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Nixon and Vietnamisation, 1969 to 73
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President Nixon promised 'peace with honour'. He pulled US troops out while widening the war into Cambodia and Laos.
Vietnamisation
Vietnamisation: training and equipping the South Vietnamese army (ARVN) to fight, while US troops came home.
US troop numbers fell from over 500,000 in 1969 to a small number by 1972.
US troop numbers fell from over 500,000 in 1969 to a small number by 1972.
Widening the war
Cambodia (1970): US and South Vietnamese troops attacked communist bases; secret bombing had begun in 1969.
Laos (1971): the ARVN invaded to cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail but was beaten back.
1972: heavy bombing of the North, including the Christmas bombing, to push Hanoi to agree terms.
Laos (1971): the ARVN invaded to cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail but was beaten back.
1972: heavy bombing of the North, including the Christmas bombing, to push Hanoi to agree terms.
Results
The invasion of Cambodia sparked huge protests, including at Kent State University (May 1970), where four students were shot dead by the National Guard.
The ARVN remained weak without US support.
Negotiations led to the Paris Peace Agreement of January 1973.
The ARVN remained weak without US support.
Negotiations led to the Paris Peace Agreement of January 1973.
Why did Nixon introduce Vietnamisation?
- The war was unpopular and costing many American lives.
- He wanted to bring US troops home without simply abandoning the South.
- So he made the South Vietnamese army take over the fighting.
Answer: To reduce US casualties and opposition at home while keeping South Vietnam fighting.
Nixon's Vietnamisation handed the fighting to the ARVN as US troops left. He widened the war into Cambodia (1970) and Laos (1971) and bombed the North (1972). Cambodia triggered protests such as Kent State. The Paris Peace Agreement followed in January 1973.
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