Multiple Choice
Identify the
letter of the choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
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The End of the War
President Nixon and Vietnamization
President Nixon took office in 1969 and wanted to end the
war. Right away he announced that some American troops would be withdrawn from Vietnam. He thought
this might be a peace overture to North Vietnam but the Communists did not show any signs toward
peace. Nixon then continued the war against North Vietnam to achieve what he called peace with
honor
THE PULLOUT BEGINS President Johnson had started negotiations with North
Vietnam to end the war. The talks took place in Paris. President Nixon continued the talks after he took office
but the talks were going nowhere. The United States and South Vietnam insisted that all North
Vietnamese forces withdraw from the South and that the government of Nguyen Van Thieu, then South
Vietnams ruler, remain in power. The North Vietnamese and Vietcong demanded that U.S. troops
withdraw from South Vietnam and that the Thieu government step aside for a coalition government that
would include the Vietcong .
In the midst of the stalled negotiations, Nixon announced his strategy
to end Americas involvement in Vietnam. Known as Vietnamization, the plan called for the
gradual withdrawal of U .S . troops in order for the South Vietnamese to take on a more active combat
role in the war. By August of 1969, the first 25,000 U.S. troops had returned home from Vietnam .
Over the next three years, the number of American troops in Vietnam dropped from more than 500,000 to
less than 25,000. Nixon was keeping his promise to end the war in Vietnam
PEACE WITH
HONOR
However, part of Nixons Vietnamization policy was aimed at establishing what he
called a peace with honor. Nixon intended to maintain U .S. dignity in the face of its
withdrawal from war. A further goal was to keep America strong in the negotiations North Vietnam.
President Nixon still demanded that the South Vietnamese government remain intact. North Vietnam
continued to use the Ho Chi Minh trail to supply the Vietcong in the South.
| The North Vietnamese could use the trail without worrying about being
attacked because we did not want to Laos and Cambodia, which were neutral countries. Nixon felt he
had to stop the supplies to the South so he secretly ordered a massive bombing campaign against
supply routes and bases in North Vietnam The president also ordered that bombs be dropped on the Ho
Chi Minh trail in the neighboring countries of Laos and Cambodia, which held a number of Vietcong
sanctuaries. Nixon told aide H. R. Haldeman that he wanted the enemy to be afraid of the U.S.
| President Nixon
plans strategy in Vietnam | | |
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1.
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President Nixon reduced the American troops in Vietnam by _____ a. | 25,000 | c. | 475,000 | b. | 125,000 | d. | 525,000 | | | | |
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2.
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Nixon
wanted to pull the U.S. out of the war but he did not want to desert the people of South Vietnam and
he did not want it to look like the U.S. was defeated. What labile did Nixon put on this
policy? a. | Peace with
Honor | c. | Vietcong peace | b. | Peace at any
cost | d. | Paris treaty | | | | |
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3.
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Who
was the president of South Vietnam when Nixon took office? a. | Ho Chi Minh | c. | Mao | b. | Nguyen Van Thieu | d. | Chaing | | | | |
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4.
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Nixon
wanted the South Vietnamese to take over the fighting so the American troops could be pulled out.
This policy was called _____ a. | Peace with honor | c. | Peach now | b. | Vietnamization | d. | North
Vietnamization | | | | |
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5.
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Why
did Nixon decide to bomb Laos, Cambodia and North Vietnam? a. | stop the supplies through the Ho Chi Minh
trail | d. | all of these | b. | Make North Vietnam fear and respect
him | e. | only two of these answers are
correct | c. | make the U.S, stronger in the negotiations with North
Vietnam | | | | |
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Seeking to win support for his war policies, Richard Nixon appealed to what he called
the silent majority-moderate, mainstream Americans who quietly supported the presidents
strategy. To be sure, many average Americans did support the president. However, the events of the
war continued to divide the country.
HE MY LAI MASSACRE
In November of 1969,
Americans learned of a shocking event. On March 16, 1968, a U.S . platoon under the command of
Lieutenant William Calley Jr., entered the small village of My Lai in northern South Vietnam in
search of Vietcong rebels .The troops rounded up the villagers and shot them . In all, the soldiers
massacred more than 100 innocent Vietnamese-mostly women and children.
The troops insisted that they
were following Lieutenant Calleys orders . When asked what his directive had been, one soldier
answered, Kill anything that breathed. Twenty-five army officers were charged with
involve- ment in the massacre and subsequent cover-up, but only Calley was convicted and imprisoned .
