Nixon

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Nixons War

• 1969-1975

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What was the problem in Vietnam?

• His policy team said the problem was Laos and
  Cambodian neutrality
• Nixon decided to expand war to these countries,
  mainly to try and cut off NVA/VC supply route.

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Westy replaced!

• Westmoreland is made Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
  of Staff
• Replaced by General Creighton Abrams in 1968

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Operation Menu

• Covert bombing of communist bases in Cambodia

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Hamburger Hill

• May 10, 1969 to May 20, 1969
• Ten days of intense fighting
• 50 US soldiers killed
• 630 NVA were killed
• Faulty logic emerged after taking the hill the
  US simply abandoned it
• This allows for the enemy to reoccupy

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Hamburger Hill
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Nixons new policy

• Conduct war with a minimum of US casualties
• Vietnamization US forces would withdraw while
  training and preparing a larger South Vietnamese
  army to take over the bulk of the fighting
• June of 1969 withdrew 25,000 troops from Vietnam

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US invades Cambodia - 1970

• Disrupt the plans of the NVA/VC
• Buy time for Vietnamization
• Overall it was very successful
• -US lost 383
• -NVA/VC lost 11,000

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Backfire on the home front

• Saw the invasion of Cambodia as needless
  escalation
• -catalyst for protest at Kent State May,
  1970
• Credibility Gap grew
• Congress repealed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
• Congress forbade US of troops in Cambodia but
  left open air attacks

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Operation Lam Son 719 - 1971

• South Vietnamese troops with some US ground
  troops and major air support invade Laos to
  disrupt NVA/VC supply bases
• Each side claimed victory
• Nixon claimed Vietnamization a victory
• Showed heavy dependence on US air support
• NVA 20,000 South Vietnam 1,700 US 1149
  and 108 helicopters

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Operation Eastertide - 1972
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Eastertide Offensive March to October 1972

• NVA massed 20 divisions 200,000 troops
• Three pronged attack into North, Center, and
  South Vietnam
• Initial success but all attacks were pushed back
  and cities retaken
• Lack of success of NVA due in part to spreading
  forces too thin
• NVA suffered 100,000 casualties and lost half of
  tanks and heavy artillery

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Pushing Peace in Paris

• Nixon claims Vietnamization is working and
  provides basis to get out
• Launches Operation Linebacker on North Vietnam-
  air strikes
• Felt South Vietnamese could hold out with US air
  support
• At conference North Vietnamese stall and Nixon
  launches Christmas Bombing

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January 27, 1973 Paris Peace Accords

• North Vietnam cease-fire in S. Vietnam and
  release all prisoners
• US- halt operations and remove US forces from S.
  Vietnam and dismantle bases, commit to
  reconstruction of N. Vietnam
• South Vietnam agree to reunification by
  peaceful means, allowed for NVA occupation of
  certain S. Vietnamese areas

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Case-Church AmendmentJune 1973

• Demanded an end to US involvement in South and
  North Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
• No more funds would be available after August 15,
  1973
• Nixon did not have enough support to prevent his
  veto from being overridden

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Fall of South Vietnam April 30, 1975
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The figures

• US 58,000 killed and 300,000 wounded
• For the 1st time the US failed in its war
  objectives
• South Vietnam 400,000 killed
• NVA/VC 1 million killed