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The [[Kennedy]] administration, which had repeatedly intervened to halt right-wing coups, acquiesced in 1963 to the overthrow of South Vietnam's Diem by a coalition of generals.  President Nixon would later characterize this decision as a catastrophic betrayal of an ally that contributed to the ultimate disintegration of South Vietnam. The casus beli for the United States intervention was an alleged attack on a US ship by North Vietnam, the Gulf of Tonkin Incident.  The US responded with a massive bombing campaign called Operation Rolling Thunder. Although a swift victory over North Vietnam would have taken a matter of months, the risk of Chinese intervention was considered too great to accept.  Thus, Vietnam was fought to avoid "another Korea".

The [[Kennedy]] administration, which had repeatedly intervened to halt right-wing coups, acquiesced in 1963 to the overthrow of South Vietnam's Diem by a coalition of generals.  President Nixon would later characterize this decision as a catastrophic betrayal of an ally that contributed to the ultimate disintegration of South Vietnam. The casus beli for the United States intervention was an alleged attack on a US ship by North Vietnam, the Gulf of Tonkin Incident.  The US responded with a massive bombing campaign called Operation Rolling Thunder. Although a swift victory over North Vietnam would have taken a matter of months, the risk of Chinese intervention was considered too great to accept.  Thus, Vietnam was fought to avoid "another Korea".

President [[Johnson]], a tormented but deeply sincere and good man, could not bear the burden of the war.  His incoherent war policy, combined with the lies and deceptions he employed to sell it, resulted in a loss of public faith in his honesty.  He began to doubt himself, while his wildly incompetent administration, exemplified by [[Robert McNamara]], began to have doubts about the morality of US policy.  Many of them would join the anti-war movement.

President Johnson, a tormented but deeply sincere and good man, could not bear the burden of the war.  His incoherent war policy, combined with the lies and deceptions he employed to sell it, resulted in a loss of public faith in his honesty.  He began to doubt himself, while his wildly incompetent administration, exemplified by [[Robert McNamara]], began to have doubts about the morality of US policy.  Many of them would join the anti-war movement.

Richard Nixon was subsequently elected President on a pledge to end the war by ''prosecuting'' it.  His shrewd diplomacy, backed with the immense intellect of his National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, [[Henry Kissinger]], hoped to negotiate an end to the war through a show of force.   

Richard Nixon was subsequently elected President on a pledge to end the war by ''prosecuting'' it.  His shrewd diplomacy, backed with the immense intellect of his National Security Advisor and Secretary of State, [[Henry Kissinger]], hoped to negotiate an end to the war through a show of force.   

When Nixon came into office, there were more than 500,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam, and their number was increasing.  Hanoi insisted that to obtain a cease-fire, the U.S. had to meet two preconditions: First, the U.S. had to overthrow the South Vietnamese government, disband its police and army and replace it with a communist-dominated government. Second, it had to establish an unconditional timetable for the withdrawal of its forces, to be carried out regardless of subsequent negotiations or how long they might last. The presence of North Vietnamese troops in Laos and Cambodia was declared not an appropriate subject for negotiations.  Between 1969 and 1972, he withdrew 515,000 American troops, ended American ground combat in 1971 and reduced American casualties by nearly 90%.  According to Kissinger, "a breakthrough occurred in 1972 because the administration's strategic design finally came together in its retaliation for the North Vietnamese spring offensive. When the U.S. mined North Vietnam's harbors, Hanoi found itself isolated because, as a result of the opening to China in 1971 and the summit in 1972, Beijing and the Soviet Union stood aside. Hanoi's offensive was defeated on the ground entirely by South Vietnamese forces assisted by U.S. air power.  Faced with a military setback and diplomatic isolation, Le Duc Tho, Hanoi's principal negotiator, abandoned Hanoi's 1969 terms in October 1972. He accepted conditions publicly put forward by Nixon in January 1972 -- and decried as unachievable in the U.S. domestic debate. The terms of the resulting Paris peace agreement were an unconditional cease-fire and release of prisoners; continuation of the existing South Vietnamese government; continued U.S. economic and military help for it; no further infiltration of North Vietnamese forces; withdrawal of the remaining U.S. forces; and withdrawal of North Vietnamese forces from Laos and Cambodia."<ref>http://articles.latimes.com/2007/may/31/opinion/oe-kissinger31/2</ref>   

