Richard Nixon and Detente
•Elected 37th President in 1968
•Promised to end the Vietnam war
•Pulled troops but increased bombing campaign, implemented Vietnamization
•Began a policy of Détente to lessen Cold War tensions
Resigned after being implemented in Water Gate Scandal 1972
Détente
•Reasons why U.S. sought détente:
•Nuclear and Strategic Parity - The Russians had caught the U.S. in most military areas (caused them to want to think of other options)
•Early Success:
•Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (limit the spread of Nuclear weapons) Signed by Johnson in 1968 (France and China do not sign it)
Many, like Henry Kissinger, felt détente was just a new form of containment
Water Gate Scandal
•As Nixon was about to run for the 1972 election the Republicans were accused of a crime
•5 men were caught trying to break into the Watergate hotel (headquarters for the Democrats) to place bugs
•The investigation led to much more corruptness and also implicated Nixon in the cover up
Nixon resigned before he could be impeached
•Promised to end the Vietnam war
•Pulled troops but increased bombing campaign, implemented Vietnamization
•Began a policy of Détente to lessen Cold War tensions
Resigned after being implemented in Water Gate Scandal 1972
Détente
•Reasons why U.S. sought détente:
•Nuclear and Strategic Parity - The Russians had caught the U.S. in most military areas (caused them to want to think of other options)
•Early Success:
•Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (limit the spread of Nuclear weapons) Signed by Johnson in 1968 (France and China do not sign it)
Many, like Henry Kissinger, felt détente was just a new form of containment
Water Gate Scandal
•As Nixon was about to run for the 1972 election the Republicans were accused of a crime
•5 men were caught trying to break into the Watergate hotel (headquarters for the Democrats) to place bugs
•The investigation led to much more corruptness and also implicated Nixon in the cover up
Nixon resigned before he could be impeached
Who signed on the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty?
Light green- Signed and ratified
Dark Green- Acceded or succeeded
Red- Non-signatory
Dark Green- Acceded or succeeded
Red- Non-signatory
Summary: The 37th American President was Richard Nixon. This was the man who began Vietnamization and the policy of Dente. Although the Watergate Scandal was the triggering factor in his resign, detente went on. Examples of detente are the Nuclear Strategic parity and The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.