The My Lai massacre shook the nations conscience
THE INVASION OF
CAMBODIA AND KENT STATE
The countrys mood by 1970 seemed to be growing less explosive.
American troops were on their way home, and it appeared that the war was finally winding down.
In 1969 many students were shifting their attention from the antiwar movement to the environment
.
Then on April 30, 1970, President Nixon announced that U.S . troops had invaded
Cambodia. President Nixon said the incursion into Cambodia was launched, to clear out
North Vietnamese and Vietcong supply centers.
Upon hearing of the invasion,
college students across the country erupted in protest. In what became the first general student
strike in the nations history, more than 1.5 million students closed down some 1,200 campuses .
Disaster struck hardest at Kent State University in Ohio, where a massive student protest led to the
burning of the ROTC building . In response to the growing unrest, the local mayor called in the
National Guard. On May 4, 1970, the guards fired into a crowd of campus protesters who were hurling
rocks at them. The gunfire wounded nine people and killed four, including two who had not even
participated in the rally. Ten days later, similar violence rocked the mostly all-black college of
Jackson State in Mississippi. National Guardsmen there confronted a group of antiwar demonstrators
and fired on the crowd after ; | several bottles were thrown
. In the hail of bullets, 12 students were wounded and 2 were killed, both innocent bystanders .
Polls indicated that many Americans supported the National Guard respondents claimed that the
students got what they were asking for. The weeks following the campus turmoil brought
new attention to a group known as hardhats, construction workers and other blue-collar
Americans who supported the U.S. governments war policies . In May of 1970, nearly 100,000
members of the Building and Construction Trades Council of New York held a rally outside city hall to
support the government. | | | |
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6.
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Who
was responsible for the My Lai Massacre? a. | North Vietnam | c. | 100 Vietnamese villagers | b. | The Vietcong | d. | A platoon of U.S. soldiers | | | | |
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7.
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The
officer responsible to My Lai was named _____ and he was _____ by the U.S.
government a. | William Calley -
set free | c. | Nguyen Van Thieu - put in
prison | b. | Lieutenant William Calley Jr -
imprisoned | d. | President Nixon -
impeached | | | | |
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8.
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The
mood in the colleges seemed to be calming down in 1970. It seemed that the U.S. was pulling out of
Vietnam. What got the students fired up and protesting again? a. | My Lai
Massacre | c. | Nixon said they had to have passing grades to
continue as students | b. | Bombing of Laos and
Cambodia | d. | The colleges wanted the students to pay
tuition | | | | |
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9.
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The
great majority of the American people did not protest or demonstrate against the war. They wanted the
U.S. to end the war in Vietnam but they supported the government and President Nixon because they
believed he was doing what needed to be done for the good of the country.
What were these
supporters called? a. | Hard Hats | c. | Mothers for Peach | b. | SDS | d. | Silent Majority | | | | |
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10.
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Why
did president Nixon invade Cambodia? a. | He wanted to cut off supplies to the Vietcong in South
Vietnam | c. | He wanted to cut off supplies to North
Vietnam | b. | He wanted to free those countries from
Communism | d. | He wanted to make them part of greater
Vietnam | | | | |
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THE PENTAGON PAPERS
Nixons Cambodia policy
cost him significant political support. By first bombing and then invading Cambodia without even
notifying Congress, the president stirred anger on Capitol Hill (Congress). On December 31, 1970,
Congress repealed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which had given the president near independence
in conducting policy in Vietnam .
In June of 1971 former Defense Department worker named
Daniel Ellsberg stole secret papers about the Vietnam war from the government and gave them to a
newspaper. These papers became known as the Pentagon Papers . The 7,000-page document, written
for Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, revealed that the government drew up plans for entering the
war even as President Lyndon Johnson promised that he would not send American troops to Vietnam .
Furthermore, the papers showed that there was never any plan to end the war as long as the North
Vietnamese persisted .For many Americans, the Pentagon Papers confirmed their belief that the
government had not been honest about its war intentions . For most Americans the Pentagon Papers did
not mean much because the Pentagon is always drawing up plans. They saw them as part of the anti-war
movement. The document was not particularly damaging to the Nixon administration. They did show that
the Johnson administration was saying one thing in private about the Vietnam war and another thing in
public. Was this dishonest?
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11.
