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How Did Nixon End The Vietnam War

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How Did Nixon End The Vietnam War
President Nixon won the presidency in 1969. Public opinion polls gave Nixon a big lead over his competitors, Humphrey and Wallace. His campaign promises to unify the nation and restore law and order appealed to Americans who feared their country was spinning out of control. He also expressed that he had a plan for ending the war in Vietnam. In the end, Nixon’s promises to end the war and restore the nation won him the presidency. On Election Day, Nixon defeated Humphrey by more than 100 electoral votes however, he won the popular voice by a slim margin of 43% to 42%. After taking office, President Nixon is striving to end the nation’s involvement in the Vietnam War. However, the final years will yield more bloodshed and turmoil, as well as a growing cynicism in the minds of Americans about the honesty and effectiveness of the United States government. Nixon’s first step in ending the war is appointing Harvard professor Henry Kissinger as a special assistant for national security affairs and giving him wide authority to use diplomacy to end the conflict. Kissinger introduced a policy called linkage, which meant improving relations with the Soviet Union and China so that he could persuade them to cut back on their aid. Nixon also began to reduce the number …show more content…
Nixon was also competing against a strong third-party candidate, George Wallace, an experienced politician and an avowed supporter of segregation. One of the main reasons Nixon was victorious was his strong showing in the South. To gain Southern support, he had met with the South Carolina senator Strom Thurmond and won his backing by promising several things. He promised to appoint only conservatives to the federal courts, to name a Southerner to the Supreme Court, to oppose court-ordering busing, and to choose a vice presidential candidate acceptable to the

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