AQA A Level History Cold War Chapter 14

When did preliminary peace talks on Vietnam begin in Paris?

May 1968

When was Operation Menu activated in Cambodia?

March 1969

When was Vietnamisation announced to the US public?

3rd November 1969

When was the Nixon Doctrine announced?

July 25th 1969

What would the Nixon Doctrine be implemented as?

Vietnamisation

When did ARVN and US forces invade Cambodia?

April 1970

When was US-backed ARVN invasion of Laos?

February 1971

US troop numbers in Vietnam were at their lowest point since what year by June 1972?

1965

What was Nixon's main objective in Vietnam?

'Peace with honour'

What did 'peace with honour' entail in Vietnam?

Ensuring that South Vietnam remained an independent, non-communist state

What did Nixon promise about Vietnam when he took office in January 1969?

'I'm not going to end up like LBJ. I'm going to stop that war, fast.'

What was the key principle of Vietnamisation?

Expanding, equipping and training the ARVN so that it could steadily replace US troops, allowing them to be withdrawn

What did Nixon hope Vietnamisation would do politically?

Negate the growing domestic opposition and thus strengthen his own security as President

Who did Kissinger ask to prepare a report on he options in Vietnam?

The Rand Corporation, with the report being written by Daniel Ellsberg

What was notably missing from Ellsberg's report on the Vietnam War?

A 'victory option'

Why did Kissinger not circulate Ellsberg's report?

Because it could've been perceived as a defeat

What was Nixon's 'madman theory'?

He wanted to be portrayed as a madman with his hand on the nuclear button in order to pressure North Vietnam into negotiations, as well as making other communist leaders wary of provoking the US

What two incidents did the USA use as evidence for the 'Madman Theory'?

1. In October 1969 the Nixon administration warned the USSR that 'the Madman was loose' as US military placed on full global war readiness alert and US thermonuclear-armed bombers flew patterns near Soviet border for 3 straight days
2. US diplomats, especially Kissinger, also used Invasion of Cambodia as evidence

What objective of the North Vietnamese did Nixon hope to fulfil via Vietnamisation?

He hoped to prove that the USA was willing to withdraw

What actions reinforced Nixon's strategy of Vietnamisation?

His bombing of North Vietnam and the invasions of Laos and Cambodia

What was Nixon's whole strategy in Vietnam designed to achieve?

The encouragement of North Vietnam to agree to agree to a negotiated compromise

How many US troops were in Vietnam in June 1969?

543,000

How many US troops were in Vietnam in January 1972?

156,800

How many US troops were in Vietnam in June 1972?

47,000

What effects on the ARVN troops did Vietnamisation have?

Higher pay, career structures improved, benefits increased, service conditions modernised.

What important piece of infantry equipment did the USA supply the ARVN with during Vietnamisation?

The M-16 Armalite rifle

What military equipment, other than the M-16, did the USA supply the ARVN with during Vietnamisation?

Military vehicles, planes and helicopters

What was the size of the ARVN in 1968 and what had this increased to by 1970?

68,000 to 1 million

What critical test of Vietnamisation occurred in Spring 1972?

North Vietnam's Spring Offensive

How did the ARVN perform against the 1972 Spring Offensive?

They resisted it and had a 5:1 casualty ratio

How many casualties did the ARVN suffer during the 1972 Spring Offensive?

Around 8000

How many casualties did North Vietnam's forces suffer during the 1972 Spring Offensive?

Nearly 40,000

What support from the USA did the ARVN receive during the 1972 Spring Offensive?

Bombing in the form of Operation Linebacker I

How many tons of bombs were dropped on North Vietnam from May to October 1972?

150,000 tons

What effects did Operation Linebacker I have?

Boosted ARVN morale, indicated to the North that Vietnamisation did not reduce US commitment to the South or its allies

What chronic problems facing the ARVN remained despite Vietnamisation?

Low morale, relatively high casualty rates (which further reduced morale), corruption and favouritism

What were levels of desertion among the ARVN like by the early 1970s?

Very high

What type of military action was Operation Menu?

A bombing campaign

What areas of Cambodia did Operation Menu specifically target?

Those areas regarded as safe by the North Vietnamese

What 3 things was it hoped that Operation Menu would do?

1. Sever Ho Chi Minh trails
2. Pressure North Vietnam into agreeing to acceptable peace settlement with the South
3. Compensate for Vietnamisation in terms of US involvement, and thus retain South Vietnamese confidence and commitment

Who overthrew the Cambodian head of state, Prince Sihanouk, in March 1970?

Lon Nol

Who backed Lon Nol?

The USA

How did North Vietnam increase its presence in Cambodia after Lon Nol took over?

By backing the anti-Nol communist communist movement, the Khmer Rouge

Who led the Khmer Rouge?

Lon Nol

Why would communist control of Cambodia undermine Vietnamisation?

Because US forces would be needed to counter any pro-North Vietnamese assault on South Vietnam from Cambodia

What effect on North Vietnam did Nixon hope his invasion of Cambodia would have?

Would prove to them that the US was still committed to South Vietnam, and that this would add pressure on them to compromise in diplomacy

In what form were the first ground incursions into Cambodia?

South Vietnamese forces carrying out cross-border raids into Cambodia with US air support

How many ground troops did the USA commit to Cambodia in April 1970?

20,000

How many US troops did Nixon announced would be withdrawn from Vietnam within a year of April 1970 and what effect did this have?

150,000. This had the effect of negating the commitment of 20,000 troops to Cambodia earlier in the month

What 5 effects did extending the Vietnam War into Cambodia have?

1. Large areas of jungle destroyed, seriously undermining Viet Cong operational ability
2. Large amounts of Viet Cong supplies either captured or destroyed
3. No strategic gains for USA
4. North Vietnamese moved deeper into Cambodia and strengthened support for Khmer Rouge, which committed US to supporting Lon Nol as well as South Vietnam
5. Increased opposition to war at home in USA.

