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Nixon Summary - American Dream: reality or illusion (2Q)
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Summary of the Nixon presidency, including key dates and statistics relevant to the exam specification for A level History.
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Keydates
People/country/organisations
Stats and figures
Nixon: 1968-1974
Foreign Policy
Vietnam
In the election of 1968, Nixon had said he had a ‘secret plan’ he had for Vietnam he couldn’t talk
about to avoid compromising peach talks in Paris
1969 Nixon secretly bombs the communist supply lines on the Ho Chi Minh trail in Cambodia amidst
peach talks to speed up process
- This was part of Nixon’s ‘madman theory’
- 1968 Nixon explained his madman theory to Harry Haldeman was him ‘wanting the
North Vietnamese to believe he's reached the point where I might do anything
to stop the war’
October 1969 Without public knowing, Nixon moved the military to full global readiness alert and
gave instructions to bombers with thermonuclear weapons to fly practice missions along the Soviet
border for 3 consecutive days
The alternative to Nixon's madman theory was his policy of ‘Vietnamization’
- Build up South Vietnamese to take responsibility for own defence
- Would enable politically popular withdrawal of US troops
- Ho Chi Minh denied this on his deathbed August 1969
Lam Son 1971
Demonstrated the failure of Vietnamisation in Laos
7 April 1971 Nixon declared this a success on televised speech
- What actually happened was despite huge air support to ARVN were only able to delay the
use of Ho Chi Minh trail as the Vietcong inflicted heavy casualties on US troops
March 1972 South performed poorly against the communist offensive
- Nixon responded by mining the great port of Haiphong Harbour and using B-52s to
intensively bomb the north
October 1972 North finally propose peace deal due to the bombing, exhaustion, American
concessions, Sino-Soviet pressure and Nixon’s likely re-election
- North wanted control of South government, Kissenger in favour but South horrified so Nixon
rejected
- North broadcasted provisions of the agreement to put pressure on Nixon
- Kissinger announced during a peace conference that ‘peace was at hand’
1972 after Nixon’s landslide election, he gave Thieu the ultimatum that if South Vietnam did not agree
to the settlement then Congress would end his aid to his government
- Winter 1972 Christmas bombing emphasises the point of US retaliating if North
- Vietnam violated the agreement
Peace with honour
23 January 1973 Paris Peace Accords are signed
- Ceasefire
- North could stay in South but must not fight or be increased
, Key
dates
People/country/organisations
Stats and figures
- South continued to exist with Thieu in power
Kissinger
Experience during the war and studying of the following Cold War
He thought previous Presidential regimes wasted US power by allying with weak regimes like the
South Vietnamese, South Korea, pursuing vague ideas of ‘development’
- He emphasised the use of power for defense of National interest and negotiations with USSR
and China
- Elevating national security over hazy ideas would use economic and military means to force
its rivals to come to terms
Nixon agreed with the policy but was aware of the need to portray moral decisions for electoral
appeal so created slight tension between the duo dubbed ‘Nixinger’
Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 1973
Despite watergate Kissinger still ran an effective foreign policy for Nixon
China
The death of Stalin and the undeclared 7 month war in 1969 known as in China as the ‘Zhenbao
island incident’ caused Sino-Soviet relations to deteriorate
- Opportunity for Nixon and Kissinger to drive a wedge between the communist powers for
enhanced trade with China, resolution of Vietnam and push USSR to negotiation table for
arms talks
Discovered the possibility of rapprochement through messages, exhibitions matches of US ping pong
team in Beijing and Kissinger’s secret trip
- Kissinger's trip resulted in China joining the UN, taking Taiwan’s seat on the security council
24 October 1971
21 February 1972 Nixon visits China
- First President to visit the People’s Republic of China
- ‘Only Nixon could go to China’ became political and cultural lexicon
- Nixon described this trip as ‘the week that changed the world’
28 February 1972 Nixon left China
USSR
22 May 1972 Nixon visits Moscow, making him the first president to visit the city
- Stayed 8 days
- SALT 1 was agreed and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, reducing the threat
- Also concluded deals for environmental protection, trade and a joint space mission
This proved Kissinger to be a master of diplomacy, using triangle diplomacy and manoeuvring to
bring the Soviets to the table and gain substantial concessions from Brezhnev
- Kissinger created a situation in which the Cold War leaders were actually in discussion
Effect of Watergate on détente
1973 Brezhnev visited Washington with plans to make this an annual event but Watergate put a stop
to détente
- USSR and Brezhnev never formed the same bond with Ford, Carter or Reagan
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