Nixon and the End of Vietnam

Unit 15 Chapter 42 Part 1AP USWith help from Ms. Susan PojerNixon, Ford, and the End of VietnamAffluent Society EndsFrom 1945 1970: Average Standard of Living in US doubledProductivity slowed so much in the 1970s that at that rate it would take 500 years to once again double the standard of livingWages stagnatedDidnt drop because more women went to work to increase household incomeEffects of Vietnam on Americas EconomyTax drain pulled money from programs for educationFocused scientific development on military instead of civil improvementsCaused an increase in inflation (along with the Great Society and no new taxes)Cost of living tripled in from 1968 - 1980America is No Longer the BestUSA manufacturing had rested on being the only viable industrialized country post-WWIIBut other countries had finally pulled themselves out of the ruins and built better and more efficient factoriesJapan, West GermanyNixons 1968 Campaign promised an end to the war: Peace with HonorAppealed to the great Silent MajorityVietnamizationTurn the war over to the VietnameseExpansion of the conflict The Secret WarCambodiaLaosAgent Orange(chemical defoliant)

Nixon on Vietnam5Nixons secret plan never materializes.He involved us more.Peace with Honor Well win befoe we withdraw.Expansion:Cambodia invaded in 1970: Ho Chi Minh Trail Laos invaded in 1971: Ho Chi Minh Trail

VietnamizationVietnamization means having the South Vietnamese fight the war instead of AmericaLed to the Nixon Doctrine: America would honor its defense commitments but in the future countries would have to fight their own warsSlow withdrawal of troops was seen as not enough by many dovesProblems in the ArmyWhy? No unit cohesiveness men were placed randomly in units instead of units being trained and serving togetherMy Lai incident comes to light in 1970FraggingDrugsAlcoholSuicideMutiny

CambodiaThe Vietcong had been using Cambodia to receive shipments from N. VietnamNixon orders the invasion of Cambodia on April 29, 1970 without consulting CongressPeople freak out Kent StateNixon pulled troops out of Cambodia after exactly 2 months

Pentagon Papers, 1971Former defense analyst Daniel Ellsberg leaked government documents regarding war efforts during Johnsons administration to the New York Times.Documents said The government misled Congress & American People regarding its intentions in Vietnam during mid-1960s.Primary reason for fighting not to eliminate communism, but to avoid humiliating defeat. New York Times v. United States (1971)Said 1st Amendment protected the NY Times and allowed them to print these documents9Nixon resigns over the Watergate Scandal in 1974.

Ford takes the helm.

Dtente with China and USSRChina and USSR were frenemiesNixon chose to play off of that tension for USANixon visited China in February 1972Improved US relations with ChinaNext Nixon traveled to Moscow in May 1972Led to dtente with the USSR relaxed tensionsGrain Deal of 1972 sell wheat to USSR for 3 yearsNixon at HomeMore Benefits of Dtente in 1972 ABM Treaty Reduction of anti-ballistic defensive missiles for USA and USSRSALT Strategic Arms Limitation TalksFreeze number of long range nuclear missiles for 5 yearsPROBLEMS with DtenteMIRV multiple warheads to a rocket (got more out of the treaties); both countries do thisThe Warren CourtThe Warren CourtChief Justice Earl Warren was appointed in 1953The Warren Court fought for the rights of the individual

