National Security Decision Memorandum 57: Actions to Protect U.S. Forces in South Vietnam
4/26/1970
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This is President Richard Nixon’s directive to send U.S. and South Vietnamese ground forces into Cambodia.
The Vietnamese Communists had long used neutral Cambodia as a place to regroup and store weapons. President Nixon planned to send ground groups to attack Communist sanctuaries and central headquarters. One historical interpretation of Nixon’s strategy is that he hoped to destabilize the enemy in order to provide a “decent interval” in which South Vietnam could fend for itself while American troops pulled out.
It decision outraged many Americans. This apparent expansion of the war detonated an explosion of antiwar activity that escalated to a national crisis when four students were shot at a protest at Kent State University in Ohio.
The public was unaware that Nixon had been secretly bombing Cambodia since mid-March 1969—an escalation of a covert bombing campaign started by Johnson in 1965.
The Vietnamese Communists had long used neutral Cambodia as a place to regroup and store weapons. President Nixon planned to send ground groups to attack Communist sanctuaries and central headquarters. One historical interpretation of Nixon’s strategy is that he hoped to destabilize the enemy in order to provide a “decent interval” in which South Vietnam could fend for itself while American troops pulled out.
It decision outraged many Americans. This apparent expansion of the war detonated an explosion of antiwar activity that escalated to a national crisis when four students were shot at a protest at Kent State University in Ohio.
The public was unaware that Nixon had been secretly bombing Cambodia since mid-March 1969—an escalation of a covert bombing campaign started by Johnson in 1965.
This primary source comes from the Collection RN-NSF: National Security Files (Nixon Administration).
Full Citation: National Security Decision Memorandum 57: Actions to Protect U.S. Forces in South Vietnam; 4/26/1970; Central Files, 1/20/1969 - 8/9/1974; Collection RN-NSF: National Security Files (Nixon Administration); Richard Nixon Library, Yorba Linda, CA. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/national-security-memorandum-protect-us-forces, March 29, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.