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What
does the nickname, capital hill stand for? a. | the president | c. | the defense department | b. | the supreme
court | d. | the congress | | | | |
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12.
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Since
the constitution says that only congress can declare war, what gave the president the right to send
troops to Vietnam to fight? a. | the Pentagon Papers | c. | the Pentagon Resolution | b. | the Tonkin Gulf
Resolution | d. | the war resolution
act | | | | |
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13.
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The
Pentagon Papers showed that Robert McNamara _____ a. | was honest and in what he told the President and the
American people | c. | may not have been honest with Americans about
the Vietnam war | b. | did not like or trust the Defense
Department | d. | did not like Daniel
Elsberg | | | | |
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Americas Longest War Ends
In March of 1972, the North
Vietnamese launched their largest attack on South Vietnam since the Tet offensive in 1968. President
Nixon responded by ordering a massive bombing campaign against North Vietnamese cities, and the
mining of Haiphongs harbor, into which Soviet and Chinese supply ships sailed . The bombings
halted the North Vietnamese attack, but the grueling stalemate continued . It was after this that the
Nixon administration took steps to finally end Americas involvement in Vietnam
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PEACE IS AT HAND
By the middle of 1972, the
countrys growing social division and the looming presidential election prompted the Nixon
administration to change its negotiating policy in Paris . Polls showed that more than 60 percent of
Americans in 1971 felt that the United States should withdraw all troops from Vietnam by the end of
the year.
Henry Kissinger, the presidents adviser for national security affairs, served as
Nixons top negotiator in Vietnam . Kissinger, a German emigrant who had earned three degrees
from Harvard, was an expert on international relations . Since 1969, Kissinger had been meeting
privately with North Vietnams chief negotiator, Le Due Tho. Eventually, Kissinger dropped
his insistence on the removal of all North Vietnamese troops from the South before the complete
withdrawal of American troops. On October 26, 1972, one week before the presidential election,
Kissinger announced, Peace is at hand.
THE FINAL
PUSH
President Nixon won reelection, but the promised peace proved to be elusive . The
Thieu regime, alarmed at the prospect of North Vietnamese troops stationed in South Vietnam, rejected
Kissingers plan. Talks broke off on December 16, and two days later, the president unleashed a
ferocious bombing campaign against Hanoi and Haiphong, the two largest cities in North Vietnam
. In what became known as the Christmas bombings, U.S . planes dropped 100,000
bombs for 11 straight days, pausing only on Christmas Day.
At this point, members of
congress began to demand that the war be ended. The Soviet Union and China were also demanding that
the U.S. pull out of Vietnam. Everyone, it seemed, had finally grown weary of the war. The warring
parties returned to the peace table, and on January 27, 1973, the United States signed an
agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam. Under the agreement, North
Vietnamese troops would remain in South Vietnam, which had Nixons promise to respond with
full force to any violation of the peace agreement. On March 29, 1973, the last U.S.
combat troops left for home. For America, the Vietnam War had ended but the war went on between South
Vietnam and North Vietnam.
THE FALL OF SAIGON
Within months of the United
States departure, the cease-fire agreement between North and South Vietnam collapsed. In March
of 1975, after several years of fighting, the North Vietnamese launched a full-scale invasion against
the South. Thieu (president of South Vietnam) appealed to the United States for help. America
provided economic aid but refused to send troops . President Gerald Ford, who was now
president, captured the nations mood during a speech in New Orleans: America can regain
its sense of pride that existed before Vietnam. But it cannot be achieved by re-fighting a war that
is finished as far as America is concerned. On April 30, 1975, North Vietnamese tanks rolled
into Saigon and captured the city. Soon after, South Vietnam surrendered to North
Vietnam.
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14.
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Vietnam was a. | Americas shortest
war | c. | Americas bloodiest
war | b. | Americas
longest war | d. | Not part of the cold
war | | | | |
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15.
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What
was the key issue between the U.S. and North Vietnam that prevented an end to the
war? a. | An end to U.S. bombing of North
Vietnam | c. | The placement of North Vietnam troops in
South Vietnam | b. | An end to U.S. bombing of South
Vietnam | d. | The placement of South Vietnam troops in
North Vietnam | | | | |
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16.
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At the
Paris peace talks _____ was the negotiator for the U.S. and _____ was the negotiator for North
Vietnam. a. | Henry Kissinger -
Ho Chi Minh | c. | Robert McNamara - Le Due
Tho | b. | George Ball - Cho
En Lai | d. | Henry Kissinger - Le Due
Tho | | | | |
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17.
