Cambodian Incursion represented a major turning point for American sentiment towards its participation in the Vietnam War (Nolan, 1990, p. xiii). Authorized by President Nixon, it was hoped that this offensive would secure the future of South Vietnam as a non-communist nation, but the strong negative reaction by the American public, towards what seemed to be an escalation, caught the administration off guard. However, many military strategists viewed the Cambodian Incursion to be a wise decision. This essay will examine the circumstances that led to this decision and whether the offensive was successful both politically and militarily.
Events that Set the Stage for the Cambodian Incursion
The Vietnam War (1954-1975), on a global scale, represented a political struggle between the major communist and western powers for ideological control of satellite nations (Shaw, 2005, p 3). Immediately adjacent to China were four countries, Laos, Cambodia, North Vietnam, and S. Vietnam, which Hanoi, the capitol of N. Vietnam, treated as a single political entity. However, S. Vietnam wished to remain a separate nation and received considerable support from first France and then the United States in pursuit of this goal. A non-communist S. Vietnam was also seen by Washington as strategically important given its proximity to China.
S. Vietnam therefore took a defensive position, while North Vietnam took an offensive strategy towards unification under communist rule (Shaw, 2005, p. 3). By the time U.S. forces began to arrive in S. Vietnam, the Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese Army (NVA) were well established within S. Vietnam and camped within 15 miles of the capitol Saigon (Coleman, 1991, p. 3). U.S. forces then began to systematically eradicate these bases from around Saigon, pushing the enemy forces closer to the demilitarized zone between North and South Vietnam, and the border region with communist Cambodia.
As a result, VC and NVA forces found sanctuary inside and along the border with Cambodia (Coleman, 1991, p. 3). This area already contained communist forces supply bases, which were supported by Hanoi via the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The Ho Chi Minh Trail exited N. Vietnam and ran through first Laos and then Cambodia. Since Washington recognized Cambodia as a neutral country, it could not simply send its forces across the border to eliminate these sanctuaries. The communist leaders of Cambodia also refused to give S. Vietnam or the United States permission to cross its borders (Tho, 1970, p. 12-16).
Cambodian Incursion
On March 18, 1970, the leadership of Cambodia was overthrown and the new government established a hard line against communists (Tho, 1970, p. 16). Accordingly, it gave notice to North Vietnam and the VC that they were no longer welcome and began military operations to eliminate these forces from within its borders. In response, NVA and VC troops began to fight back against the new government. Cambodia then appealed to the United Nations for help and reestablished diplomatic relations with S. Vietnam.
A year earlier President Nixon had announced the gradual pullout of American troops from S. Vietnam (Tho, 1979, p. 2-3). Between June 1969 and January 1970, 115,000 American troops left for home. Washington was therefore faced with an opportunity to increase the ability of S. Vietnam's military to successfully defend its borders, by eliminating the NVA and VC bases along the Cambodian border before all U.S. troops had left. It was suggested that missing this opportunity could delay U.S. troop withdrawal, because VC and NVA troops would not be so considerate as to allow the American troops to simply leave unharassed (Tho, 1979, p. 35).
While U.S. And S. Vietnamese commanders were preparing plans for a major offensive into Cambodia, which was to take place during the months of May and June, S. Vietnamese and Cambodian troops began their own skirmishes against NVA and VC bases on both sides of the border (Tho, 1979, p. 39-47). These operations were planned with the help of U.S. commanders and supported...
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