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NIXON'S VIETNAM - 1969-1974 - Coggle Diagram
NIXON'S VIETNAM - 1969-1974
VIETNAMISATION
bombing campaigns e.g. Op Linebacker I and II to support weak ARVN
TROOPS
in order to reduce US troop involvement in Vietnam - increasing training and recruitment of ARVN and pulling out US ground forces
US troops - 535k in 1968, 47k in 1972
ARVN troops - 82k in 1968, over 1m in 1970
CONSEQUENCES
rushed process led to poorly trained and unmotivated ARVN, supported by US bombing
undermined 'peace with honour' message as it shunted the fighting onto ARVN
CAMBODIA AND LAOS - 'WIDENING THE WAR'
AIMS
sever HCM trail - pressure on NV to agree to negotiations
Operation Menu 1969
destroy NV and VC 'safe areas'
CONSEQUENCES
reduced VC ability to operate in Cambodia but as they were pushed in they supported Khmer Rouge - Pol Pot brutal regime
undermined 'peace with honour' message
increased US public opposition to the war - Kent State Shootings May 1970 in protest of bombing in Cambodia
GOT Resolution revoked in 1971 due to public opposition to the war
TALKS WITH CHINA
Sino-Soviet Split had led to US and China diplomacy
Henry Kissinger and Nixon visits to Beijing in 1971 and 1972
Sought to persuade Mao to pressure NV into agreeing peace talks - didn't work but helpful for general Cold War diplomacy
CONCLUSIONS
Nixon's policies in Vietnam proved to be contradictory but ultimately effective in removing US from the immediate conflict - the slow movement of the peace talks, punctuated with brutal bombing campaigns, undermined the 'peace with honour' message out across by Nixon and Kissinger
Nixon effectively removed US troops from Vietnam as he said he would, but did so at the cost of victory and many ARVN lives
continually undermined his own popularity with 'Widening of the War' that increased public opposition to US policy despite removing US troops
PEACE TALKS
By 1972 = military stalemate so peace talks
US TACTICS
Public peace talks from 1968 but Kissinger secret talks from 1969 with Le Duc Tho were more successful
SV President Thieu was determined to keep US forces in SV but US determined to retract forces - Thieu appalled at being excluded from talks
bombing to pressure NV to negotiate
RESULTS
peace agreement reached in October 1972 but Christmas Bombings push NV to ratify
Peace agreement 27 Jan 1973
US forces leave in 60 days
ceasefire
free elections to reunify Vietnam