This photograph shows George W. Romney and Barbara Walters standing with President Richard Nixon. During the Vietnam War, Nixon’s presidential campaign led many to conclude he had a “secret plan to end the war.” Some historians believe he was actually determined to win the war. Others say he planned a negotiated withdrawal from the beginning. We do know he had a secret. He sabotaged Johnson’s peace talks to prevent an agreement from threatening his election.
To counter protests against his failure to make significant progress toward his campaign promise, Nixon gave what has become known as the “Silent Majority” speech. He announced his plans for “Vietnamization” (increasingly turning the war over to the South Vietnamese) and portrayed dissenters as the noisy, unpatriotic few. He then asked “the great silent majority of [his] fellow Americans” for their support. He got it. According to a Gallup poll, the speech catapulted his approval rating from around 50 percent to 77 percent.
The war continued for four years under Nixon. During that time, 21,041 Americans and over two million Vietnamese, Cambodians, and Laotians were killed.
