Chapter 17

• When did Kissinger secretly visit Moscow?

  April 1972
• Why did Kissinger visit the USSR in April 1972?

  He wanted to get Soviet support and acknowledge that the status quo in South Vietnam could not be continued
• When did the last US troops withdraw from Vietnam?

  March 1973
• When did the US stop bombing Cambodia?

  August 1973
• When did Richard Nixon resign?

  9th August 1974
• When did the US close its embassy and leave Vietnam, allowing Vietnam to be reunited?

  April 1975
• What was Kissinger's 'China Card'?

  He wanted to use the Sino-Soviet split to the USA's advantage in negotiations with North Vietnam
• Who told the North Vietnamese that they must negotiate with the US at Paris?

  China
• Why was China not willing to use its potential influence over North Vietnam to support the USA?

  Because North Vietnam was squarely within its sphere of influence and not that of the USSR
• Why were the Soviets unenthusiastic about supporting the USA in Vietnam by April 1972?

  The saw an opportunity for a united, socialist Vietnam, and were not going to encourage the North to compromise in such circumstances
• What was apparent to both the USA and North Vietnam by 1972?


  That their objectives could not be met via military means
• What 2 things was Nguyen Van Thieu determined to do by 1972?

  1. Keep the US military in South Vietnam

  2. Reject any peace proposals other than those which would guarantee a long-term non-communist future for South Vietnam
• When did the Paris Peace Conference begin?

  July 1972
• What progress was reached in the Paris Peace Talks by September 1972?

  The US indicated that their support for Thieu was not fixed
• What had the North Vietnamese indicated by September 1972?

  That they would consider a coalition government with NLF representatives
• When did the Paris Peace Talks reach a significant stage of agreement?

  October 1972
• What is important to note about the agreement reached in Paris in October 1972?

  That the South Vietnamese were excluded from negotiations
• What 5 terms were agreed upon in the Paris Peace Talks in October 1972?

  1. Ceasefire to begin in January 1973

  2. Each sides' forces to keep areas they controlled at the time of the ceasefire

  3. Within 60 days US would withdraw forces and prisoners would be exchanged

  4. Commission set up to consider free elections in post-war South Vietnam, and ability of South Vietnamese to determine own political future

  5. Free elections would consider possibility of eventual Vietnamese reunification
• How did Thieu react to the October 1972 agreement?

  He was appalled at the agreement and the fact that South Vietnam had been marginalised from discussions
• When did Kissinger announce 'peace is at hand'?

  October 1972
• What did Nixon do in Vietnam after winning the 1972 election?

  Renewed US military action with the hopes of reassuring Thieu and warning the North that the US would not abandon its ally
• when did Nixon order The bombing of Hanoi and all other important northern cities


  December 1972
• What was the reaction to Nixon's ordering of the bombing of North Vietnam in December 1972?

  There was international condemnation and his approval rating fell to 32%
• What did Thieu understand about the Paris Peace Agreement and what did this mean?

  That it was the beginning of the end for South Vietnam, meaning that the US had to put significant pressure on Thieu to sign it
• When was the Paris Peace Agreement finalised?

  January 1973
• What US presence was left in South Vietnam after March 1973?

  A small air force group and the US diplomatic mission
• What did the North Vietnamese do after US troop withdrawal?

  Intensified their guerrilla campaign
• What did the US give South Vietnam after withdrawing troops?

  Military and economic aid which included over $1 billion in armaments and gave South Vietnam the world's 4th largest air force
• When did the Watergate Scandal begin?

  January 1973
• Who became US President upon the resignation of Nixon?

  Gerald Ford
• What did the North Vietnamese do once they realised that the USA would not intervene post-1973?

  Escalated their conventional forces
• What did Congress reject with regards to Vietnam post-1973?

  Any requests for US aid for the South
• When did Thieu resign as President and flee South Vietnam?

  April 1974
• When did South Vietnam surrender to the North?

  April 1975
• Why did Nixon withdraw troops from Cambodia?

  he feared a domestic backlash
• How many tons of bombs did the USA drop on Cambodia in total?

  430,000 tons
• What did the USA do to assist the Cambodian government in 1971?

  Sent 119 advisers to Phnom Penh
• What did Nol do because he feared a military coup and what effect did this have?

  Discouraged cooperation across the army, navy and air forces, and ignored US advice. This reduced morale and increased desertions
• When did the Khmer Rouge launch an attack on Phnom Penh?

  January 1975
• When was Phnom Penh captured by the Khmer Rouge and what precipitated this?

  April 1975, precipitated a week earlier by the withdrawal of US forces