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Thoughts on Papers

A+ = 98%
A = 95%
A- = 92%

B+ = 88%
B = 85%
B- = 82%

Etc.
 Thoughts on Papers

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Capitalization: Congress president

Vietnam: Peace With Honor
 Lesson Objectives

• Understand the goals, provisions and consequences of

President Nixon's Vietnamization policy.

• Describe the efforts of President Nixon to change global

strategic alignments and the implications of his initiatives.

• Describe and analyze changes in the military situation in

Vietnam from 1969 to 1973.

• Describe and assess the impact of US political developments

from 1969 through 1975.
 Major Issues

What was Vietnamization?

What was the impact of the Cambodian Incursion on the US

domestic situation?
• Specifically, how did Congress react to the Cambodian incursion?

What was Lam Son 719?

• How did Lam Son 719 reflect on the Vietnamization effort?

What were the results of the Easter (Spring) Offensive of 1972?

What action did the US take as a result of the Easter (Spring)

Offensive of 1972?

What was Linebacker II and what was its objective?

Troop Levels
Vietnam War
Casualties
 Buildup In Vietnam

Why was our buildup in Vietnam so

slow?
Vietnam: 1964 - 1968
Gulf War: Aug 1990 - Jan-Mar 1991

Gradual escalation?
Fear of Soviet or Chinese
intervention?
Lack of infrastructure?

Probably a little of each!

 Tet of
Strategy 68 Revolutionary
for U.S
War
1954-1965: Phase I (guerrilla warfare)
• 1961-1965: Heated Politburo debate on
transition
1965-1967: Phase II (guerrilla & conventional
warfare)
• Increased large unit actions (Ia Drang, Khe
1968 (early): Phase III (Tet Offensive) (conventional
Sanh)
warfare)
• Military disaster (VC destroyed)
• “General Uprising” did not occur
• Strategic victory for the Communists none
the less
Tactical Victory , Strategic Defeat
Richard M. Nixon

January 20, 1969

 Vietnamization

During 1968 presidential campaign, Nixon pledged to have

a secret plan for ending the Vietnam War

Initiated a plan to increase the size and effectiveness of

South Vietnamese forces while drawing down size of US
military role in that country.
 Vietnamization

President Nixon gave major speech on Vietnamization policy

November 3, 1969

Text Video 32:24 Silent Majority

Vietnamization begins 14:00
Troop Levels
Vietnam War
Casualties
Vietnam War
Casualties
Cambodian Incursion
29 April - 22 July 1970
 Cambodian Incursion
29 April - 22 July 1970

Results:
Casualties: US: 338 KIA ARVN: 809 KIA
NVA: 12,000+ KIA (estimated)

Huge stocks of NVA weapons, ammo, food captured

US Domestic:
Widespread protest in US, particularly on college campuses

Congress took first action to limit US involvement in SEA

• Cooper-Church Amendment
 Kent State Massacre
May 4, 1970

( 1:18 )
 Congress and the War
Use of Budget to Restrict Operations in SEA

Cooper-Church Amendment (1970)

• Sponsored by Sen. John Cooper (R-KY) & Sen. Frank Church (S-ID)
• Reaction to US-led invasion of Cambodia (April 1970)
• Prohibited use of US troops in Cambodia after June 30, 1970
• Approved by Senate 58-37 on June 30, 1970, after troops US withdrew

• House approved watered-down version December 1970

Significance:
First time Congress had restricted the deployment of US troops in wartime
 Review

US Strategy in Vietnam

JCS Proposal 1965

• Build a Korean-war style defensive line across DMZ
• Conduct operations into Laos to permanently cut
supply lines (Ho Chi Minh Trail)

• Proposed by Westmoreland in 1967, again in 1968

• Never approved or rejected by LBJ, SecDef
Summers

In 1971, President Nixon approved the plan

Ho Chi Minh Trail
 Lam Son 719
8 February - 25 March 1971

Attempt to cut Ho Chi Minh

Trail
Before one draws any comparisons between the
Laos operations and airmobile operations
conducted by the U. S. Army, it must be realized
that LAMSON 719 was a very special operation in
which strict rules governed U. S. While theoperations
military Republic
of Vietnam
across the Armed
LaotianForces
border.could operate freely on the
ground and in the air within Laos, U. S. Forces were
restricted to air operations under specific rules of
engagement and were prohibited from fighting on the
ground.
Lieutenant General John J. Tolson,
USA
Airmobility 1961-1971, p. 236
Vietnam Studies series, CMH Pub 90-
4
Washington: Department of the Army,
1989
Lam Son 719
Logistics
 Lam Son 719
8 February - 25 March 1971

Objective: Tchepone & Base Area

604

Concept of Operations:
US provided:
• logistic support to border,
• air support in Laos
 Lam Son 719
8 February - 25 March 1971

Results:
Casualties: US: 215 KIA ARVN: 1,500-3,500 KIA *
NVA: 2,000 KIA (estimated)

