0 - The Black Vault

THE 6DM CORPORATION
vital interests were involved in the Vietnam struggle and based his policy
decisions thereafter on tactical rather than strategic considerations..
In 1968,
with his decfision to persist in the struggle a
fai ure, President Johnson ordered a limitation of the bombing ol the
North, withdrew ;,is name from the presidential election race, set a ceiling
on combat troops in RVN, and i:.vited the DRV to negotiate. Though not
regarded as such, those decisio~is became almost irreversible and any subse-
I quent decision on the partC of newly electeo Pres~dent Nixon to increase
troop levels or renew full-F-cale bombing would have met with strong domestic
and congressional resistance.
5., Phase 4: 1969 to 1975 (Figure 2-10)
The Nixon administration entered officL determined to end the US
involvement in Vietnam. Initially, the new chief executive proposed a
negotiations policy based on the mutjal withdrawal of DRV and LIS forces
from South Vietnam. He also directed a step-up in the preparations for the
RVNAF
to stand alone--the Vietnamization Program--and for the development
of a timetable for the progressive withdrawal of American troops no matter
what progress or the lack thereof in the Paris peace negotiations.67/
two track approach--Vietnamization and withdrawal--helped silence domestic
and congressional critics while it bought Nixon time to find a diplomatic
solution.
In May 1969, President Nixon, showing his disappointment with the
lack of progrcss towards ; settlement, spoke to th? nation.
The
He declared
that the US wa. not seeking to impose "a purely military solution on the
battlefield" and that the US would accept aoy government (although not
explicitly stated, not necessarily non-communist) resulting from the "free
choice of the South Vietnamese people themselves."68/
In keeping with President Nixo,'s new policy, Secretary of
"evised mission statement and revised objec-
The new mission statement for the MACN was to
Defense 'aird insis:ed on a
tives for U,% forces in RVN.
focus on pycviding "maximum assistance" •o the RVN and help str.ingthen
their armed forces, supporting pacification efforts and reducing the flow
of supplies to the enemy.69/ The statement stressed assisting the RVNAF
2-4
S~2-43