Yes, Kennedy sent advisors, in the early sixties.

Johnson was pres from 64 to 68 and did expand the war significantly, and under pressure from Bobby Kennedy among others who represented people who did not want to continue the war bowed out of the 68 presidential race.

bobby was on the way to winnning the democratic nomination when he was assassinated.

Nixon was elected on the bogus premise that he had a plan to get us out of Vietnam that was secret.

His secret was turned out to be to expand the war by bombing cambodia etc. He was pres and re elected in 72 only after George Wallace was assassinated (unsuccessfully) and taken out of the race.

We finally pulled out of Vietnam in I believe 73 and he resigned in disgrace in I believe 74, so to lay the war on anybody other than Nixon seems a little lame since he presided over six years of it, a year more than Johnson after being elected on the secret plan to get us out of it.

http://www.lib.iastate.edu/spcl/exhi...mNixonMap1.jpg

I don't believe the President is pointing out his favorite place to get coconut shrimps . . .

And There Was the Issue of the Operational Coverup . . .

Did it get smaller under Nixxon or not? It's a simple question.....

IMO, both LBJ and Nixon get to share the blame for that fiasco. Neither was willing to cut their losses and get out when it was clearly a lost cause. Both thought they could "win" if they threw enough troops at the problem. At least Nixon decided to pull the plug prior to resigning.

Revisionist liberal pretzel logic! If it only was the way I want to remember it now!

LBJ took the US involvement from an advisory role and committed US ground combat eventually to over 500,000 troops after using the incident on August 2, 1964 and August 4, 1964 in the Gulf Of Tonkin with the USS Maddox and USS Turner Joy to persuade Congress to pass the Southeast Asia Resolution, Public Law 88-408, commonly refered to as the Tonkin Gulf Resolution on August 7, 1964. LBJ ordered and began the bombing of Laos in 1964

"Within hours, President Johnson ordered the launching of retaliatory air strikes (Operation Pierce Arrow) on the bases of the North Vietnamese boats and announced, in a television address to the American public that same evening, that U.S. naval forces had been attacked. Johnson requested approval of a resolution "expressing the unity and determination of the United States in supporting freedom and in protecting peace in southeast Asia". He said that the resolution should express support "for all necessary action to protect our Armed Forces"– but repeated previous assurances that "the United States... seeks no wider war". As the nation entered the final three months of political campaigning for the 1964 elections (in which Johnson was standing for election), the president contended that the resolution would help "hostile nations... understand" that the United States was unified in its determination "to continue to protect its national interests."["

Nixon's policy of "Vietnamization" began in early 1969 and was characterised by disengagement and withdrawal of US troops and the accelerated training and arming of the ARVN. On August 12, 1972 the last American ground combat division left the country. On January 15, 1973, citing progress in peace negotiations, Nixon announced the suspension of all offensive actions against North Vietnam, to be followed by a unilateral withdrawal of all U.S. troops. The Paris Peace Accords on "Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam" were signed on January 27, officially ending direct U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

In fact it was that other Nobel Peace Prize winning democrat US President Woodrow Wilson; who when, Ho Chi Min under the name of Nguyễn Ái Quốc (Nguyen the Patriot), he petitioned for recognition of the civil rights of the Vietnamese people in French Indochina to the Western powers at the Versailles peace talks, but was ignored. Citing the language and the spirit of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, Quốc petitioned U.S. President Woodrow Wilson for help to remove the French from Vietnam and replace it with a new, nationalist government. His request was ignored.

Reading your post I cannot see how we disagree on facts. You seem to choose to think of Nixon as a hero. I see him as a criminal. Not too much different than the polarized veiws of him back when he was pres.

Not revisionist at all.

I don't believe anyone suggested that Democrat President Johnson didn't escalate the war; however the idea that Republican President Nixon's only Vietnam legacy is that he "ended the war" is myopic.

I don't believe anyone suggested that Nixxon "ended the war", I said it got smaller under Nixxon, and ended under Ford.

And, for the record, I never was a fan of Nixxon. I believe he was the worst president ever, at least until Chi-town Slick and his gang of thugs came into office.