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Kissinger and the U.S. finally agreed to allow North Vietnam troops to be stationed in
South Vietnam. North Vietnam now agreed to sign the peace treaty. What did South Vietnam
do? a. | Agreed to end the fighting
| c. | Asked the U.N to take up the
issue | b. | Refused to agree with North troops in the South and
continued fighting. | d. | Bombed North
Vietnam | | | | |
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18.
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All of
the following groups were demanding that the U.S. pull out of Vietnam except a. | Soviet Union | d. | North Vietnam | b. | Communist
China | e. | South Vietnam | c. | Liberal Members of
Congress | | | | |
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19.
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After
the U.S. finally pulled out of Vietnam, what happened next? a. | There was peace throughout
Vietnam | c. | Within months North Vietnam and South Vietnam
began to fight again | b. | The U.S. continued bombing, even though American troops
had been withdrawn. | d. | The North and South retreated behind their
borders | | | | |
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20.
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In
1975 North Vietnam was pushing to take over South Vietnam. President Thieu asked the U.S. president
for help. What did the president of the U.S. do. a. | told him to surrender | c. | sent American planes to bomb the
North | b. | offered money, medicine and supplies but no U.S.
troops | d. | sent in U.S. troops | | | | |
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21.
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Who
was president of the United States when the war finally ended for the U.S.? a. | Richard Nixon | c. | Gerald Ford | b. | Jimmy Carter | d. | Henry Kissinger | | | | |
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VIETNAMS EFFECT ON AMERICA
Even after it ended, the
Vietnam War remained a subject of great controversy for Americans. Many hawks continued to insist
that the war could have been won if the U.S. had employed more military power. They also blamed the
antiwar movement at home for destroying American morale. Doves countered that the North
Vietnamese had displayed incredible resiliency and that an increase in U.S. military force would have
resulted only in a continuing stalemate. In addition, doves argued that an unrestrained war against
North Vietnam might have prompted a military reaction from China or the Soviet Union and a World War
| Jane Fonda
visiting North Vietnam and sitting at an anti-aircraft gun used to shoot down American
aircraft | The war resulted in several
major U.S . policy changes. First, the government abolished the draft, which had stirred so much
antiwar sentiment. The country also took steps to curb the presidents war-making powers.
In November 1973, Congress passed the War Powers Act, which stipulated that a president must
inform Congress within 48 hours if U. S. forces are sent into a hostile area without a declaration of
war. In addition, the troops may remain there no longer than 90 days unless Congress approves the
presidents actions or declares war. In a broader sense, the Vietnam War significantly
altered Americas views on foreign policy. In what has been labeled the Vietnam syndrome,
Americans now pause and consider possible risks to their own interests before deciding whether to
intervene in the affairs of other nations. Many thought the U.S. lost the war in Vietnam and they did
not want to suffer another defeat.
The war led to a deep division between liberal and
conservative groups in the United States. The moral of the country was low and some doubted
Americas role in the world as a great nation. Many people called people like Jane Fonda (movie
star) and other antiwar activists traitors to the United States for supporting North Vietnam
while we were at war. The country had to wait another five or six years for Ronald Reagan to become
president and restore Americas confidence. | | |
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22.
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What
effect did the Vietnam war have on American morale and belief in itself? a. | damaged it | c. | no effect at all | b. | helped it | d. | improved American confidence | | | | |
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23.
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During
the Vietnam war America was concerned with the involvement of the Soviet Union and Communist China.
Why? a. | A confrontation could provoke World War
III | c. | We were afraid that China and the Soviets
would get into a war. | b. | The Soviets and China were good trading partners of the
U.S. | d. | We did not want the Soviets and China to get
kicked out of the U.N. over Vietnam | | | | |
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24.
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Which
law, passed by congress after Vietnam, restricted the presidents ability to make war on his own
without congress. a. | Vietnamization
Act | c. | Vietnam War Act | b. | War Powers
Act | d. | Presidential War Restriction
Act | | | | |
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25.
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What
do they call it when the U.S. acts nervous about getting involved in wars or the affairs of other
countries, even if it is necessary to protect America. a. | Vietnamization | c. | Vietnam
involvement anxiety | b. | war powers anxiety | d. | Vietnam syndrome | | | | |
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