American History Chapter 29-4

The War Ends

President Nixon & the Vietnam War

• Henry Kissinger: Nixon’s National Security Adviser– Tried to negotiate a peace agreement with the North

Vietnamese.

President Nixon’s national security adviser, Henry Kissinger (left), and North Vietnamese leader Le Duc Tho (right) negotiated an end to the war in secret meetings in Paris.

Nixon’s Strategy: “Peace With Honor.”• Vietnamization: Turn over more of the fighting to the

South Vietnamese & gradually reduce the number of U.S. troops.– This would give the South, time, to set up a stable, anti-

Communist gov’t.

• Nixon gradually reduced U.S. forces in Vietnam:– 540,000 troops in 1969 to 24,000 troops in 1972.

Nixon’s “Madman Theory”

• Reduced the number of troops but secretly widened the bombing into Cambodia.

• 1970: Nixon sent troops into Cambodia/Laos & renewed the bombing of North Vietnam.

• Nixon wanted the enemy to believe that he would do anything to stop the war.

• “Madman Theory” did not work as he underestimated the enemy’s determination.

Antiwar Protests Grow• May 4, 1970: Tragedy at Kent State University.– National Guard soldiers fire into a group of student protesters.– 4 dead, 9 wounded.

Troubling News• My Lai Massacre: U.S. Lt. William Calley & his men

entered a Vietnamese village on a search and destroy mission.– Found no Vietcong fighters – instead killed 450 women,

children, and elderly men.

New York Times – Cover up?• Pentagon Papers: Secret gov’t. documents

suggesting that the gov’t. had been misleading the American public about the Vietnam War.– Leaked to the press in 1971.

U.S. Involvement Ends• 26th Amendment: Reduced voting age to 18.• Nixon wins re-election in 1972.• Peace agreement: Jan. 1973– U.S. removes all troops.

• April, 1975 South Vietnam surrenders to North Vietnam.• Khmer Rouge: Brutal Communists that take control of

Cambodia.• War Powers Act: Set a 60 - day limit on the presidential

commitment of troops to a foreign conflict without Congressional approval.

Effects of the Vietnam War• U.S. casualties: 300,000 wounded, 58,000 dead,

2,500 missing.– Later health problems.– Negativity.

• South Vietnam: 185,000 soldiers killed. 450,000 civilians killed.

• North Vietnamese soldiers & Vietcong: 1 million dead.

• Severe environmental damage.