Nixon ends military operations in Vietnam

The United States had weathered the stormy anti-war protests at home and continued carrying on the war in Vietnam into its second decade. Peace was seemingly on the horizon: North Vietnam no longer demanded the ouster of the South Vietnamese leader from power, and called instead for a cease-fire and withdrawal of forces, followed by a reconciliation committee. But the talks broke down, with each side blaming the other. To bring North Vietnam back to the negotiating table, President Richard Nixon restarted a massive bombing campaign – Operation Linebacker II. The campaign worked to restart talks.

On this day, December 30, in 1972, after close to two weeks of continuous bombing, the North Vietnamese agreed to take another look at the peace proposals. Nixon ordered a pause in the bombing.

The final peace agreement different little from the October draft that the parties disagreed over, and for that the bombings have been controversial. Disagreements remain whether it was really to bring North Vietnam back to negotiations or to prove to the South Vietnamese the United States would not abandon them. Whatever the motivation, this was to be the last major U.S. operation in the war.