The USA Conflict Home and Abroad: 3.4 Flashcards
Changes under Nixon, 1969-73
1
Q
Why was Nixon elected in 1969 ?
A
- HUGE part of his election campaign was promising to get America out of Vietnam as soon as possible whilst installing a stable capitalist government
- PROVIDED WAYS IN WHICH HE WOULD DO THIS, NOT JUST VAGUE PROMISES
- promised to be honest and truthful to the public about action in Vietnam
[] didn’t always stick to this - appealed to the “silent majority” of Americans in his campaign
2
Q
Describe 5 different approaches Nixon took to work towards ending the Vietnam war
A
- official peace talks
[] 5 days after becoming president, sent delegates to Paris to negotiate with North and South Vietnamese representatives as well as the VC
[] delegates argued over SEATING ARRANGEMENTS; talks were long and reached little conclusion - secret peace talks
[] August 1969, Henry Kissinger began secret talks with Le Duc Tho of NV w/o telling US or SV public/government - (secret) bombing of Cambodia and Laos’ Ho Chi Minh Trail
[] 15 March 1969 started w/Cambodia
[] army and government faked military reports to show to the public since expansion of the war would’ve been massively unpopular in the US - troop withdrawals
[] began 14 July 1969 - more rigorous ARVN training to make sure the South Vietnamese could survive communist attacks alone
3
Q
When was Nixon’s “Nixon Doctrine” speech ?
A
25 July 1969
4
Q
What was the Nixon Doctrine ?
A
- Nixon’s policies for the future role of the USA in Southeast Asian politics
[] USA would honour treaty commitments made
[] USA would help any ally against nuclear threat
[] USA would provide aid and training against non-nuclear threat but NO TROOPS
5
Q
What was Vietnamisation ?
A
- Nixon’s application of the Nixon Doctrine
[] wanted the USA to withdraw without looking like they had been defeated
[] aim was to return to a state where the US involvement in Vietnam was akin to before the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution of 1964 and Johnson sending in ground troops in 1965 - shifted responsibility for fighting and casualties to the ARVN, absolving the US in terms of negative media coverage of the Vietnam War
6
Q
What were the key features of Vietnamisation ?
A
- SV would remain a separate, non-communist country to NV
- US withdrawal would be done “with honour” and not abandoning the South Vietnamese
- US troops would gradually withdraw
- the ARVN was to provide its own officers
- the US was still to provide training, funds and equipment to the ARVN and South Vietnamese
7
Q
Discuss why or why not Vietnamisation succeeded
A
- succeeded:
[] troops were being withdrawn gradually from Vietnam
[] money, funds and equipment were still sent to South Vietnam - failed:
[] some US military felt that with more troops and a final push, the VC could be defeated
[] the ARVN were weaker and could not cope alone, so made it easier for a communist takeover once the US were gone
[] many people had conflicting ideas about the withdrawal of troops: some said it was too slow, whilst others said it was unfair of the US to begin essentially deserting the South Vietnamese when they were weak and lacked necessary training and personnel needed to stand on their own, as well as a strong government
8
Q
Explain some different reactions to Vietnamisation from the NV and VC, the SV, the US public and US military in Vietnam
A
- NV/VC:
[] positive reaction
[] the ARVN were easier to defeat without US troops there, and the South Vietnamese government was much easier to overthrow due to the lack of protection and panic about the US leaving before South Vietnam became a stable country - SV:
[] negative reaction
[] blamed the US for abandoning them when they knew that the ARVN likely could not cope alone
[] lots of panic about the US abandonment, and impending instability and communist takeover - US public:
[] positive reaction mostly
[] people wanted to get their family back home, and largely did not care about Vietnam as a country enough to justify the thousands of US deaths in the war, especially soon after the Korean War had ended in 1953
[] some of the US public reacted negatively however, saying that they shouldn’t leave without absolute victory or at least making sure that South Vietnam was stable; leaving this early was akin to admitting defeat and shying away
[] many patriots had this attitude - US military:
[] the majority of higher-ups felt that they were leaving too soon and could win the war if given a little more time and more troops
[] the majority of ordinary troops were sick of the war and wanted to go home; many were drafted and didn’t want to be there anyway
[] many of the younger soldiers supposedly lacked discipline, motivation and issues such as high drug usage and fragging were common towards the end of the war
9
Q
When did Nixon authorise an American invasion into Cambodia ?
