Lecture--The End of the War and is Legacy
VIETNAM

 I. The War ended in 1975
    A. Nixon introduced a draft lottery system and vietnamization
         1. Lottery System--Designed for 18 yr. old males in 1969. The 366 possible days of the year were 
             put on cards and placed in a cylinder. The cards were randomly picked and birthdays that were 
             selected first from the cylinder were selected for draft first. This system eliminated college deferments 
             thus, all potential draftees would be 19 years old.

          2. Vietnamization--The process of withdrawing U.S. troops from Vietnam while training and
              equipping the South Vietnamese to take more responsibility for their own defense.

THE MY LAI MASSACRE

      B. Nixon ordered and invasion of Cambodia
           1. Cambodia/Laos--From these two areas the North Vietnamese were supplying their troops and 
               launching their attacks on the South Vietnamese.
           2. Nixon ordered American planes to begin bombing communist sanctuaries.
           3. The bombings were not enough and Nixon ordered ground troops to invade Cambodia to clean
               out existing communist bases.
           4. This outraged the antiwar movement and American troops never found the communist bases.
               a. Kent State University (Ohio)--May 4, the National Guard opens fire on a group of protestors 
                   killing four.
               b. Jackson State University (Mississippi)--Police kill two black students during a demonstration. 
                   These incidents deepened many young Americans resentment toward their government.

        C. The War dragged on
             1. Pentagon Papers--Daniel Ellsberg photocopied and delivered to the New York Times a set of
                 secret documents that contained an internal history of American involvement in the war.
             2. Two million Americans were shocked to read how the U.S. entered the war in Vietnam. 
                 The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the paper.
                 a. Plumbers--A new White House unit that sought to prevent leaks and discredit its enemies 
                     is created.
         D. Major Communist Offensive
             1. The Easter Offensive--March, 1972: Major Communist offensive. Biggest since 1968.
             2. Nixon responds by bombing Haiphong and Hanoi.  U.S. Navy is instructed to set up mines in
                 seven North Vietnamese harbors.

         E. AMERICA'S LONGEST WAR ENDS

                F. THE PAIN