Vietnam Unit 4 - Nixon and Ford's policies - Vietnamization, peace and Communist Victory, 1969-1975 Flashcards
1
Q
Paris Peace talks Background & what nations wanted
A
- Efforts occurred to negotiate peace throughout the conflict through diplomatic ‘back channels’
- 5 different peace proposals from 1964-1972 - none successful in ending conflict - US unwilling to let Viet Cong run the South
- Paris Peace talks in May 1968
- Johnson stopped bombing 5 months after Peace talks had begun
- US goals - withdrawal of Northern forces from the South, South Vietnamese government free from communism, way of removing US forces from Vietnam, de-escalation of Viet Cong activities in South Vietnam
- US reasons for peace - 500,000 troops in Vietnam - public opposed to the war with protests taking place - upcoming election - congress reducing funds for expansion
- N.V. goals - Withdrawal of US forces from Vietnam, Communist participation in South Vietnamese government, halt to US bombing over the country
- N.V. reasons for peace - aid from China & USSR at risk of ending - bombings were making an impact - failure of Tet Offensive 7 limited ability of Viet Cong
2
Q
Paris Peace Talks & why they failed
A
- Peace Talks ran for more than four years
- Challenges to start with N.V refusing to recognize legitimacy of S.V. - 10 week standoff
- April - Nixon administration introduced new demand of releasing all American prisoners in N.V - Nixon promised ‘peace with honor’
- Accused anti-war movement at home of being Viet Cong sympathetic than imprisoned US airmen
- US began troop withdrawal in June 1969 but peace talks continued to falter
- August 1969 - stagnation of talks led to Henry Kissinger - US National Security Advisor - secretly reaching out to N.V. with Nixon’s permission - saw little progress until after the failed Easter Offensive in the North in 1972
3
Q
Widening the war; Cambodia
A
- Cambodia - government of Norodom Sihanouk saw oppressive rule over people and avoided Vietnam conflict
- Communism was developing in the nation with the Khmer People’s Revolutionary Party set up in 1951
- Nixon launched Accelerated Pacification Campaign to increase government control in 1200 villages but too a further step in bombing of the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos & Cambodia
- 1967 - US interested in outbreak of civil war between communist Khmer Rouge & government of Sihanouk
- As US intervention increased - Viet cons built connections with Khmer Rouge through sending aid & support
- Nixon widened the conflict & sent 30,000 troops into the south-west of Cambodia to seize war equipment - uprising suppressed but communist movement still continued to build
4
Q
Widening the war; Laos
A
- 1954 Geneva Conference - Laos established neutrality
- Viet Cong operated in the area due to Laotian communist allies
- Ongoing civil war in Laos - supported by NV intervention - US forces supported SV army in invading Laos in Jan. 1971 as part of Lam Son Offensive - goal of preventing a further communist offensive
5
Q
Secret Bombing
A
- March 1969 - Nixon authorized secret bombing raid in Laos & Cambodia to attack suspected movement of NV troops & supplies
- Kept secret due to supposed ‘neutrality’ of Cambodia - only pilots & navigators knew true bombing locations - mission paperwork & computer tapes destroyed after each air strike
- 9 May 1969 - article in the New York Times exposed the secret bombings & journalist William M. Beecher claimed to have a source within the government
- Led to Nixon doing illegal surveillance & wiretapping of officials to find the source of the leak
- Operation Menu - what overall bombing campaign was called - lasted until May 1970
- Estimated 100,000 Cambodians lost their lives but failed to prevent further communist attacks
- US intervention escalated with the Cambodian Campaign in 1970
6
Q
Widening the war; relations with China
A
- June 1965 - March 1968 - 320,000 Chinese troops in NV - allowed Viet Cong freedom to act in the South
- Nixon wanted to change relations with China due to US never having recognized the Communist government since 1949
- July 1971 - Henry Kissinger made a secret visit to China for talks with Prime Minister Zhou Enlai
- Further visits let to two agreements:
- Neither country would attempt to dominate the Asia-Pacific region
- Both countries would oppose attempts by other countries to dominate the region
7
Q
Paris Peace Talks - Kissinger & Le Duc Tho
A
- Failed Paris Peace talks led to private meeting with Kissinger & Le Duc Tho
- Kissinger made concessions in 1971 with withdrawal of US forces in 7 months is North accepted SV regime, returned US prisoners of war and ended Northern infiltration of South
- Le Duc Tho refused the offer as NV couldn’t accept SV Regime & Thieu
