Nixon Vietnam War Analysis

Nixon’s principle objective was to reduce U.S involvement in the war, so he began the process called Vietnamization which gave the South Vietnam the money, the weapons, and the training that they need to take over the full conduct of the war. In return, the U.S troops would gradually withdraw from Vietnam. The president proclaimed the Nixon Doctrine, declaring that in the future Asian allies would receive U.S support but without the extensive use of U.S ground forces. Nixon’s Vietnamization process reduce the number of antiwar protests, but when the president expanded the war by using U.s forces to invade Cambodia in order to destroy Vietnam’s communist base, a nationwide protest occurred. U.S senate voted to repeal the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

when four youths were killed in the protests of college campuses. Nixon sent Kissinger conduct secret meetings with North Vietnam’s foreign minister, Le Duc Thou, and when the two sides could not reach a deal, Nixon ordered a massive bombing of North Vietnam to force a settlement. After several weeks of B-52 bomber attacks, North Vietnam agreed to an armistice, in which U.S would withdraw the last of its troops and get back over 500 prisoners of war. The Paris Accords of January 1973 also promised a cease-fire and free elections. The $118 billion spent on the war began an inflationary cycle that racked the U.S economy for years afterward. Nixon also set formal diplomatic relations with Communist nations to reduce tensions. Nixon also signed important treaties to limit the production of nuclear weapons with Soviet Union after the first round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks. Nixon’s visit to China initiated diplomatic exchanges that ultimately led to U.S recognition in 1979. Their diplomacy was praised for bring about détente- a deliberate reduction of Cold War Tensions. On domestic policies, Nixon proposed the Family Assistance Plan, which would have replaced welfare by providing a guaranteed annual income for working Americans. Nixon succeeded in shifting some of the responsibilities for social programs from the federal to the state and local levels. In a program of New Federalism, Congress approved giving local governments $30 billion in block grants over five years to address local needs as they fit. Nixon also attempted to bypass Congress by impounding funds appropriated for social programs. U.S economy through 1970s faced the unusal combination of economic slowdown and high inflation, known as stagflation. Nixon first tried to cut down the federal spending, but it didn’t work. Then he adopted Keynesian economic and deficit spending as not to alienate middle-class and blue-collar Americans. In August 1971, he surprised the nation by imposing 90-day wage and price freeze. Next, he took off the gold standard, which helped to devalue it relative to foreign currencies. This action, combined with a 10 percent surtax on all imports, improved the U.S balance of trade with foreign competitors. By 1972, the recession was over. In that year, Congress approved automatic increase for Social Security benefits based on the annual rise in the cost of living. This measure protected seniors, the poor, and the disabled from the worst effects on inflation but also contributed to the budget problems in the future. In 1972, Congress passed Title IX, a statue to end sex discrimination in schools that received federal funding. Though far reaching, the law is best known for its requirement that schools provide girls with equal athletic opportunities. When the liberal judges of the Supreme Court retired, Nixon placed them with more conservative members, appointing Warren E. Burger. The Burger Court was more conservative than Warren Court, but several of its major decision angered conservatives. For example, in 1971, the court order busing to achieve radical balance in the schools.

The court’s most controversial ruling was Roe V. Wade (1973) which the court struck down many state laws prohibiting abortions as a violation of a women’s right to

privacy. In the election 1972, Nixon’s reelection was practically assured by 1) his foreign policy success in China and the Soviet Union, 2) the removal of George Wallace from the race by an assassin’s bullet that paralyzed the Alabama populist, 3) the nomination by the Democrats of a very liberal, antiwar, antiestablishment candidate, Senator George McGovern.

Within a few months, "Watergate" scandal which was a break-in at the offices of the Democratic National Committee during the 1972 campaign went beyond public humiliation of Nixon and his administration. The break-in was traced to officials of the Committee to re-elected president. Nixon denied any personal involvement, but secret tapes of White House conversations later revealed that the president had participated in efforts to cover up the criminal activity. The House Judiciary Committee voted three articles of impeachment: obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress. Further discrediting Nixon was the news that he had authorized 3,500 secret bombing raids in Cambodia, a neutral country. Also when the U.S supported Israel, it caused worldwide oil shortage and long lines at gas station in the United States as the Arab members of OPEC placed an embargo on oil sold to Israel’s supporters. More than that, the impact on U.S economy was worse because the country now suffered from inflation, unemployment, and low living

standards. Faced with what seemed almost certain impeachment, on August 8, 1974, Nixon announced that he would resign the next day. Watergate had a paralyzing effect on the political system in mid 1970s, and contributed to a growing loss of faith in the federal government.