PRESIDENT NIXON & THE WITHDRAWAL FROM VIETNAM · PRESIDENT NIXON & THE WITHDRAWAL FROM VIETNAM L...
Transcript of PRESIDENT NIXON & THE WITHDRAWAL FROM VIETNAM · PRESIDENT NIXON & THE WITHDRAWAL FROM VIETNAM L...
PRESIDENT NIXON & THE WITHDRAWAL FROM VIETNAM
L obj: to consider whether the USA lost the war in Vietnam, or whether
the Vietcong won it.
US Presidents (during Vietnam)
• Dwight Eisenhower 1953 – 61
• John F Kennedy 1961 – 1963
• Lyndon B Johnson 1963 – 1969
• Richard Nixon 1969 – 1974
• Gerald Ford 1974 - 1977
ENDING THE WAR
• After the Tet Offensive LBJ concluded the war could not be won military.
• He reduced the bombing campaign and started to negotiate for peace.
• March 1968 – Paris peace conference – lasted 5 years!! (
• LBJ also announced he would not seek re-election as President
What did each side want?
• USA – wanted South Vietnam to be independent and free from ‘Foreign’ (Communist) influence
• North Vietnam – wanted the South free from ‘foreign’ (American) influence
• Unclear what South Vietnam actually wanted
• USA – democracy – pressured by voters• N Vietnam – dictatorship – no votes – no pressure
President Nixon
• 1969 elected – said he wanted to bring troops home BUT he could not ABANDON Vietnam
• Idea = ‘win the war and win the peace’
• Reality – no intention of stopping the war
• Aim = Vietnamisation
VIETNAMISATION
• US withdrawal to be replaced by ARVN
• ARVN – trained, given equipment = Vietnamisation (stand on their own 2 feet)
• ‘US boys are foreign and should not be there’ –bringing them home made him popular.
MADMAN
• Nixon hope to frighten the Vietnamese into a negotiated agreement
• He wanted to make them believe he ‘could’ attack them with nuclear bombs
• He did escalate the war into other countries too!
• NVA – used bases in neighbouring Cambodia to assemble its forces
• US had been secretly bombing these bases since 1969
• 1970 – Nixon went for broke – sending 100,000 US & ARVN forces into & invading Cambodia
• They captured huge amounts of weapons & supplies
• In Laos – Communist forces (Pathet Lao) were trying to take over the country
• They were supplied by the NVA
• In 1971 the ARVN invaded Laos – supported by US bombing from the air
• The ARVN were defeated – but they did enough to stop a NVA/VC attack on the south.
US WITHDRAWAL
• Oct 1972 – USA announced ‘peace was at hand’ (almost ready!)
• Suddenly there was confusion
• The South Vietnamese leader – Thieu –refused to accept the terms
US WITHDRAWAL
• Xmas 1972 – US conducted a huge bombing campaign
• Dropped more bombs in 11 days then did in 1969 – 1971
• Also put pressure on Thieu – with financial support promised!
US WITHDRAWAL
• Paris Peace Accords signed – 27th January 1973
• Established a ceasefire & withdrawal of US forces
• POW’s would be returned
• After the North & South would hold talks for a settlement.
US WITHDRAWAL
• Paris Peace Accords signed – 27th January 1973
• Established a ceasefire & withdrawal of US forces
• POW’s would be returned
• After the North & South would hold talks for a settlement.
• US troops left 29th March 1973
US WITHDRAWAL
• Thieu decided to end the ceasefire straight away
• Meant civil war = 56,000 ARVN dead – 100,000 NVA
• PROBLEM – US soldiers spent money in south Vietnam – now gone the economy collapsed
• Thieu asked for help – but the US congress reduced aid – NOT increased it!
THE FALL OF SAIGON
• March 1975 – the North invaded the South
• The ARVN collapsed – retreating quickly
• Thieu resigned
• 30th March 1975 Communists chased the US embassy staff out of Vietnam
• North were vengeful – killing 60,000 of Thieu’s supporters
• Vietnam was now one country – AND A COMMUNIST ONE
How did War affect the policy of Containment.
• Policy of containment was in tatters – showed despite US military strength they could not stop the spread of Communism.
• American policies actually speeded up the domino effect
• Propaganda disaster
• Suspicious of involving troops in conflicts they could not easily win.
Did the USA lose, or did the Vietcong win?
USA LOST
• Failure of USA to defeat VC
• Young, inexperienced troops – low morale
• South Vietnam Govt was weak & corrupt
• Opposition at home
VC WON
• The peasants supported and hid the VC
• VC ambush tactics
• Supplied by Russia/China
• Bravery of North Vietnamese