When Nixon came into office, there were more than 500,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam, and their number was increasing.  Hanoi insisted that to obtain a cease-fire, the U.S. had to meet two preconditions: First, the U.S. had to overthrow the South Vietnamese government, disband its police and army and replace it with a communist-dominated government. Second, it had to establish an unconditional timetable for the withdrawal of its forces, to be carried out regardless of subsequent negotiations or how long they might last. The presence of North Vietnamese troops in Laos and Cambodia was declared not an appropriate subject for negotiations.  Between 1969 and 1972, he withdrew 515,000 American troops, ended American ground combat in 1971 and reduced American casualties by nearly 90%.  According to Kissinger, "a breakthrough occurred in 1972 because the administration's strategic design finally came together in its retaliation for the North Vietnamese spring offensive. When the U.S. mined North Vietnam's harbors, Hanoi found itself isolated because, as a result of the opening to China in 1971 and the summit in 1972, Beijing and the Soviet Union stood aside. Hanoi's offensive was defeated on the ground entirely by South Vietnamese forces assisted by U.S. air power.  Faced with a military setback and diplomatic isolation, Le Duc Tho, Hanoi's principal negotiator, abandoned Hanoi's 1969 terms in October 1972. He accepted conditions publicly put forward by Nixon in January 1972 -- and decried as unachievable in the U.S. domestic debate. The terms of the resulting Paris peace agreement were an unconditional cease-fire and release of prisoners; continuation of the existing South Vietnamese government; continued U.S. economic and military help for it; no further infiltration of North Vietnamese forces; withdrawal of the remaining U.S. forces; and withdrawal of North Vietnamese forces from Laos and Cambodia."<ref>http://articles.latimes.com/2007/may/31/opinion/oe-kissinger31/2</ref>   

In 1970, North Vietnamese troops invaded and attempted to overrun the entire country of Cambodia at the request of the Khmer Rouge, who had surrounded the capital and hoped one small push would be enough to overthrow the weak [[Lon Nol]] regime.  Nixon responded forcefully with an incursion and bombing campaign to force the North Vietnamese out.  Justifying his actions, he stated: "Cambodia, a small country of 7 million people, has been a neutral nation since the Geneva agreement of 1954 - an agreement, incidentally, which was signed by the Government of North Vietnam.

In 1970, North Vietnamese troops invaded and attempted to overrun the entire country of Cambodia at the request of the Khmer Rouge, who had surrounded the capital and hoped one small push would be enough to overthrow the weak Lon Nol regime.  Nixon responded forcefully with an incursion and bombing campaign to force the North Vietnamese out.  Justifying his actions, he stated: "Cambodia, a small country of 7 million people, has been a neutral nation since the Geneva agreement of 1954 - an agreement, incidentally, which was signed by the Government of North Vietnam.

American policy since then has been to scrupulously respect the neutrality of the Cambodian people. We have maintained a skeleton diplomatic mission of fewer than 15 in Cambodia's capital, and that only since last August. For the previous 4 years, from 1965 to 1969, we did not have any diplomatic mission whatever in Cambodia. And for the past 5 years, we have provided no military assistance whatever and no economic assistance to Cambodia.

American policy since then has been to scrupulously respect the neutrality of the Cambodian people. We have maintained a skeleton diplomatic mission of fewer than 15 in Cambodia's capital, and that only since last August. For the previous 4 years, from 1965 to 1969, we did not have any diplomatic mission whatever in Cambodia. And for the past 5 years, we have provided no military assistance whatever and no economic assistance to Cambodia.