Nixon continued the phased drawdown of our combat troops on his timetable, not Congress’ recently proposed accelerated one-year withdrawal program. He ignored the anti-war riots, the background political noise, and intensified the air war to offset his Vietnamization Doctrine of fewer U.S. ground forces serving in combat roles. One of the most dramatic examples of […]
The Vietnam War Revisited- Part XXIII – Widening the War
When the media exposed that Nixon had secretly extended the war effort into Cambodia, authorizing our combat troops to eradicate enemy sanctuaries, lawless outrage erupted in the U.S. The anti-war activism gained momentum in reaction to an invasion of a supposedly neutral country in Indochina. The public uproar, fanned by mostly negative press, accused Nixon […]
The Vietnam War Revisited – Part XXII – Nixon’s Policy in Action
Nixon radically reversed LBJ’s strategy with his Vietnamization program soon after taking office in 1969. He intended to defuse domestic protests by ending the draft and bringing home our combat troops. Unilateral action not requiring negotiations with Hanoi would indicate his sincere effort to wind down a war dividing the country. It would indicate he […]
The Vietnam War Revisited – Part XXI – Vietnamization Speech Reactions
The Nixon administration’s abrupt decision to radically change the rules of engagement in the Vietnam War was met with both positive and negative reactions at home and abroad. From the military’s standpoint it had pluses and minuses. From North Vietnam’s viewpoint, it presented an opportunity. Would the Nixon doctrine alter the course of the conflict […]
The Vietnam War Revisited- Part XX – “Vietnamization”
“Vietnamization” – That was the title of Nixon’s nationally televised address delivered in hopes of settling the crescendo of public discord over Vietnam; a war dividing the country angrily into “Hawks” and “Doves.” That speech required maneuvering through a political minefield, a history of failed negotiations, pervading media hostility and anti-war bias, plus fake news. […]
The Vietnam War Revisited- Part XIX- Nixon’s Early Challenges
To say Nixon inherited a mess would be a masterful understatement. He soon found he could not persuade the enemy come to acceptable terms either, encountering LBJ’s dilemma. Kissinger’s and other envoys’ intense negotiations failed. Ho Chi Minh died in September, 1969, but his government maintained his recalcitrant policy and goal with tenacity and devotion. […]
