Nixon and Vietnam Flashcards
(96 cards)
How has Nixon and the war been viewed so far?
He must come up with a plan as the pressure is intensifying on him. The war has come back home and Americans are perceiving it badly.
Why was Cambodia a perception problem for America?
We have been to Cambodia before, so that was normal, but when people found out we went into Cambodia, then anger arose.
What was Nixon’s plan for the Vietnam War?
Peace with Honor
What were the two parts Nixon used to carry out Peace With Honor?
- The Madman Theory
- Vietnamization
What was the Madman Theory?
A game of Good Cop bad Cop
Who was the Good Cop?
Henry Kissinger
Who was the Bad Cop?
Nixon
Whose side is the Good Cop really on?
The bad cop’s side, but wants to seem nice to the person convicted
Who was Henry Kissinger?
Nixon’s National Security Advisor in 1st term, becomes Secretary of State in 2nd term, very smart man, expert in foreign policy and diplomacy.
Why was it natural for Nixon to be the Bad Cop?
- Presidential power
- political career
How did Nixon’s Presidential power help him be the Bad Cop?
He is President because he can do whatever, he has authority to take all necessary steps under Gulf of Tonkin.
How did Nixon’s political experience help him be the Bad Cop?
He has become the popular American anti-Communist face.
What events in Nixon’s political background helped him become the Anti-Communist face of America?
- Kitchen Debate with Khrushchev
- Pumpkin Papers with Alger Hiss
- Interviewing Castro in Cuba
Who is the person Nixon and Kissinger want to play as the criminal in Vietnam?
Le Duc Tho
Who is Le Duc Tho?
North Vietnamese negotiator
Where did we negotiate with Tho?
Paris
Why is it ironic that we negotiate in Paris with Tho?
We got in the war because of French’s loss at Dien Bien Phu and we get out of war in France.
What does a good cop do?
He comes in, apologizes for bad cop and cares and calmly counsels with him and discusses the issue, he is “best friend” but is still in favor with the bad cop
What does a bad cop do?
He comes in and gives aggressive harshness to criminal
What did Nixon hope Vietnamization would help him do?
appease some of the pressure on him from the American people
What was the plan for Vietnamization?
To turn our ground combat over to the ARVN to fight the north themselves.
What did Nixon think of Vietnamization of the war?
What the war should have been from day one, as our arrogance got the best of us, we should have let it be their war.
How was the US the “bad parent” during the Vietnam War?
We are doing all the work for the South Vietnamese and they have not learned anything during the war, and we lose it for them anyways.
How did Nixon carry out Vietnamization?
Under Johnson, we increased our troops, Nixon will slowly decrease our troops there, as we slowly remove our troops from Vietnam.