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Difficulty: MediumThe Vietnam War and Foreign Policy

"In the previous administration, we Americanized the war in Vietnam. In this administration, we are Vietnamizing the search for peace. The policy of the previous administration, consistent with its objectives, was to find the answers to many of these problems ourselves. Under the new policy, the primary mission of our troops is to enable the South Vietnamese forces to assume the full responsibility for the security of their country."

— President Richard Nixon, Address to the Nation on the War in Vietnam, November 3, 1969

Which of the following best describes the primary foreign policy goal of the strategy outlined in the excerpt?

  1. A
    Abandoning the containment doctrine in Asia to return to an isolationist foreign policy.
  2. B
    Fulfilling the legislative mandate for military escalation established by the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
  3. Gradually withdrawing United States combat troops while training South Vietnamese forces to maintain containment.Answer
  4. D
    Expanding the containment strategy to include direct preemptive strikes on Soviet and Chinese territories.

Answer

Gradually withdrawing United States combat troops while training South Vietnamese forces to maintain containment.
The correct answer describes Nixon's policy of 'Vietnamization,' which aimed to reduce direct United States military intervention by withdrawing combat troops while transferring the responsibility of fighting the communist forces to the South Vietnamese military, thereby attempting to maintain containment without a massive American ground presence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the source text to identify the speaker and key policy shift.
The source is Richard Nixon's 1969 address outlining the transition from 'Americanizing' to 'Vietnamizing' the conflict.
This establishes that the policy is Vietnamization, which occurred in the late stages of the war under President Nixon.
2
Define the relationship between Vietnamization and the broader US policy of containment.
Vietnamization was an adaptation of containment (the Nixon Doctrine) that sought to limit direct US ground intervention by shifting responsibility to regional allies.
This distinguishes Nixon's approach from the direct escalation of the Johnson administration and shows containment was not abandoned.
3
Select the option that matches this tactical shift in containment.
The correct option identifies the withdrawal of US troops alongside the training of South Vietnamese forces to maintain containment.
This option accurately captures both components of Nixon's strategy described in the excerpt.

Key Concept

Vietnamization and the Nixon Doctrine
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Topics

The Vietnam War and Foreign Policy

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