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Richard Nixon : President Of The United States

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When Richard Nixon was elected as president of the United States in 1968, he entered office with high hopes for his term. America was in the midst of a war in Vietnam, and Nixon believed that because of his extensive knowledge of worldwide affairs, he could be the president to bring about positive change and peace in this area. Although Nixon desired to obtain “peace with honor,” his approach to the war in Vietnam and the actions that he took ultimately led to a defeat for the United States and left many devastating legacies.
In a speech given to the American people in 1969, Richard Nixon explained how and why America had associated itself with Vietnam to begin with. Nixon first stated, “Fifteen years ago North Vietnam, with the logistical support of Communist China and the Soviet Union, launched a campaign to impose a Communist government on South Vietnam by instigating and supporting a revolution” (Nixon’s ‘Silent Majority’). Nixon continued in saying that because the South Vietnamese government requested it, President Eisenhower offered military and monetary assistance to aid the South Vietnamese resistance against Communism. Then, in President Kennedy’s term, he ordered 16,000 military directors to be sent over to Vietnam. Additionally, when Lyndon B. Johnson was elected president, he commanded that American military troops be sent over to South Vietnam. Therefore, Nixon took office at the height of the war in Vietnam (Nixon’s ‘Silent Majority’).
As president, Nixon was
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