Nixon, Ford and the Abandonment of South Vietnam

South Vietnam fell because of events occurring thousands of miles away from the battlefields--in China, the Soviet Union, Latin America, the Middle East, and Washington's corridors of power, along protest lines, and around America's dinner tables. These other wars being fought by American presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford profoundly impacted what happened in Vietnam.

This work examines those other conflicts and the political, social, and economic factors involved with them that distracted and crippled the presidencies of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford and led to the eventual abandonment of the U.S.-supported South Vietnamese regime. Nixon entered office with the goal of bringing the world together, but saw that goal ruined by the 1973 war in the Middle East, preoccupations with China and the Soviet Union, a weak economy, Watergate, and his disgraceful exit from the White House. Ford's presidency was tainted almost from the beginning because of the pardon he granted to Nixon, but the American public, tired of war and concerned about the economy, was ready to hear that the war had come to an end. An argument is presented that the war could have been won if the "other wars" had been fought by presidents willing to honor the American commitment to its allies in South Vietnam.

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Nixon, Ford and the Abandonment of South Vietnam

South Vietnam fell because of events occurring thousands of miles away from the battlefields--in China, the Soviet Union, Latin America, the Middle East, and Washington's corridors of power, along protest lines, and around America's dinner tables. These other wars being fought by American presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford profoundly impacted what happened in Vietnam.

This work examines those other conflicts and the political, social, and economic factors involved with them that distracted and crippled the presidencies of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford and led to the eventual abandonment of the U.S.-supported South Vietnamese regime. Nixon entered office with the goal of bringing the world together, but saw that goal ruined by the 1973 war in the Middle East, preoccupations with China and the Soviet Union, a weak economy, Watergate, and his disgraceful exit from the White House. Ford's presidency was tainted almost from the beginning because of the pardon he granted to Nixon, but the American public, tired of war and concerned about the economy, was ready to hear that the war had come to an end. An argument is presented that the war could have been won if the "other wars" had been fought by presidents willing to honor the American commitment to its allies in South Vietnam.

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Nixon, Ford and the Abandonment of South Vietnam

Nixon, Ford and the Abandonment of South Vietnam

Nixon, Ford and the Abandonment of South Vietnam

Nixon, Ford and the Abandonment of South Vietnam

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Overview

South Vietnam fell because of events occurring thousands of miles away from the battlefields--in China, the Soviet Union, Latin America, the Middle East, and Washington's corridors of power, along protest lines, and around America's dinner tables. These other wars being fought by American presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford profoundly impacted what happened in Vietnam.

This work examines those other conflicts and the political, social, and economic factors involved with them that distracted and crippled the presidencies of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford and led to the eventual abandonment of the U.S.-supported South Vietnamese regime. Nixon entered office with the goal of bringing the world together, but saw that goal ruined by the 1973 war in the Middle East, preoccupations with China and the Soviet Union, a weak economy, Watergate, and his disgraceful exit from the White House. Ford's presidency was tainted almost from the beginning because of the pardon he granted to Nixon, but the American public, tired of war and concerned about the economy, was ready to hear that the war had come to an end. An argument is presented that the war could have been won if the "other wars" had been fought by presidents willing to honor the American commitment to its allies in South Vietnam.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780786413027
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date: 04/25/2002
Pages: 223
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.45(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

J. Edward Lee teaches history at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He lives in York, South Carolina. H.C. “Toby” Haynsworth is a retired professor of business administration at Winthrop. He lives in Rock Hill.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments    
Introduction    

1 The Worst Day    
2 Turning Point    
3 Nixon’s Doctrine    
4 The Widening Morass    
5 Incursion    
6 Irritants    
7 Madman    
8 Last Chance    
9 Gravest Consequences    
10 Under Siege    
11 Crises    
12 Expletive Deleted    
13 Caretaker    
14 The Razor’s Edge    
15 Nothing Happened    
16 Will ARVN Fight?    
17 Final Betrayal    
18 Exit    
19 Who Lost South Vietnam?    

Chronology    
Glossary    
Notes    
Bibliography    
Index    
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