Vietnamisation

• • President Nixon won the election in 1969 as he promised to end the war in Vietnam, but ensure it wouldn’t fall to the communists
  • He tried several methods:
• Official peace talks:

  • Nixon sent representatives to negotiate with North and South Vietnam, and the VC
  • This was a very long and difficult process
• Secret peace talks:

  • Nixon sent Henry Kissinger to negotiate secretly with the leader of North Vietnam, Le Duc Tho
• Troop withdrawal:

  • Nixon decreased the number of troops in Vietnam by 25,000 and began to withdraw them from July 1969
• ARVN training:

  • Nixon ordered advisors to focus on training the ARVN to carry on the war without American troops
• The Nixon Doctrine:

  • In July 1969 Nixon made a speech about the role of the USA in South East Asia - this was known as Vietnamisation
  • It said that the USA would uphold any treaties it had made and help their allies against threat by providing training for troops but not sending in US troops
  • Vietnamisation would allow the US to ‘withdraw with honour’ and that South Vietnam would remain an independent, non-communist country
• • The US public welcomed Vietnamisation but the army leadership felt that the US was withdrawing before the ARVN were ready and that after the Tet Offensive, more troops would give them a chance to defeat the VC