Within months of the u.s. troop withdrawal in 1973, the cease-fire in vietnam collapsed.
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On this day 44 years ago, the last remaining American combat troops pulled out of Vietnam, ending direct U.S. military involvement in the war following the signing of a peace accord. Show Two months earlier in Paris, representatives of the United States, North and South Vietnam, and the Vietcong signed the accord, designed to allow Americans to withdraw “honorably” from the war, which killed more than 58,000 Americans and deeply divided the country. Its key provisions included a cease-fire throughout Vietnam, the withdrawal of U.S. forces, the release of prisoners of war, and the reunification of North and South Vietnam through peaceful means. The South Vietnamese government was to remain in place until new elections were held, and North Vietnamese forces in the South were not to advance farther, nor be reinforced. An exit strategy had been in place since 1969, President Richard Nixon’s famed “Vietnamization” policy, which he unveiled in a televised address to the nation. As the last American commander in Vietnam left, a force of 7,200 American civilians employed by the U.S. Department of Defense stayed behind to aid the South Vietnamese in their continuing battle with the Communist government in the North. The war spanned three American presidencies, starting with President John F. Kennedy, who first sent military advisors to aid the South Vietnamese, through the administration of President Lyndon Johnson, when American troop casualties spiked and the war became increasingly unpopular under the direction of then Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara, all the way to the Nixon presidency.  President Nixon was accused of — and repeatedly denied — sabotaging Johnson’s efforts to end the war in 1968. Just last year, notes from H.R. Haldeman, Nixon’s closest aide, revealed that the president in fact directed his campaign efforts to scuttle peace talks over fears it might grant his opponent, Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, an edge in the 1968 election. In Vietnam, the peace deal quickly fell apart. Even before the last American troops departed on March 29, the communists violated the cease-fire, and by early 1974 full-scale war had resumed. At the end of 1974, South Vietnamese authorities reported that 80,000 of their soldiers and civilians had been killed in fighting, making that year the war’s deadliest. On April 30, 1975, the last few Americans still in South Vietnam were airlifted out of the country as Saigon fell to communist forces. Read Online (Free) relies on page scans, which are not currently available to screen readers. To access this article, please contact JSTOR User Support . We'll provide a PDF copy for your screen reader. With a personal account, you can read up to 100 articles each month for free. Get StartedAlready have an account? Log in Monthly Plan
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Log in through your institution journal article Vietnam: The War That Won't EndForeign Affairs Vol. 53, No. 2 (Jan., 1975) , pp. 352-374 (23 pages) Published By: Council on Foreign Relations https://doi.org/10.2307/20039512 https://www.jstor.org/stable/20039512 Read and download Log in through your school or library Alternate access options For independent researchers Read Online Read 100 articles/month free Subscribe to JPASS Unlimited reading + 10 downloads Journal Information Since 1922, the Council has published Foreign Affairs, America's most influential publication on international affairs and foreign policy. It is more than a magazine — it is the international forum of choice for the most important new ideas, analysis, and debate on the most significant issues in the world. Inevitably, articles published in Foreign Affairs shape the political dialogue for months and years to come. With America more engaged in the world than ever, Foreign Affairs is performing an especially valuable service for its readers. Educators helping teach tomorrow's leaders and thinkers can also benefit from Foreign Affairs through its website, books and academic resources including our customized textbook program, Among Nations at www.AmongNations.com. Publisher Information Founded in 1921, the Council on Foreign Relations is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. The Council sponsors several hundred meetings each year, provides up-to-date information and analysis on its website (CFR.org), and publishes Foreign Affairs, the preeminent journal in the field, as well as dozens of other reports and books by noted experts. Rights & Usage This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. What happened to Vietnam after the US pullout in 1973?The remaining Americans escaped in a series of frantic air- and sealifts with Vietnamese friends and coworkers. A military government was instituted, and on July 2, 1976, the country was officially united as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam with its capital in Hanoi. Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Minh City.
What was the outcome of the US withdraw from Vietnam in 1973 in 1974?Its key provisions included a cease-fire throughout Vietnam, the withdrawal of U.S. forces, the release of prisoners of war, and the reunification of North and South Vietnam through peaceful means.
What was the 1973 ceaseThe U.S. agreed to withdraw its remaining military personnel from South Vietnam within 60 days. North Vietnam agreed to a ceasefire and to return all American prisoners of war. North Vietnam was permitted to leave 150,000 soldiers and to retain the territory it controlled in South Vietnam.
What happened in 1973 in the Vietnam War?In January 1973, the United States and North Vietnam concluded a final peace agreement, ending open hostilities between the two nations. War between North and South Vietnam continued, however, until April 30, 1975, when DRV forces captured Saigon, renaming it Ho Chi Minh City (Ho himself died in 1969).
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