H-Net Discussion Networks - Nixon, Kissinger, and Vietnam [MacNichol]

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From: Rob MacNichol <rmacnichol@ivc.edu>
List Editor: "H-DIPLO [Rausch]" <h-d1plo@socrates.Berkeley.EDU>
Editor's Subject: Nixon, Kissinger, and Vietnam [MacNichol]
Author's Subject: Nixon, Kissinger, and Vietnam [MacNichol]
Date Written: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 11:38:42 -0700
Date Posted: Tue, 20 Oct 2003 14:38:42 -0400

Eric Bergerud writes:
"Obviously one can't know how things in Vietnam would have developed
after 1973 had Nixon's administration not collapsed."

MacNichol:
        This is correct. However, one may surmise that things would have
gone much better had ARVN not had to ration ammunition, fight economic
collapse, and wonder what the US meant to demonstrate by pulling out
troops, reducing aid and signing a peace treaty that was "forced" by a
reticent US Congress. A Congress that had developed an aggressive habit of
reducing aid, or threatening to do so, since 1970 according to Kissinger.
This is the root cause of the fall of Saigon for me.

        I do not care to go much further because one begins to shift blame
to other _irrelevent_ causes. Congress held the reins -- they effectively
handed SVN over to NVN. The U.S. was fighting the Cold War and could ill
afford to lose a battle as it did. Economics, logistic, US politics should
have been put aside for the greater good of the country in the Cold
War--Congress failed this test. The idea that the US won't stay and win
still haunts America to this very day. Vietnam demonstrated to the
terrorists in Iraq--who are killing Americans as I type--that in time
their tactics will cause enough internal desention inside the US to force
America to withdraw its military and leave the terrorists in power. The
results of the Vietnam war should be a chilling reminder to Americans that
failure gives aid and comfort to their enemies -- present and future.

        Mr. Bergerud brings out a few more intersting points that
basically boil down to US politics but not logistics. At any rate I would
suggest whoever searches for reasons concerning the choices made by Nixon
and Kissinger (re: leaving NVA in place inside SVN) begin with a sober
reading of what they both have to say on the matter.

Rob MacNichol

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