Richard Nixon - Foreign Policy Flashcards
Nixon’s Peace with Honour
Determined to be the first US president to not lose a war, Nixon announced ‘peace with honour’ in a campaign promise to Americans.
His intended tactics were…
*Vietnamisation - SV military independence
*diplomatic pressure upon the USSR & China
*Military pressure on NV to agree to his peace terms.
Nixons Increased military involvement 1969-70.
Nixon contradicted ‘peace with honour’ from 1969-70.
Although he withdrew American troops, he…
-bombed NV anti-aircraft bases
-bombed the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos and Cambodia
-Undertook a Cambodian Offensive, where he sent 30,000 SV and American troops to fight communism.
Nixons increase of presidential power (‘imperial presidency’) in the Cold War led to congress threatening to cut war funds to South-East Asia.
Vietnamisation 1971-72
In 1971, Nixon tested Vietnamisation. SV troops began the Lam Son Offensive, but got routed by communist forces. TV viewers saw troops hanging off US helicopters to escape battle. - protests exacerbated, and negotiations went badly, only detente agreed.
In 1972, communists launched an offensive collapsing SV forces - Nixon responded by intensifying bombing to force North Vietnam to a settlement.
NV decided Thieu of SV could stay in power, as long as they had a say in SV government & Kissinger offered a
Committee of National Reconciliation.
However, Congressman questioned Nixons sanity when he continued bombing of NV after his reelection in 1972, to show Thieu he had US support.
Paris Peace Accords, 1973
The Paris Peace Accords were signed in 1973, by Henry Kissinger. Terms agreed…
- Ceasefire - NV forces could stay in SV, but weren’t allowed to fight or increase size of forces.
- Nixon promised billions of reconstruction aid to North Vietnam.
- However, Committee of National Reconciliation would contain communists
Chile and Salvador Allende - Latin America
1970, Kissinger and Nixon feared Salvador Allende would win the Chile presidential election, as he would nationalise American companies & a ‘domino effect’.
Nixon granted the CIA $10m to destabilise his gov. & make the Chilean economy ‘scream’. Stopped aid from the American Development Bank, and funded Opposition groups and the media to criticise him.
September 1973, General Pinochet led a coup, where Allende apparently ‘killed himself’, overthrowing the gov. No hard evidence of US involvement, but US attitudes stimulate opposition.
Operation Condor - Latin America
In 1975, right-wing dictatorships in the southern-cone of Latin America created an intelligence system to get rid of socialist & communist influence.
They controlled opposition groups, and cooperated in political assassinations of ‘leftists’ in their countries.
Ended in 1983, collapsing Argentinian dictatorship and 50,000 deaths occurred, and kidnappings.
US has been slow to declassify info, but recent info reveals US financial & technical aid to Operation Condor. Kissinger covertly assisted Pinochet’s actions.
China & Detente
Nixon & Kissinger pursued detente with China. Mao Zedong sought to counter hostile China-USSR relations through a US relationship.
Nixon relaxed Sino-American trade from 1969-70, and in 1971, China invited the American table tennis team.
‘Ping Pong diplomacy’ paved way for Nixons 1972 visit - showed America accepted China as communist state
Beijing convinced NV to accept peace terms, but Chinese concerns about US relationship with Taiwan, and US-USSR detente.
US & USSR agreements 1971-72.
Nixon feared soviet military strength in the arms race.
Kissinger said the USSR as a global superpower needed ‘managing’ - also wanted stability in Germany.
Sept 1971, US, USSR, Britain & France signed the Four-Power Agreement - Soviets recognised western access to West Berlin, & WB no longer part of West Germany.
Basic Treaty in 1972, East and West Germany recognised the permanence of each others frontiers.
SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty) May 1972.
- Ended race over anti-ballistic missiles.
- Froze number of nuclear missiles & strategic bombers being produced - US far superior in both.
Helped suppress the arms race, but USSR began testing nuclear warheads one year later.