A
March 1970
10
Q
What was the timeframe Nixon set for the invasion of Cambodia in March 1970 ?
A
troops had to be completely out of Cambodia by the 30th of June 1970
11
Q
How far could US troops invade into Cambodia ?
A
19 miles
12
Q
Why did Nixon authorise a US invasion into Cambodia in March of 1970 ?
A
- since 1969, Nixon had been bombing the Ho Chi Minh Trail that ran through Cambodia
[] Cambodia’s leader, prince Sihanouk, was neutral in the war and so let this happen - March 1970, General Lon Nol (pro-USA in the war) took over
[] instructed the North Vietnamese to leave Cambodia and not to use the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Cambodia anymore
[] the North Vietnamese and the Cambodian communist group, the Khmer Rouge, joined and attacked Nol’s government - US generals urged Nixon to support Nol
[] to save Cambodia from a communist regime
[] to have an ally country in the area that could help to support the South Vietnamese after the US had fully withdrawn
13
Q
Describe the results of Nixon’s invasion into Cambodia and their significance
A
- 11 000 communists killed
- Nol’s government kept in power
[] now had capitalist ally country that could support South Vietnam when US had withdrawn, working towards greater political stability for South Vietnam - significant damage done to the Ho Chi Minh Trail, with hundreds of acres of jungle destroyed (meaning no cover for the North Vietnamese travelling via the trail, exposing them to attack) and many supplies recovered from hiding places built along the Trail
[] also meant that the NV relied more heavily on the Laotian Trail and were easier to target
HOWEVER - the North Vietnamese just used the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos instead, so didn’t actually impact supply or support of the Vietcong
- the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia simply withdrew beyond 19 miles of the border so that the US troops couldn’t touch them or defeat them for good
[] ARVN forces could technically go further but were weak without US support
[] the Khmer Rouge eventually took over in Cambodia anyway and devastated the region with their oppressive communist regime - huge public outcry at the expansion of the war instead of ending it like Nixon had promised
[] many protests especially on university campuses - Congress furious
[] cancelled Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
[] called for less funding of the war
[] called for faster troop withdrawals
[] demonstrated the shift in attitudes towards the Vietnam War later on, LARGELY DUE TO THE ELONGATION OF THE WAR BY US PRESIDENTS, AND THUS PUBLIC DISTRUST AND DISLIKE OF THEIR INITIATIVES THAT DIDNT GET VOTED ON OR PUT THROUGH CONGRESS AND SO DIDNT REFLECT THE NEEDS OR WANTS OF THE PUBLIC
14
Q
Describe the key events of the combined US and ARVN invasion into Laos, 6 March 1971, including the battle at Tchepone
A
- 6 March 1971, ARVN troops with US air support invaded Laos and took Tchepone
- combined North Vietnamese and Laotian communist forces attacked
[] North Vietnamese couldn’t afford to lose bases in Laos as well as the Laotian Trail - battle lasted 4 days
[] fighting was bloody
[] ARVN fled on 10 March 1971, leaving behind massive amounts of equipment in the panic despite US air coverage - massive failure for the ARVN
15
Q
Describe the significance and impacts of the failed invasion of Laos in March 1971
A
- raised many doubts amongst the US public, South Vietnamese and US military about continuing Vietnamisation after the utter failure of the ARVN in Laos
[] this doubtfulness worked in the North Vietnamese’s favour, as they could then use propaganda to exploit doubt in the South Vietnamese government and army to raise communist forces and hopefully incite a revolution - political instability remained rife in Laos
[] gave the communists more power in the region and maintained the support in the Ho Chi Minh Trail, as well as their bases etc. which were crucial for their support of the Vietcong and planning initiatives in South Vietnam
16
Q
Why did the US agree to provide air support for an ARVN invasion of Laos in March 1971 ?