How many students were killed at Kent State University in May 1970?

4

When were the most prevalent student protests against the Vietnam War in the USA?

May 1970

What did the US Senate repeal in June 1970?

The Gulf of Tonkin resolution

When did Nixon fear a massive communist push especially much and why?

1972, because of the Presidential election

How did Nixon further extend the war after attacking Cambodia?

By attacking the Ho Chi Minh trails in Laos

What advantage could disabling the Laotian Ho Chi Minh trails have given?

Could have stalled North Vietnamese logistical support

Why was the invasion of Laos conducted exclusively by South Vietnamese ground troops?

Because Congress had banned any US ground troops entering either Laos or Cambodia after the Cambodian 'incursion'

When did Nixon activate Operation Lam Son 719?

February 1971

What was the objective of Operation Lam Son 719?

To disrupt Laotian Ho Chi Minh trails and prevent an invasion of South Vietnam

How many ARVN troops invaded Laos in Operation Lam Son 719?

30,000

What was Operation Lam Son 719?

A South Vietnamese invasion of Laos with US air support

What did the invasion of Laos show about the ARVN?

It's troops and leaders were weak

Was the invasion of Laos a success?

No- the ARVN faced dogged resistance, and was forced to withdraw

What order did Thieu place upon the ARVN in Laos which contributed to the invasion's failure?

Ordered a retreat once his forces reached 3000 casualties

How far did the ARVN get towards its targets in Laos?

Around halfway

What did the invasion of Laos cause North Vietnam to do?

Take a more offensive, rather than defensive position

What did the invasion of Laos prove about Vietnamisation?

That it was failing, as even with US air support the ARVN only had a limited chance of defeating the North

Why did the Khmer Rouge defeat Nol's forces?

Because government forces were poorly led (partly because Nol discouraged cooperation between services due to fears of a coup) and motivated

Who was Nixon's national security advisor?

Henry Kissinger

When did Thieu become the South Vietnamese leader?

1967

What was an impetus behind improved Sino-American relations?

Worsening Sino-Soviet relations

When did hostilities between China and the Soviet Union become open?

1960

What significant action in the early 1960s did Mao criticise the USSR over?

Their handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis

What did Nixon comment about China in 1968?

Said that the US should actively seek opportunities to speak to China, and seek to make changes

What did Nixon realise that China was that made it advantageous for improved Sino-America relations?

A developing nuclear power, a major political and strategic force in Asia and a communist power independent of the USSR

What did the USA do in July 1969 to improve Sino-American relations?

Removed some trade controls and relaxed some travel restrictions

What was the artichoke approach to Sino-American relations?

The principle of gradually removing restrictions layer by layer, rather than wholesale

What three nations did Nixon manage diplomatic contacts with China through and why?

France, Romania and Pakistan, in order to show willingness to improve Sino-American relations

What had been established by early 1970 in Sino-American relations?

Initial diplomatic connections in Warsaw

What important development in US-Chinese relations occurred in August-September 1970?

Zhou Enlai won a major victory over those within the Chinese government who opposed improving relations with the USA

What policy shift occurred in Chinese foreign policy in August-September 1970 and when was it announced?

Away from dual confrontation with the USA and the USSR and a recognition that the latter was a greater threat to China, and therefore a short-term alliance with the USA made sense. Announced 1972.

What slightly delayed the improvement of Sino-US relations and why did this not have a significant impact?

American military action in Cambodia and Laos, which had less impact due to Vietnamisation

Who visited Beijing in July 1971?

Henry Kissinger

What was the most significant outcome of Kissinger's trip to Beijing in July 1971?

An agreement to have a Presidential visit to China in early 1972

What barrier to improved Sino-US relations was removed in September 1972?

Mao's successor, Lin Biao, who opposed improved relations, died in a plane crash

When did Kissinger make a second trip to Beijing and what did he fail to do?

October 1971, failed to get China to pressurise North Vietnam into engaging in a peace process

Who was Clark Clifford?

Johnson's Secretary of Defense

What did Clark Clifford advocate?

Negotiation as part of a strategy to bring the Vietnam War to a close

When did Johnson announce his intention to pursue a negotiated settlement with North Vietnam?

March 31 1968

What did Hanoi do shortly after Johnson declared he would accept a negotiated settlement?

Accepted talks concerning Johnson's willingness to end the bombing of North Vietnam

When did the first preliminary Paris Peace talks begin?

May 1968

What did the 1968 Paris Peace talks stall over?

Whether the USA would commit to fully ending all bombing of the North, whether the NLF would be represented (which the South opposed), North refused to commit to any action which could be seen as weak, so USA would not commit to blanket ending of bombing if North remained uncooperative

By what point had the Paris Peace Talks of 1968 stalled?

October 1968

Why was Johnson wary of fully ending the bombing of North Vietnam in 1968?

He thought the North would use a lull in the bombing to attack the South

Who was Le Duc Tho?

Vietnamese diplomat who worked with Henry Kissinger to end the war between the U.S. and North Vietnam.

When did Kissinger and Le Duc Tho first secretly meet?

February 1970

Where did Kissinger and Le Duc Tho first secretly meet?

Paris

What did Le Duc Tho insist upon in February 1970 and how did Kissinger and Nixon see this?

That an armistice must trigger a replacement of the Saigon regime with a coalition with Vietcong representatives, which Nixon and Kissinger saw as unrealistic as they couldn't abandon Thieu

When after 1971 did US-Vietnamese peace talks first resume?

May 1971

By what point had the 1971 US-Vietnamese peace talks stalled and why?

November 1971 over the USA's refusal to abandon Thieu