An Unyielding Ambition: How Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger Prolonged the Vietnam War by more than Half a Decade
Manipulating Peace Negotiations for Political Gain: Nixon and Kissinger's Tactics to Extend the Vietnam War
January 27, 2016, was the 43rd anniversary of the formal peace in Vietnam. It might as well have been the 48th, if it hadn't been for the unrelenting ambition of Nixon and Kissinger.
Four decades later, we recall the tragic fall of Saigon and the countless lives lost in the battlefield. But the end of the war was merely the end of a struggle; the beginning of another fight played out in the shadows of the White House.
The Summer of '68: A Feverish Political Game
The United States had long been seething with dissent against the war in Vietnam. The Tet Offensive earlier that year had dauntlessly shattered the illusion of victory, revealing the resilience and nimbleness of the enemy even within the heart of South Vietnam. The anti-war movement was swelling, as was resistance to the draft, and policymakers were grappling with the cold, harsh reality that Vietnam was an insatiable quagmire.
In the election year of 1968, the election was more than just a contest-it was a referendum on the war. The next President would have to either end the war or be blame for its continuation.
Two Puppet Masters: Kissinger and Nixon
Henry Kissinger, the man of many hats, was a vital cog in the Washington machinery. A confidante to Dean Rusk, an operative for Nelson Rockefeller, a Special Advisor to President Johnson, and an academic affiliated with Harvard, Kissinger held the keys to the kingdom. He was privy to classified information about the peace negotiations, and had personal connections with the key players.
Richard Nixon, on the other hand, was in a dogfight against the odds. A close second to John F. Kennedy in the 1960 election and a gracious retiree since his loss to JFK in 1962, Nixon had made a dramatic return to the political scene by 1968. With Hubert Humphrey, Johnson's anointed successor, appearing to be a weak opponent, Nixon saw a path to the presidency: undermine the peace talks and tarnish the Democrats' image as peacemakers.
Sabotage and Duplicity
Kissinger, with his unparalleled access and influence, proved to be a formidable tool in Nixon's hands. In 1968, President Johnson was contemplating suspending the bombing of North Vietnam to intensify the peace negotiations in Paris. With this information, Nixon ordered a covert operation to ensnare the peace talks. His aide, H.R. Haldeman, was tasked with derailing the negotiations[3]. Nixon's camp secretly communicated with the South Vietnamese government, enticing them with promises of a better deal[3]. This maneuver resulted in the South Vietnamese President, Nguyen Van Thieu, withdrawing from the peace talks once Johnson suspended the bombing[3].
The withdrawal of Thieu dealt a heavy blow to the peace talks, effectively stalling any potential resolution in sight.
The Delayed Victory
After Nixon's election, he and Kissinger devised a strategy for a so-called "honorable peace" that would ensure South Vietnam's survival. This approach involved sustained military pressure and diplomatic efforts to cajole the Soviet Union and China into the process[1]. However, this approach ultimately meant that the war dragged on, as the U.S. demanded certain preconditions for withdrawal.
For several years, the Paris negotiations were mired in deadlock. The ceasefire and U.S. withdrawal were not achieved until 1973, thanks to secret talks between Kissinger and North Vietnamese negotiator Le Duc Tho[4]. Even so, the peace was not without complications, as South Vietnam felt threatened by the presence of North Vietnamese troops.
In essence, the political ambitions of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger extended the Vietnam War by more than half a decade, costing countless lives and plunging the world into turmoil.
- Henry Kissinger, with his access and influence, became a formidable tool in Richard Nixon's hands during the 1968 election, as they conspired to sabotage peace negotiations in Paris to undermine the Democrats' image as peacemakers.
- After Nixon's election, he and Kissinger pursued an "honorable peace" strategy that involved sustained military pressure and diplomatic efforts, resulting in the war dragging on for several more years, adding to the massive death toll and global unrest.
- Despite the formal peace being declared on January 27, 2016, the tragic Vietnam War lasted much longer than it should have – over half a decade – due to the duplicitous actions of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, prolonging the war and causing immeasurable human suffering in the process.
