Case 130 - The Nixon Administration and Vietnam: A Case Study in Negotiation and War Termination

Geipel, Gary

This case study focuses on the final phase of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, beginning in 1969, as President Richard Nixon sought to disengage the United States from the conflict. This was a wrenching and pivotal experience, affecting America’s willingness to commit itself abroad and its perception of its actual political leverage in international bargaining. The study asks students to consider why—since the peace accord reached in early 1973 did not differ markedly from the terms of a 1969 peace plan—it took the two sides four years to reach a settlement.