U.S. not interfering in any Asian war.

3. Public Opinion on Vietnamization
Nixon’s Vietnam War policy did not quench the thirst Americans had to exit the war, since many desired an immediate and irreversible end to it.
Antiwar protesters staged a massive protest in October 1969, as nearly 100,000 people jammed Boston Common and about 50,000 passed the White House.
Nixon was not disturbed by these protests and refused to acknowledge the concerns which protestors had about the war. As a matter of fact, he wanted them to respect the “silent majority” who supposedly supported the war.

4. As the War Continued...
The Vietnam War would eventually become the longest conflict in American history and, with 40,000 killed and over 250,000 wounded, the third most costly foreign war in the nation’s experience.
The war would also become extremely unpopular, especially amongst American troops. The draft pulled in economically disadvantaged minorities into the war. African Americans were disproportionately represented in the army and also suffered a high death toll. Regardless of race, soldiers fought against the fear of falling through booby traps and steaming jungles, by attacking not only Vietnamese soldiers but even innocent civilians.
Morale eventually plummeted to rock-bottom when a rumor spread that Vietnam was murdering their own soldiers. Domestic disgust over the war progressed in 1970 when American troops were apprehended to have massacred innocent women and children in a Vietnamese village, My Lai.

6. 1st Source
O: This photo came from the Vietnam War. It is plausible to assume the photo was taken in Vietnam since it depicts an American soldier walking in a combat zone.
C: The photo is of an African American soldier who seems intimidated.
P: The photo was taken to render the disinterest American soldiers harbored to fight in Vietnam.
V: This document depicts how the American public was not the only group to oppose the Vietnam War, but even American soldiers denounced it.
L: There is no definite context to the photo- we can only assume that it was taken in a combat zone, but we can’t know for sure.

8. 2nd Source
O: The quote was uttered by Hugh Thompson Jr. a pilot who engaged in the Vietnam War.
C: The pilot speaks about the My Lai massacre, an incident during the Vietnam War in which American soldiers committed atrocities against innocent Vietnamese civilians.
P: The intent of the source is to explain why the Vietnam War was unjustified by referencing to a micro-incident from the war.
V: This document demonstrates how American soldiers engaged in human rights violations during the Vietnam War, depicting a darker side behind foreign wars.
L: Using one incident to criticize the entire Vietnam War might be impractical if this was the only situation in which soldiers participated in unjust behavior against Vietnamese civilians.

9. 3rd Source

10. O: This source likely comes from a newspaper since it is a political cartoon. It is reasonable to assume that the source was created during the Vietnam War.
C: The source shows how the Nixon Administration suggested that there was a “silent majority” of supporters for the war, in spite of growing evidence that American soldiers were committing atrocities in Vietnam.
P: The source argues that the Nixon Administration had no practical reason to continue the Vietnam War since American soldiers committed human rights violations in the nation.
V: The source depicts a commonplace argument which those who opposed the war used to justify why American intervention in Vietnam was not necessary.
L: The source doesn’t show officials from the Nixon administration, but instead shows a soldier, possibly taking responsibility away from the administration for continuing the war.

11. Questions
Argue why the “Vietnamization” policy was not the best policy to end American intervention in the Vietnam War.
Argue why the American public was justified for denouncing American involvement in the Vietnam War.