22.5 Ending Vietnam

22.5 Ending VietnamAn unpopular WarNixon and his advisor Henry Kissinger wanted VietnamizationMake the South Vietnamese take over the fightBut non-stop bomb the North Vietnamese tooNixon thought the silent majority of Americans agreed with him

An unpopular WarThe My Lai massacre (over 200 innocents brutally murdered by us) infuriated AmericansNixon began bombing Laos & Cambodia tooTo hit hiding VietcongHis April 1970 announcement that we invaded those countries set college student to protest

An Unpopular War

An unpopular WarMay 4, 1970 four students were killed at Kent State by members of the National GuardNat. Guard was there to handle rioting/protesting students@ Jackson State (Mississippi), 2 more students were killed days later

An unpopular WarBombings of Laos & Cambodia also convinced Congress to take away the Gulf of Tonkin ResolutionThe Pentagon Papers, leaked to the NY Times, showed Americans that their govt. wasnt fully honest about the war

The end at lastNixon tried to secure peace before his 1972 re-electionDespite the fact he continued to bomb the NorthAfter more bombing, he signed a peace agreement in Jan 1973We pulled out in March 1973, they fought until 1975 when the commies won

The end at last58,000 Americans killed, 303,000 woundedOver 2 million total Vietnamese deadOur main concern as Americans was our death toll, not their deadMany vets came home to no warm welcomeAmericans werent proud of this war

The End At LastAfter we left, both Cambodia and Vietnam experienced brutal communist dictatorshipsThe War Powers Act put restrictions on the President when he/she sends troops to battleHe/she has to inform Congress quicklyVietnam also saw the end of the draft