NIXON

• extreme anti-communist
• Esisenhower VP 1953-61
• exceptional apprenticeship foreign affairs, travel abroad
• thorough education problem Viet
• want help French & air strike & small atomic bombs
• if sending US boys only way stop communism expansion take 'politically unpopular position' and do it

• K beat N, no political office 8 years
• kepy in news 'victory is essential to the survival of freedom'
• N urge J to do more
• approve more ground troops 'US cannot afford another defeat in Asia'
• victory= 2 independent Viet states (1 comm)
• 1965 onwards repub candidate 
• accuse deomcratic J getting everything wrong 'bogged down in long, costly war'
• no new ideas
• advocate more bombing

• 1967- last man likely advocate withdrawal
• criticised anti-war protestors minority

TET & VIETNAMISATION

• shocked, turning point
• need change US policy
• Vietnamisation SV forces& gov take responsibility
• US forces withdrawn while ARVN built up
• stop talking escalation now= 'peace with honour'
• 'new leadership will end the war'

COULD THEIR SURVIVE WITHOUT US?

• prob genuinely believe he could
• help of a change in Americn aid & change of diplomatic direction
• US diversify methods- dip leverage USSR
• no longer monolithic communist bloc
• no more confrontation, now negotiation

• Paris peace talks
• bomb halt= coatilition Saigon gov
• hawks reject 'nonsese' 'peace with honour'
• Oct 1968- break through Paris PT's
• Hanoi offer Thieu power if coalition gov
• Nixon dislike, fear jepordise him beating Hubert Humphrey
• N privately encourage Thieu not go, Thieu reject idea coaltion gov

OPPORTUNIST

• N change position but no transformation, political opportunist
• advise Thieu not go PT's ensure J not achieve 'peace with honour'

TET

• conclude war not going well
• US need withdraw ASAP
• SV fight and win own battle

NIXON'S AIMS & METHODS

• peace with honour, need Thieu in power, strong position
• SV= independent state
• Vietnamisation
• improve relations with USSR and China

SINO SOVIET SPLIT

• ruin threat monolothic commuinst bloc
• play off 2 rivals, isolate Hanoi
• cold war changed

PEACEMAKER

• political impact 'world peacemaker' appeal to N
• get re-elected 1972
• improve relations China & USSR= success
• intelligent, ambitious end war

• N= foreign policy important
• Kissinger agree

KISSINGER

• jewish refugee Nazi G
• arrive US teenager
• Harvard professor 
• specialised international relations
• travel widely & learnt quickly

POLITICALLY AMBITOUS

• ambitious, tried attach to Ken family (failed)
• 1968 offer help candidates
• despised Nixon 'most dangerous' candidate
• desire power= compromise

K & POLITICAL POWER

• in N admin pretend innocent in vicious political jungle
• treat staf like mushrooms- trodden on, kept in dark
• Believe FP too complex for them
• N agree= problem & weakness, didn't explain policies so didn't gain support
• REALPOLITIK- little regard for morals = shocking
• K contempt conscientous objectors

• K & N favour traditional diplomatic machinery
• N chose friend William Rogers
• Rogers knew little on foreign policy, said advantageous to ensure control over WH
• 1st pile FP paperwork 'you don't expect me to read all of this, do you?'
• K & R relationship= tempestuous

• great deal time together
• K= more influential as time went on
• K= treated with upmost respect by media occassions subverted N's intentions but got away with it
• 2 powerful men= FP led careless of 'larger moral issues'
• N= called it MACHIAVELLIAN 'end justifies the means'

• 'I'm not going to end up like LBJ' 'I'm going to stop that war fast'
• honour require Thieu remain in power
• N hope korean style settlement- 2 separate states
• 1953 Eisenhower achieve Korea pressure on USSR & China
• N tempt Soviet's promise agreements and trade, China= normalisation of diplomatic relations
• 'Madman Theory'  Hanoi think N capable of anything
• inaugaral address 'The greatest honour history can bestow is the title of a peacemaker'

• US need peace at home and vietnam
• presidential inaugural parade burned US flags, spat on police
• 1969- bring peace to vietnam and US

• persuade Hanoi Thieu remain in power (agree)
• use diplomatic & military pressure settlement Thieu reasonable chance of survival
• US not waste time & efforts in Vietnam
• Us split- right-wing & left-wing opposition

• comm launch offensive SV- rolling thunder & escalate troops not worked
• March 1969- bomb Cambodia & COSVN fail
• K= blockades invade NV, deliberately leaked newspapers 'madman'
• Hanoi slow down fighting

3 solutions:

1. Madman

2. Vietnamisation 

3. Bombing

• withdraw 150,000 extend war Laos & Cambodia
• demonstrate US power, counter Saigon pessimism for withdrawal of troops, intimidate Hanoi, better peace terms
• escalate air offiensive Jan 1970
• Feb NV launch offensive Laos, 
• 30,000 Us/ARVN sent to Laos not encounter enemy- disappeared
• US anti-war protests, pressure withdrawal Laos