A
- Laos had a lot of political instability, and a communist regime was likely to become solid in Laos if no action was taken
- South Vietnamese continually pressed for an invasion and US support
- Nixon reluctantly gave in after a lot of argument
[] wanted to make South Vietnam as stable as possible
[] an ARVN win would give the South Vietnamese renewed faith in themselves and hopefully lead to more political stability as well as more commitment to surviving as an independent and capitalist country
[] didn’t want Laos to go communist and for the North Vietnamese communists to grow their strength even further
17
Q
When was Operation Linebacker launched ?
A
6 April 1972
18
Q
What was Operation Linebacker ?
A
- bombing campaign in North Vietnam
- targeted:
[] Haiphong
[] Hanoi
[] supply and support from the USSR and China
[] communications systems in North Vietnam
19
Q
What were the similarities and differences between Operation Linebacker (1972) and Operation Rolling Thunder (1965) ?
A
- similarities:
[] bombing campaigns in North Vietnam
[] aimed to pressure the North Vietnamese into peace settlements - differences:
[] Linebacker was MUCH more indiscriminate and unpredictable in its bombing, making it a more effective pressure technique
[] Linebacker targeted USSR and Chinese support and supply, decimating the North Vietnamese war industry, whilst Rolling Thunder did very little significant damage as Johnson feared nuclear war or rising Cold War tensions with the USSR
[] Linebacker ACTUALLY LED TO THE USSR AND CHINA PRESSURING NV INTO PEACE TALKS !!!! BECAUSE THEIR SUPPORT WAS BEING NEGATED BY THE CARPET BOMBING !!!!!
20
Q
Explain why Vietnamisation failed in terms of US troops
A
- US troops lacked motivation near the end of the war as they knew they were going home soon
[] also no longer saw themselves as fighting to win, simply fighting until they were sent home for no reason - avoided going into battle
[] were criticised greatly by their generals and even Nixon, leading to greater disheartening and lack of patriotism
[] generals who tried to force soldiers into combat were fragged - marijuana and heroin use rose out of control
21
Q
Explain why Vietnamisation failed in terms of the ARVN
A
- didn’t have enough soldiers, even after using conscription
- desertion (leaving the army without permission) was common
- many officers were reluctant to lead troops into battle
- some didn’t want to admit their troops struggled in combat, so didn’t call for help until it was too late
- lot of corruption in the ARVN’s higher ranks
[] high-ranking officers were often appointed due to political alliances, not skill, which led to poor leadership and poor conduction of the army as a whole
[] made it hard to know true troop numbers; corrupt generals and officers often falsified and exaggerated the amount of troops under their command so they would be paid more, and others covered for deserters in return for bribing - military supplies were stolen and sold
22
Q
Explain why Vietnamisation failed in terms of training and equipment of the ARVN from the US
A
- as time went on and Congress became less supportive of involvement in Vietnam, funds and given equipment fell below what was agreed
[] the ARVN thus struggled to cope and train and equip their members - due to the need for SV officers, training was rushed and officers were often inexperienced, leading to an increase of military blunders and failures of the ARVN
- US equipment did not come with Vietnamese instructions, so were useless to those who couldn’t read English
23
Q
Explain why Vietnamisation failed in terms of economic and political instability in South Vietnam
A
- USA withdrew whilst knowing the ARVN couldn’t cope
- US departure set off an economic crisis due to the sudden loss in several hundred thousands of jobs
- many billions of dollars of US aid also stopped rather suddenly
- members of the SV government participated in infighting for power instead of focusing on running the country and military
- the SV population hated the government for its corruption and it acting like a puppet government for the US, effectively replacing French colonial powers with US powers
- the ARVN was too weak to hold out against communist forces
24
Q
Explain why Vietnamisation failed in terms of the US’ leaving of Vietnam
A
- Paris Peace Agreement signed by USA, NV, SV and the Provisional Revolutionary Government (created by VC)
[] provided a ceasefire and drew a timetable for peaceful reunification of Vietnam
[] few believed it would actually do much besides giving a ceasefire whilst the USA withdrew - SV government refused to negotiate with the Provisional Revolutionary Government
- March 1975, NV army swept through SV
[] Congress refused to give aid to the south
[] Saigon fell and the last US troops made an undignified scramble to get out of the country
[] Vietnam reunited as a single communist country
