Nixon - Hero or Villain?

• After the Christmas bombing of 1972, Nixon declared peace on 27th January 1973, the Paris Peace Accord was essentially exactly the same as that of the previous year.

What did they agree to

• ceasefire in Vietnam, though not in Laos or Cambodia
• Prisoners of war to be returned
• America would withdraw all of its troops within 6 months
• PAVN could stay in south Vietnam
• the Committee of National Reconciliation was set up to hold elections
• Nixon secretly promised billions of dollars to rebuild Hanoi

For this negotiation both Kissinger and Le Duc Tho were later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

1968 - Nixon decided the U.S. must get out.

4 years and 20,000 more U.S. soldiers dead he does so.

The slow way out meant that

• U,S. soldiers knew they could not win
• U.S. anti-war protestors would be angered
• As would pro-war citizens
• Drafting continued into June 30th 1973

So why did he do it?

1. Thieu
He needed to still appear strong. In 1969 N.V. were still demanding Thieu to leave. The U.S. couldn't face this, so they had to leave Thieu with some means of survival.

2. Pride