- Further prolonging of war brought Nixon’s approval rating to 31%
- Agreement reached on October 1972 after failed Easter Offensive - ceasefire with armies, withdrawal of US troops in 60 days, return of all POWs, negotiated settlement on government of SV & democratic elections for unification
- Thieu refused to accept the agreement & NV refused additional demands by Thieu
- Military surge led to ‘Christmas bombing’ with international condemnation of US
- NV returned in December and no agreement in six days based on the original agreement
8
Q
Le Duc Tho
A
- Keen for ‘straight talk’
- Believed US policy of Vietnamization was doomed
- Broke off meetings temporarily in 1970
- 1971 - focused on negotiations on trying to have Thieu removed from power
- Aware of US public opinion throughout negotiations
- Willing to be confrontational & antagonistic towards US - saw unification as inevitable
9
Q
Henry Kissinger
A
- Faced domestic landscape of anti-war protest e.g. 15 October 1970 20,000 protested in New York 7 100,000 in Boston
- Concerned Hanoi would seek to capitalize on any military victories after US withdrawal
- Willing to make concessions to NV if non-negotiable were protected
- Aware of US schedule for elections
- Sought to prevent Christmas Bombings
- Found those behavior & manner frustrating - sought to priory impression of friendly meetings in public
10
Q
Vietnamization
A
- Reduction of US involvement in Vietnam war by transferring military responsibilities to SV and enabling them self-sufficiency
- Developed in 1969 by Nixon face of growing opposition to the war
- By 1970 - 115,000 troops had been withdrawn & by 1972 - 400,000 had been withdrawn
- January 1973 - Nixon could announce a withdrawal from Vietnam
11
Q
Nixon Doctrine
A
- Provision:
- US provided training for ARVN
- US provided $4 billion of equipment e.g. rifled, helicopters, artillery
- Extension fo pacification programme to civilians
- Responsibility:
- Territorial forces responsible for tainting security in rural areas
- ARVN responsible for fighting against Viet Cong
- Infrastructure:
- South Vietnamese army increased from 427,000 to 516,000 from 1968-1971
- Poor leadership & incompetence continued to be a problem
12
Q
Madman Theory
A
- Impression given to Hanoi that Nixon hated communism so much that he would be difficult to restrain
- Implicit threat from of a Nuclear strike against NV
- Used to encourage NV towards a peace agreement
13
Q
Easter Offensive
A
- 1972 - caught US & SV by surprise
- NV considered a major campaign after SV failure in Operation Lam Son 719, 1972
- Plan to switch from guerrilla warfare do assault through DMZ - would shatter ARVN forces and leave South vulnerable to be attack from Central Highlands form Laos & Saigon from Cambodia
- NV stormed DMZ with 200 tanks - fighting lasted 30th March - April 1st before ARVN retreat
- April 5th - communist forces advanced out of Cambodia & intense fighting at An Loc - US support helped ARVN and forces pushed out by June
14
Q
Operation Linebacker
A
- Nixon ordered major air attacks in response to the advance to slow transportation of supplies & materials going north
- Tactical strikes on the 20th parallel authorized on April 5th under nickname Freedom Train
- Mid-April - almost all of NV cleared for bombing raids for first time in 3 years
- NV unwilling to make concessions & Nixon ready to increase US intervention
- US feared potential USSR or China intervention
- Took place 9th May - October 23rd 1972 - crucial in Easter Offensive and in limiting ability of NV forces to transport munitions - artillery shelling halved from 9th May to June 1st
- North suffered 10,000 casualties & lost most of tanks & artillery
15
Q
Ford’s diplomatic response
A
- June 1972 - Nixon caught in Watergate Scandal of trying to cover a break-in of the headquarters of the Democrat Party
- Before impeachment could begin he resigned on 9th August 1974 - replaced by Gerald Ford - pardoned Nixon
- Ceasefire didn’t hold - 3000 violations of the Paris Peace Agreement in the first 3 weeks & even though USSR & China aid ended, NV still were sending troops - major offensive launched in 1973
- Summer 1973 - congress prevented further US military operations in Vietnam
- November - overrode Nixon’s veto to pass the War Power’s Act - requiring presidents to consult congress before sending troops abroad
- December 1974 - NV attack Phuoc Long - significant assault to see US response
- Ford couldn’t respond - fought for a $722 million aid package which was blocked by congress
- Two days after Thieu resigned due to lack of US support, Ford gave a speech at Tulane announcing how the Vietnam war was over - ordered evacuation of US personnel as NV closed in on Saigon