• US morale plummeted
• 18 y/os sent in, US 'finished' helping corupt Siagon gov
• warnes West Front leaders they would be leading drug abuse men
• 'No Gook Ever Called Me A ******'
• N determine not 1st pres lose war- escalate military offensives
• JCS= PAVN fight ARVN be enticed out& US air bomb and destroy
• raise morale
• N gave go ahead
• Laird- WestM not send 4 divisions in to do that, ARVN only 1- N & K ignore
• Lam Son Offensive 1971- PAVN upper hand, over 1/2 ARVN died 2 weeks
• US TV show ARVN fight place on plane out Laos
• K angry Thieu refuse send troops
• 3 years Vietnamisation failed- no progress on military front

• 1969- secreat Washington- Hanoi peace talks, H like isolate Saigon
• May 1969- N offer Thieu remain in power, US troops withdraw simultaneously, N hint US about withdraw, ARVN ready alone- Hanoi= unimpressed
• US willing accept SV election results, Han do same or US do something drastic
• Kiss sent Nov 1st deadline
• Han insist had no troops in SV, thieu must give way coalition gov
• little progress
• N go to Moscow Soviets
• promise detenteexchange 'linkage' warned hem not reject trade & arms offers

• want US out 1972
• leave pro-american govs in SV 1972, C & Laos
• Han reasle US POWs
• 'mad bomber'

• linkage may work
• agreements USSR & Chinainsist Han not urge Thieu's removal
• May N offer date out by, H stop sending troops SV, observe ceasefire, guarantee territorial integrity SV, C & Laos, Thieu remain in power, POWs released
• 3 years still nothing

N's TACTICS KEEP HOME FRONT QUIET:

• series US withdrawals start June 1969
• timed announcements difuse opposition- September 1969 anti-war activists & protests- N announce 60,000 removal
• K says US will want more and more, N=little choice
• most effected= male college students, N ajust draft so older students less hard hit
• temporarily reduce protests
• 71% approval rating
• try actions secret: cambodia bombing (1969) came out 1970 leak, swear internal wiretapped 
• kept home front speeces quiet- Nov 1969 'silent majority'
• not always truthful- April 1970 said Us respect Cambodia neutrality 5 years 'clean up operation not an invasion'

• N claim minority
• 1970- campus uproar moratorium took streets major citits, millions middle age/class VC flags
• N drop 1st Nov ultimatum
• 14-16 Nov 1/4 mil peaceful protest Washington, candles
• May 1970= Kent state 4 dead
• N= troops out by June
• NYC= 100,000 pro=nixon activists

• N rating fell 32%
• Congress question ally Thieu
• president election Oct 1971- only candidate Thieu
• some senators try and halt aid SV until democratic election

Nixon= under pressure

fail gain domestic support

increasingly emotional, vengeful, suspicious

Camobida Rogers= leak, had him wiretapped

really was Hanoi

• early 1972 air offensive= failing
• Hanoi spring offensve
• USSR & Hanoi pressure H to settle, N out with honour and Thieu remain a while
• Han not want face 'superbly' equipped ARVN
• PAVN offensive March 1972- tanks USSR
• ARVN 'crumbled' 1972
• N Vietnamisation= discreditted and election
• N= furious NV & USSR

• K even if PAVN won while US pulling out N still get credit for ending war
• N= defeat 'simply not an option'- political survival impossible if failed
• N order bombing selected NV targets

• bB-52s used 1st time since 1968, PAVN still advanced
• N want increase bombing
• Laird feared Congress reaction loss of planned summit meetings
• N went ahead
• bomb oil depots Hanoi
• divide moscow and hanoi threaten cancellation of summit meeting
• K gave detente priority, hint US accept coailition gov without NV withdrawal, more inclined compromise than N
• mining NVs ports 1972
• if US strong, world remain 1/2 comm not wholly comm

• N continue bombing throughout may 1972 during summit meeting
• 'get US out with honour'
• approval rating rise
• US offer PAVN remain in Vietnam

• pressure US concessions & USSR & China, failure offensive take major cities, Op Phoenix, B-52s, prob re-election mad bomber
• N= working after 3 yrs
• Op Phoenix found press 1972 so cancelled

• troop withdrawals, Congress no longer shamed grant £ to 'for our boys'
• 55% support bombing
• 78% not fall to comm
• N 'settle or else!'

• Han let Thieu stay power
• US let PAVN stay SV, not insist ceasefire Laos & C
• K suggest Comittee of National Reconciliation (1/3 SV, 1/3 Comm, 1/3 neutral)

• Oct Kiss agreement=
• US withdraw but supply ARVN
• National Council of Reconciliation
• US POWs released
• Thieu= power
• PAVN stay SV
• Us help economically

NO COLD FEET- REJECT BECAUSE:

• fear peace now look like electoral ploy
• might vote deomcratic- peacemakers
• US like right winged
• Thieu reject

• re-elected Nov 1972
• new democratic Congress= no £
• 'swift and severe retaliationary action'

• 18th December bomb/mine Haiphong again
• worldwide uproar, 1000 civilians dead in Hanoi
• K= creack, leak press he opposed it (untrue)

WHY??

• re-assure Thieu
• Us= strong
• pressure/weaken Hanoi
• 'war by tantrum'

• 27th January 1973, Paris Peace Accords

declare ceasefire throughout Viet, POWs exchanged, PAVN remain power SV not increase numbers or take advantage, Thieu= power committee of reconciliation

N promise secretly give mil $ re-construct Hanoi