Some NVA weapons, ammo, food captured

ARVN did not perform well in face of stiff NVA resistance

• Poor planning and execution by ARVN leadership

Generally regarded as indicating a failure of Vietnamization

* ARVN reports vary

Update on Vietnam

Address - April 1971

Part 2 - 10:39
Easter (Spring)
Offensive
March 30 - October 22, 1972
Easter (Spring)
Offensive
March 30 - October 22, 1972
 Easter (Spring)
Offensive
March 30 - October 22, 1972

Major conventional invasion on three fronts:

• Across DMZ • Central Highlands • West of Saigon

ARVN performed reasonably well with US air support

DRV gained valuable space inside RVN for future offensives

• Also gained bargaining chip in negotiations

Nixon initiated Operation Linebacker (May 9 - October 23, 1972)

• Bombing of North Vietnamese logistics targets

Nixon began planning for Linebacker II

• Sustained bombing of North Vietnamese strategic targets
 Paris Peace Accords
January 23, 1973

Henry Kissinger (left) and Le Duc Tho initial agreement

 Paris Peace Accords
January 23, 1973

Major Provisions:
 US troops would leave Vietnam by 1973

 North Vietnamese troops would remain in South

 South Vietnamese government would remain

 Congress and the War
Use of Budget to Restrict Operations in SEA

Case-Church Amendment (1973)

• After Paris Peace Accords (Jan 1973), Nixon hinted at US intervention
if North Vietnam attacked South
• Introduced by Senators Clifford Case (R‐NJ) & Frank Church (D‐ID)
• Prohibited U.S. military activity in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia after
August 15, 1973 without Congressional approval.

• Passed by Senate 64-26, House 278-124 (June 1973)

Significance:
Essentially ended US military activity in Southeast Asia
Nixon Resigns
August 9, 1974

President Gerald Ford

 US Drawdown

( 58:19 )
 Final Offensive

DRV planned final offensive for 1976

Probing Attacks
 Final Offensive

DRV planned final offensive for 1976

Encouraged, DVR ordered additional probes in 1975

The Final Days - 1975
 Final Offensive

DRV planned final offensive for 1976

Encouraged, DVR ordered additional probes in 1975

DRV politburo again astonished by speed of success

• Ordered push to Pleiku and on to coast

RVN President Thieu ordered strategic retreat

• Gave up northern provinces to protect Saigon and south

ARVN retreat turned into a rout

The Final Days - 1975
Hué Fell
March 25
Da Nang Fell
March 30

Pleiku Abandoned
March 16

II Corps Fell
April 2
 Last Flight From
Danang
March 29, 1975

( 4:59 )
 US Evacuation of Saigon

Contingency plans always existed for evacuation of US citizens

• Also included “At risk” Vietnamese citizens
• • “At Risk” = US employees and agents

Early plans had identified:

• 8,000 US and third country citizens for evacuation
• Number of potential South Vietnamese evacuees never determined
• • Estimate: 17,000 US employee + 6 family members = > ~120,000 evacuees
• • Later estimates went as high as 200,000!

Late March 1975: Evacuations by commercial aircraft began

• Last fixed-wing transport (C-130) left Tan San Nhut airport 29 April
 Operation Frequent Wind
April 29-30, 1975

Final helicopter evacuation of US citizens and others

Pickup points at Tan San Nhut airport and US Embassy
US Marine helicopters operated from off-shore ships
• USAF helicopters from Thailand shuttled to ships
• Air America (CIA-run airline) also committed 24 helicopters
 Operation Frequent Wind
April 29-30, 1975

Helicopter operations from Saigon progressed smoothly

 Operation Frequent Wind
April 29-30, 1975

April 30, 1975 - 7:53 AM

Last US Marine helicopter lifted off the roof of the US Embassy

 Evacuation of Saigon

Iconic image: “Evacuation from the U.S. Embassy roof”

U.S. Embassy - Saigon

1972
 Evacuation of Saigon

Pittman Apartment building used by CIA staff

(top of elevator shaft - not a heliport)
Story
 Operation Frequent Wind
April 29-30, 1975

Meanwhile, as South Vietnam forces crumbled …

…scores of VNAF officers commandeered aircraft and headed to

Thailand or the US fleet offshore.

Created desk space problem on

aircraft carrier USS Midway

Scenes Ditching
 Operation Frequent Wind

VNAF Major Ly Buang, wife, five

children arrive on USS Midway
 Operation Frequent Wind

Major Ly Buang’s
O-1 aircraft

USS Midway after stop in Thailand to retrieve fixed wing aircraft

 Fall of Saigon
April 30, 1975

( 6:06 )
 What went wrong in
Vietnam?
Those who cannot remember the past
are doomed to repeat it.

-- George Santyana (1863-1952), 1905

Next:

Vietnam: Lessons Learned

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