The devastating Christmas bombing succeeded in bringing North Vietnam to the negotiating table for a serious discussion this time, no more games. The relentless ‘Dogs of War” bombardment convinced Hanoi to settle. Nixon’s last-ditch gambit focused their attention on coming to terms. He took the risk of collective condemnation at home and abroad for the […]
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. […]