Griswold v. Connecticut 1965Supreme Court threw out a Connecticut state law that prohibited the use of contraceptionSupreme Court said that there was an understood right to privacyRights of the AccusedGideon v. Wainwright 1963: All defendants in criminal cases should receive legal counsel even if they couldnt afford itEscobedo (1964) and Miranda (1966): Accused have a right to remain silent and are afforded other protectionsLibelNY Times v. Sullivan (1964): Public officials can only sue for libel if they can prove malicious intentNow there is a larger path to criticize the public and private life of public officialsSchool PrayerEngel v. Vitale (1962) and School District of Abington Township v. Schempp (1963): voted against required school prayer and Bible reading in public schoolsCows Cant VoteReynolds v. Sims (1964): applied the principle of one man one vote to state legislaturesAmong the more extreme pre-Reynolds disparities (compiled by Congressman Morris K. Udall): (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reynolds_v._Sims)In the Connecticut General Assembly, one House district had 191 people; another, 81,000 (424 times more). In the Utah State Legislature, the smallest district had 165 people, the largest 32,380 (196 times the population of the other). In the Vermont General Assembly, the smallest district had 36 people, the largest 35,000, a ratio of almost 1,000 to 1. Los Angeles County, California, with 6 million people, had one member in the California State Senate, as did the 14,000 people of one rural county (428 times more). Dissenters questioned what this meant for federalism as well as the fact that senators are 2 per state no matter the populationNixon Appoints His JusticesNixon was able to appoint 4 more conservative and less meddling judges to the bench including Warren E. Burger to replace the retiring WarrenDidnt work!Roe v. Wade (1973) legalized abortionNixon at Home AgainNixon Expands the Great SocietyI thought he was a conservative?More funding to Food Stamps, Medicaid, and aid to single mothers of young childrenIncrease Social Security BenefitsTo aged, blind, and disabledCost of living increase proportional with inflationHelped reduce Americas poverty level to 11% - lowest in modern timesSS increase actually caused more inflation in the long run!22Philadelphia Plan of 1969Federal contractors had to establish a time table for affirmative action in hiring practicesChanged LBJs idea of affirmative action to apply to groups instead of individualsGriggs v. Duke Power Co (1971) said that intelligence tests or other practices that discriminated against the hiring of women or minorities were illegalEnvironmental Protection1970 creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and OSHA (Occupational Health and Safety Administration)Clean Air Act of 1970Endangered Species Act of 1973Reduced emissions, cleaned up water and toxic waste sitesRachel Carson and Silent Spring helped all of thisShe is called the mother of the modern environmental movementNixon Fights Inflation90 day wage and price freeze in 1971Took the dollar off of the Bretton Woods gold standardDevalued the dollarStopped the process of the dollar being the official currency upon which all else in the world was basedNow everything was a floating currencyElection of 1972Vietnam in 1972Viet Minh cross the DMZNixon bombs North Vietnam including HanoiChina and USSR dont respond because of Nixons previous diplomacyHurts Nixons election bid because he had promised to win the peace and end the warElection of 1972Democrats: SD Senator George McGovernPromised to pull out of the war in 90 daysAppealed to minorities, feminists, leftists, and youth therefore did not appeal to the working classVP candidate Eagleton was found to have undergone psychiatric care and forced to resign hurt McGoverns chance

Was counting on the young vote, but less than half of those 18-21 even registeredElection of 1972Republicans NixonHad brought troops in Vietnam from 540,000 to 30,00012 days before the election Kissinger announced that peace is at hand and would be settled in a few days huge election boost

Election of 1972

Nixon: 47,169,911 popular votesMcGovern: 29,170,383Nixon claimed that his election was a mandate even thought the Republicans lost seats in the House and SenateGetting out of Vietnam1973: Ceasefire signed between U.S., South Vietnam, & North VietnamGot them to sign after bombing N. Vietnam for two weeks straight

Peace with honor (President Nixon)The Ceasefire - 197332Nixon resigns over the Watergate Scandal in 1974.

Ford takes the helm.

Peace Negotiations

US & Vietnamese argue for 5 months over the size of theconference table!Dr. Henry Kissinger & Le Duc ThoThe Ceasefire January 1973Conditions:U.S. to remove all troopsNorth Vietnam could leave troops already in South Vietnam (145,000 of them!)North Vietnam would resume warUS could reclaim 560 POWsLast American troops left South Vietnam on March 29, 19731975: North Vietnam defeats South VietnamSaigon renamed Ho Chi Minh City34Many U.S.-loyal South Vietnamese attempt to flee for fear of execution by the North.South Vietnamese Attempt to Flee the Country 140,000 escape immediately to the US

The Fall of Saigon

America Abandons Its Embassy

April 30, 1975The Fall of SaigonNorth Vietnamese at the Presidential Palace

The Fall of SaigonA United Vietnam

Formerly SaigonThe Costs of the Vietnam War3,000,000 Vietnamese killed58,000 Americans killed; 300,000 woundedUnder-funding of Great Society programs$150,000,000,000 in U.S. spendingU.S. morale, self-confidence, trust of government, decimatedDiversion of capital to the war indirectly caused economic recession: 11% inflation and 12% unemployment!

39Diversion of capital to the war indirectly caused economic recession: 11% inflation and 12% unemployment!

The Impact of Vietnam26th Amendment: 18-year-olds voteNixon abolished the draft: all volunteer armyWar Powers Act 1973President must notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying military forcePresident must withdraw forces unless Congressional approval is gained within 90 days of deploymentNew IsolationismDisregard for Veterans -> were seen as baby killersPOW/MIA issue lingered

Some American POWs Returned from the Hanoi HiltonSenator John McCain(R-AZ)2,583 American POWs / MIAs still unaccounted for today.

If we have to fight, we will fight. You will kill ten of our men and we will kill one of yours, and in the end it will be you who tires of it.

And in the End.Ho Chi Minh:Wars must be of short duration.Wars must yield few American casualties.Restrict media access to battlefields.Develop and maintain Congressional and public support.Set clear, winnable goals.Set deadline for troop withdrawals.Lessons for Future American Presidents44The Vietnam Memorial, Washington, D.C.

Memorial to US Servicemen in Vietnam

Memorial to US Nurses in VietnamThe Middle East and OilThis is just so you know write down the boldWhat were the causes and results of the Six-Day War (1967)?Tensions RiseAfter the Suez Crisis, tensions between Israel and the surrounding Arab countries as well as Arab Palestine were on the rise.

