Transcript USH 19:3 The War Winds Down - Eastern Upper Peninsula ISD

USH 19:3 The War Winds Down
• Henry Kissinger
– Harvard professor appointed to use diplomacy to
end the war
• “Linkage”
– Kissinger policy which aimed to
» Improve relations with Russia and China
» Negotiate with North Vietnamese
The War Winds Down
• “Vietnamization”
– Gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops
– South Vietnamese troops take on a larger role
The War Winds Down
• Turmoil at Home
– Massacre at My Lai
• Innocent South Vietnamese slaughtered
– Americans outraged at home
– Invasion of Cambodia
• Nixon orders invasion to attack Vietcong camps
• Many Americans see this as a widening of the war
The War Winds Down
• The Pentagon Papers (1971)
– Former Defense Dept employee Daniel Ellsberg
– Leaked secret documents to the press
• Johnson Administration officials publicly supported the
war, but in private questioned it
• Presidents wanted to expand the war without the
consent of Congress
• Government had lied to the people about the war
The War Winds Down
• “Christmas Bombings”
– U.S. launches one last bombing offensive
– North Vietnam and U.S. begin peace talks
• January, 1973: peace treaty signed
• March, 1975: North Vietnamese troops invade
South Vietnam
The Legacy of Vietnam
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$171 billion cost
58,000 American deaths
300,000 injured
Many soldiers suffered psychological problems
POW/MIAs
1982: Vietnam Wall
– Nation begins healing
The Legacy of Vietnam
• War Powers Act (1973)
– Reestablish limits on president’s power
– President must inform Congress within 48 hours
of troop deployment
– Must withdraw troops in 60-90 days
• Unless Congress approves
• Ultimate Legacy of Vietnam
– Many Americans do not trust government or
leaders