Richard Nixon's Role In The Vietnam War

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In 1968, Presidential nominee, Richard Nixon, promised to end the war in Vietnam. By 1973, although Nixon signed and claimed “peace with honor,” his presidential candidacy was full of international and domestic obstacles that brought question to many of his strategies and competencies. Though his primary strategy of Vietnamization seemed to appeal to the public, his strategies conflicted with moral values of the American people and even rivaled practices and beliefs established by past presidents and congress. His goals with Vietnamization were clear, establish a gradual withdrawal of United States troops while allowing South Vietnam troops to take on a larger role in the conflict. He hoped to create “peace with honor” while maintaining US …show more content…

In an attempt to forge peace Nixon and Kissinger believed that the only way to end the war was to create an independent and secure South Vietnam (Lawrence, 139). The immediate plan Nixon and his administration employed was a bid for a strategic alliance with the Soviets on American terms. “Linkage,” was the tactic used, hoping to provide a partnership with the US and USSR post-Vietnam (Anderson, 87). Though open to negotiations, Nixon remained skeptical. If he were to pull American forces out, Northern Vietnam could claim a victory by simply waiting out the process. If the United States were to simply withdraw forces resulting with the North eventually continuing to influence other parts of Vietnam and Asia, Nixon would be seen as the fool. This created internal conflict for Nixon for if US troops were removed and a peace treaty was signed prematurely, South Vietnam and its poor economic and military strength, would be susceptible to North Vietnam and USSR influence again. This continued conflict, however “eroded support for detente within the United States (and Soviet Russia),” (McMahon, 133). This lead to the inception of Vietnamization, replacing US troops with South Vietnamese troops, and eventually even fighting the war from the sky instead of on

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