Invasion of the SinaiEgyptian troops invaded the Sinai on May 18, 1967 and on May 21st, Nasser closed the Straits of Tiran to all Israeli shippingThis ran along the same lines as the reason for Israels joining in the 1956 Suez WarIsrael did not immediately engage with Egypt, primarily because of President Johnsons request that Israel waitWar BeginsJordan signed a mutual defense treaty with Egypt on May 30, 1967This now sandwiched Israel between numerous Arab states ready for warIsrael launched a pre-emptive air strike against Egypt on the morning of June 5, 1967. This wiped out over 300 Egyptian aircraft that were on the ground and destroyed the runways so undamaged planes could not take offSubsequent attacks against Jordanian, Syrian, and Iraqi airfields on June 5th and 6th wiped out their air forces as well

Capturing the SinaiBetween June 5th and June 8th, Israeli forces were able to capture the Sinai Peninsula and turn back the Egyptian forces

Israeli heliborne troops in the SinaiDestroyed Egyptian planes on the runwayOutcome of the Six Day WarA ceasefire was signed on June 11, 1967Israel had gained the following territory:The Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank (including Jerusalem), and the Golan HeightsIsrael had also proven itself militarily

Effects on Palestinian ArabsAbout 1 million Arabs resided in the lands taken over by Israel in the Six Day WarClose to 1/3 of the Arabs in the West Bank (300,000) fled to JordanApproximately 80,000 Syrians left the Golan Heights for Syria as wellSome Arabs were violently forced to leave their homesLong Term Effects of the Six Day WarContinued Arab-Israeli conflictIncrease in the Palestinian refugee crisisIsrael was allowed access to the Jewish Holy Sites in Jerusalem that were previously off-limits under Jordanian controlEnergy CrisisYom Kippur War October 1973Egypt and Syria attacked Israel to regain lost territory from the Six Day WarArmed by the SovietsNixon airlifted supplies to IsraelKissinger went to talk to the KremlinAmerica stopped Israel from invading EgyptProblems for the US in the Middle EastUSA keeps supporting Israelthe Middle East is upset by thatthey withhold oilOctober 1973 the Middle East puts an oil embargo on AmericaCalled the Energy Crisis

OPECOil monopoly created by oil exporting countriesOrganization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

Effects of the Energy Crisis on America55 mph speed limitIdeas of sustainable energy (didnt really happen)Refocus on coal (sadly did happen)US would be forever connected to the fate of the Middle EastWould mess up our trade balance because we are a net importer of oil and it is really expensiveOil Prices 1861-2006

Why did this Affect America so Much?We are oil consuming monstersMany large carsUsed oil to run EVERYTHING

End of NixonWatergateBreak In at the Democratic Headquarters in the Watergate Building 5 men from CREEP (Republican Presidential Re-Election Committee) were found with bugging equipmentCreep was also involved in lots of dirty tricks against Dem candidatesBy early 1974, 29 people had been indicted for Watergate related crimesWatergate cont.Proof that government agencies were used to cover up Watergate or harass candidatesFBI, CIA, IRSSenate began special hearings led by Sam Erwin (NC) during 1973-1974John Dean III, former WH lawyer testified that Nixon and top staff knew about and participated in the cover upThe Tape!How do you prove what Dean said?White House aide said that Nixons conversations were taped even though the other person didnt knowNixon wouldnt give up the tapesSeparation of PowersExecutive PrivilegeNixon fired AG and deputy AG when they wouldnt fire the special prosecutor, Cox, who subpoenaed the tapes and documentsSpiro AgnewVP was found guilty of accepting bribes and he was out in October 1973Congress began proceedings to replace Agnew with Gerald Ford (Congressman from Michigan)

More About the Tapes1974 Nixon allowed access to relevant portions of the tapes that had a lot removedJuly 24, 1974: Supreme Court UNANIMOUSLY ruled that executive privilege gave Nixon no right to withhold the tapesAugust 5, 1974 Nixon made 4 tapes available that proved he knew about the cover-up and wanted to use the CIA to keep the FBI in placeImpeachmentJuly 1974 House began to vote for what they were to accuse Nixon of:Obstructing justiceAbused powers of officeShowing contempt of Congress Public backlash after release of the 3 final tapes was so great that Republican leaders suggested to Nixon that he resign instead of being kicked outGood Bye Nixon!August 8, 1974 Nixon announced his resignation on TVGood showing for the balance of powers and the ConstitutionTop: Saying Goodbye to StaffBottom: Leaving White House

Unelected Ford

Gerald R. FordNEVER elected for VP or PresImmediately pardoned NixonTried to further dtente at the Helsinki Accords July 1975Many Americans are tired of dtente because the USSR is not really playing alongTried to convince Congress to send more weapons to S. Vietnam, but no. Vietnam War was over with the communists in charge