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following presidential election → main candidates all argued for an end to the war → sign that Americans were anxious to get out
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Nov 1968 → Richard Nixon elected president.
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1969-1973 → he and his national security advisor → Henry Kissinger → worked to end US involvement in Vietnam
Vietnamisation
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Nixon began policy of Vietnamisation → handing responsibility for the war to SV forces and withdrawing US troops.
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April 1969 - end of 1971 → abt 400000 US troops left Vietnam
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Jan 1973 → all parties signed Paris peace accords → “end war and restore peace in Vietnam”
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with Paris peace accords ending direct US military intervention in Vietnam → Nixon described it as “Peace with Honour”
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Nixon promised continuing financial aid + military support to Vietnam → but US congress refused to allow it
Watergate and Political Fallout
- Nixon → in big political trouble over Watergate scandal
- 1972 → he authorised illegal break-in at Watergate complex to place listening devices in offices of politicians who opposed him
- result → was impeached in 1973
- these political developments → made it diff. for Nixon to gain support congress when it comes to Vietnam war
- Congress also believed → US should not continue involvement in war → esp. given the corruption of SV regime
Final Withdrawal
- by 29 March 1973 → last US forces had left Vietnam
- Ho died in 1969 → did not get to see US forces leave and his country reunified a few years later.
- even with withdrawal of US forces → new US pres. → Gerald Ford → wanted to continue providing financial aid to SV
- request made in Jan 1975 + rejected by congress → signalling lack of support for Vietnam war