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President Richard Nixon appointed Henry Kissinger as an assistant for national security affairs. Kissinger followed a policy of linkage and entered secret negotiations with North Vietnam's representative, Le Duc Tho in August of 1969. -
As another step towards ending the war, President Richard Nixon began a process called Vietnamization. This process involved building up South Vietnamese troops while withdrawing U.S. troops which would allow the United States to leave Vietnam with "it's honor intact". In following the Vietnamization strategy, Nixon announced the withdrawal of 25,000 soldiers from Vietnam on June 8, 1969.
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In April of 1970, Nixon announced that American troops had invaded Cambodia with the goal of destroying the Vietcong bases in the country. Most people believed that this action taken by the U.S. military and government only expanded the war. -
In December of 1970, Congress, upset by the effects of the Vietnam War, repealed the Gulf of Tonkin resolution. The Gulf of Tonkin previously had given the president nearly complete power in directing the conflict.
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As a reaction to the Vietnam War and the invasion of Cambodia, students at Kent State University held a protest. Soldiers of the Ohio National Guard, armed with tear gas and rifles, were sent the Kent State and fired on the demonstrators. Four students were killed. -
In an attempt to force North Vietnam to resume negotiations, the US government authorized the "most destructive" air raids of the war. American B-52s dropped bombs on North Vietnamese targets for 11 days. As a result, North Vietnam agreed to continue negotiations.
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In response to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution of 1964, Congress passed the War Powers Act to reinstate some limits on the president's power. The act made it law for the president to inform Congress of the use of military abroad within 48 hours and to withdraw them in 60-90 days.
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On January 27, 1973, the opposing sides signed an agreement to end the war in Vietnam and to restore peace. The agreement called for the removal of US troops and an exchange of prisoners of war. -
Even though the war in Vietnam had just ended, peace did not last. In January of 1975, the Khmer Rouge, a communist group, invaded Cambodia.
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Not long after Cambodia is invaded, North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam. On April 30, North Vietnam took control of South Vietnam's capital, Saigon. North Vietnam renamed the city Ho Chi Minh City.
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The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated by the nation in 1982 and is inscribed with the names of those killed and missing in action in the war.