So, LBJ from November 23, 1963 until January 20, 1969 (five years and 2 months) increases troop levels every year of his presidency and Nixon from January 20, 1969 reduces troop levels every year of his presidency with the last combat ground combat division leaving in August 1972 (three years and 7 months). And LBJ was president for five years two months Nixon was president for a total of five years and seven months.

And based on those facts the your conclusion is “to lay the war on anybody other than Nixon seems a little lame” The president who’s entire war conduct was increasing the US involvement shouldn’t have the war “laid” on him and the president who’s entire war conduct was decreasing the US involvement should have the war “laid” on him!

One could take note that the bombing of Cambodia and North Vietnam took place while US combat troops where already withdrawing.

Nixon becomes president on January 20, 1969 and by August 12, 1972 the last American ground combat division left the country. Ground combat troops out of Vietnam three years and seven months after coming to office! On January 15, 1973, citing progress in peace negotiations, Nixon announced the suspension of all offensive actions against North Vietnam, to be followed by a unilateral withdrawal of all U.S. troops. The Paris Peace Accords on "Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam" were signed on January 27, officially ending direct U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, four years after coming to office!

We’ll have to revisit your analysis when the Dear Leader leaves office because by any estimate we will still have troops in Afghanistan for years to come and according to the Walgamuth War Responsibility Formula he will have been an Afghanistan War president for a time period longer than GW Bush so “ to lay the war on anybody other than Hobama seems a little lame since he presided over his eight years of it, a nine months more than GW Bush after being elected on the secret plan to get us out of it.

Read the history, Nixon began the withdrawal/disengagement process nearly as soon as he came into office in January 1969, Vietnamization! All the bombing that he was vilified for was a covering action and action to stop the resupply of NVA forces attacking during the withdrawal of US ground forces. It was also a negotiating tool in trying to reach an agreement to end our war with North Vietnam.

By the time Nixon resigned in August of 1974 the Paris Peace Accords had been signed over a year and a half before January 23 1974.

they only know what they hear on NPR and alike not the truth Nixon was a good guy i was in country when he was in office being Nov 17 1968 / nov 20 1969 -- HK on the other hand was a well i wont go there - jz

Yes, I remember; including the "secret plan." I also remember "peace with honor." I agree that he reduced troop levels during his first term, which is part of the reason he had a second term.

I simply said that he finally pulled the plug prior to resigning. He could have left it to the next administration, to his credit he did not.

You are mischaracterizing what occurred; Nixon didn’t “finally pull the plug prior to resigning”! Nixon began removing the US from Vietnam as soon as he became president; it took some time to withdraw the ground combat troops in some “orderly” fashion, at the same time he strategically projected what power we had to increase pressure on the North Vietnamese to agree to some peaceful settlement. There was no easy way out of Vietnam once the democrats and the media decided the public did not possess the will to prevail, within the geopolitical reality of the day we probably could not have afforded a “Vietnamese Dunkirk or Gallipoli”. Nixon and Kissinger where absolutely brilliant in accomplishing what they did and how they did it when you consider the constraints and the possible alternative outcomes.

People talk about Nixon and his breakthrough opening to China, North Vietnam’s biggest supporter and defender. This was an essential element of achieving a peace agreement with North Vietnam.

“Accompanied by NSC staffers Winston Lord and John Negroponte, Kissinger met secretly in Beijing on June 20, 1972 with Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Enlai. Toward the conclusion of the four hour meeting Dr. Kissinger said to the Chinese, "And while we cannot bring a communist government to power, if, as a result of historical evolution it should happen over a period of time, if we can live with a communist government in China, we ought to be able to accept it in Indochina."

I've no lost love for Nixon the man, but to not give his and Kissinger's geopolitical understanding, insight and skill their due is foolish.

Post #42, which was not by you, is the reference point for my comment.

I give the nixon administration credit for opening the door to china. I also give them credit for eventually getting out of the war, but they could have done it much sooner with the same result. The public had already decided the war was a loser during LJB's administration, that's when it should have ended. Their "reunification" was inevitable before nixon took office, maybe the U.S. will learn to stay out of civil wars someday? Maybe not?