The Cold War Under Nixon, Ford, and Carter

1. The Cold War Under Nixon, Ford, and Carter 1969-1980

2. Nixon’s Vietnam Policy • Paris peace talks began in May 1968, but didn’t reach an agreement until January 1973. • Nixon began the policy of Vietnamization, replacing U.S. troops with South Vietnamese soldiers. • Nixon appealed to “the silent majority” who quietly supported his policies. • Kent State University (May 4, 1970) – Student protest against Nixon’s war policies turned violent. • When the Pentagon Papers were leaked to the American public in 1971, they revealed several facts of the war that had been previously kept secret – including the expansion of bombing raids in Laos and Cambodia.

3. After American forces withdrew (1973), South Vietnam surrendered & Vietnam became unified under the Communists in 1975. Approximately 3,000 of American soldiers were listed as POWs or MIAs (or “body not recovered”) & some remain unaccounted for. Aftermath of the War

4. Henry Kissinger • Kissinger applied a realpolitik approach to his foreign policy actions. • Nixon & Kissinger’s greatest accomplishment was in bringing about détente, a relaxation in tensions between the U.S. & Communist China & USSR.

5. A New Approach to China • Kissinger saw that the relationship between China and the USSR was deteriorating. • In October 1971, Nixon’s administration recognized Communist China. • In February 1972, Nixon became the first American President to visit China.

6. Limiting Nuclear Arms • The U.S. & the Soviet Union signed the first Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, known as SALT I in 1972. • While this agreement didn’t get rid of the stockpile of nuclear weapons that had built up, it did attempt to establish a balance between the two nations and proved that arms negotiations were possible.

7. Foreign Policy–Southeast Asia • Ford asked for military aid to help South Vietnam in spring 1975. • Congress was prepared to invoke the War Powers Act to keep the President from taking action without a formal declaration of war from Congress.

8. Foreign Policy - Asia, Europe, and Africa • Asia —Continued friendship with China & was the 1st President to visit Japan. • Europe — Signed the Helsinki Accords (1975), agreements on European security which settled border disputes and continued the easing of Cold War tensions. • Soviet Union – Continued Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) with the Soviet Union. • Africa — Developed relationships with newly independent African countries.

9. Carter’s Foreign Policy • Carter’s 1978 meeting with Egyptian & Israeli leaders resulted in the Camp David Accords, which created a framework for peace in the Middle East and improved U.S. relations with both nations. • Soviets were angered by Carter’s support of Soviet dissidents, those who criticized their government. • Carter signed the SALT II treaty. Though it was never ratified, but both nations followed its terms. • Carter also pardoned those who had fled to Canada to avoid the draft.

10. Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan • The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979. • To show American disapproval, Carter boycotted the 1980 summer Olympic Games in Moscow.

11. The Iran Hostage Crisis • In January 1979, a revolution in Iran replaced the pro-American shah with Ayatollah Khomeini, an anti-Western leader. • When Carter allowed the displaced shah to enter the U.S. to seek medical treatment, angry Khomeini followers seized the American embassy in Tehran. • Fifty-two Americans were taken hostage for 444 days. Carter’s inability to resolve the hostage crisis would be a major deciding factor in the 1980 election. • Although the hostage crisis is not directly related to the Cold War, Iran opens negotiations with the U.S. for the hostages’ release partially as a response to fear of Soviet aggression following the invasion of their neighbor, Afghanistan.