1. Vietnamization & End of US Involvement

2. Nixon’s Election
Nixon narrowly defeats Hubert Humphrey of MN and George Wallace of Alabama
Nixon promised to bring troops home
Vietnamization: Withdrawal of US troops so that South Vietnam can fight own war

3. Draft Lottery The draft had been seen as unfair to blacks and the poor
New draft lottery ended racial & economic discrimination

5. Nixon’s Secret War
Nixon widened the war into Laos and Cambodia by bombing the Ho Chi Minh trail
Goal: to cut off supplies to VC and bomb NVA camps there
Impact: mass protests like at Kent State University in Ohio (4 students dead)

6. Kent State University

7. Paris Peace Talks
1972 Nixon was re-elected and a cease-fire was negotiated (“Peace with Honor”)
January 27, 1973 Paris Peace talks concluded calling for an end to US involvement and the release of Prisoners of War (POWs)
South Vietnam “must fight its own fight now”

8. Dominos Fall and Impact
Saigon fell to the NVA (Communists) on April 30, 1975
Last Americans fled Vietnam
Saigon is renamed Ho Chi Minh City
58,000+ US deaths; justified???

9. Long Term Consequences and Effects
Physical and Psychological damage to soldiers
1971 – 4x as many were treated for drug abuse as combat wounds
Agent Orange is linked to cancer and birth defects
Homecomings were made more difficult due to:
Lonely returns – 395 day tour; no hero’s welcome
A short transition from soldier to civilian status
Some soldiers experienced Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSS) and survivor’s guilt

10. Long Term Consequences and Effects
Cynicism toward Government and Military Leaders
Gulf of Tonkin Affair (was it a hoax or an excuse???)
Lies and cover-up led to a widening credibility gap with the public
Public received mixed messages on the war’s progress
Tet Offensive
My Lai Massacre
Bombing of Cambodia (broken promise)

11. Long Term Consequences and Effects
Fear of Future Military Involvement (Vietnam Syndrome)
We realized our nation’s vulnerability (moral defeat)
The US “didn’t win, but didn’t lose”
Congress passed the War Powers Resolution (Act) of 1973 which stated that the President may send troops to hostile areas, but must:
Notify Congress within 48 hours
Return troops within 90 days if no declaration of war is passed

12. Long Term Consequences and Effects
Attempts at Healing:
1971: the 26th amendment was passed lowering the voting age 18
1973: the draft was abolished
1977: President Carter granted amnesty to 10,000+ draft dodgers
1982: the Vietnam Wall (Memorial) was completed in Wash. D.C.
1995: President Clinton normalized US relations with communist Vietnam

13. Vietnam Wall

14. RESULT: Vietnam proved the US military was not invincible
RESULT: Vietnam proved the US military was not invincible. Our containment goal failed and public opinion on US involvement around the globe has been forever impacted. Was it our responsibility to go fight in Vietnam??? The invasion of Iraq is very similar today.