Fatal Politics: The Nixon Tapes, the Vietnam War, and the Casualties of Reelection (Miller Center Studies on the Presidency)

In his widely acclaimed Chasing Shadows ("the best account yet of Nixon's devious interference with Lyndon Johnson's 1968 Vietnam War negotiations"-- Washington Post ), Ken Hughes revealed the roots of the covert activity that culminated in Watergate. In Fatal Politics, Hughes turns to the final years of the war and Nixon's reelection bid of 1972 to expose the president's darkest secret. While Nixon publicly promised to keep American troops in Vietnam only until the South Vietnamese could take their place, he privately agreed with his top military, diplomatic, and intelligence advisers that Saigon could never survive without American boots on the ground. Afraid that a preelection fall of Saigon would scuttle his chances for a second term, Nixon put his reelection above the lives of American soldiers. Postponing the inevitable, he kept America in the war into the fourth year of his presidency. At the same time, Nixon negotiated a "decent interval" deal with the Communists to put a face-saving year or two between his final withdrawal and Saigon's collapse. If they waited that long, Nixon secretly assured North Vietnam's chief sponsors in Moscow and Beijing, the North could conquer the South without any fear that the United States would intervene to save it. The humiliating defeat that haunts Americans to this day was built into Nixon's exit strategy. Worse, the myth that Nixon was winning the war before Congress "tied his hands" has led policy makers to adapt tactics from America's final years in Vietnam to the twenty-first-century conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, prolonging both wars without winning either. Forty years after the fall of Saigon, and drawing on more than a decade spent studying Nixon's secretly recorded Oval Office tapes--the most comprehensive, accurate, and illuminating record of any presidency in history, much of it never transcribed until now-- Fatal Politics tells a story of political manipulation and betrayal that will change how Americans remember Vietnam. Fatal Politics is also available as a special e-book that allows the reader to move seamlessly from the book to transcripts and audio files of these historic conversations.

In his widely acclaimed Chasing Shadows ("the best account yet of Nixon’s devious interference with Lyndon Johnson’s 1968 Vietnam War negotiations"-- Washington Post), Ken Hughes revealed the roots of the covert activity that culminated in Watergate. In Fatal Politics, Hughes turns to the final years of the war and Nixon’s reelection bid of 1972 to expose the president’s darkest secret.

While Nixon publicly promised to keep American troops in Vietnam only until the South Vietnamese could take their place, he privately agreed with his top military, diplomatic, and intelligence advisers that Saigon could never survive without American boots on the ground. Afraid that a preelection fall of Saigon would scuttle his chances for a second term, Nixon put his reelection above the lives of American soldiers. Postponing the inevitable, he kept America in the war into the fourth year of his presidency. At the same time, Nixon negotiated a "decent interval" deal with the Communists to put a face-saving year or two between his final withdrawal and Saigon’s collapse. If they waited that long, Nixon secretly assured North Vietnam’s chief sponsors in Moscow and Beijing, the North could conquer the South without any fear that the United States would intervene to save it. The humiliating defeat that haunts Americans to this day was built into Nixon’s exit strategy. Worse, the myth that Nixon was winning the war before Congress "tied his hands" has led policy makers to adapt tactics from America’s final years in Vietnam to the twenty-first-century conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, prolonging both wars without winning either.

Forty years after the fall of Saigon, and drawing on more than a decade spent studying Nixon’s secretly recorded Oval Office tapes--the most comprehensive, accurate, and illuminating record of any presidency in history, much of it never transcribed until now-- Fatal Politics tells a story of political manipulation and betrayal that will change how Americans remember Vietnam. Fatal Politics is also available as a special e-book that allows the reader to move seamlessly from the book to transcripts and audio files of these historic conversations.

In his widely acclaimed Chasing Shadows (othe best account yet of NixonAEs devious interference with Lyndon JohnsonAEs 1968 Vietnam War negotiationso - Washington Post ), Ken Hughes revealed the roots of the covert activity that culminated in Watergate. In Fatal Politics, Hughes turns to the final years of the war and NixonAEs reelection bid of 1972 to expose the presidentAEs darkest secret. While publicly Nixon promised to keep American troops in Vietnam only until the South Vietnamese could take their place, in private Nixon agreed with his top military, diplomatic, and intelligence advisers that Saigon could never survive without American boots on the ground. Afraid that a pre-election fall of Saigon would scuttle his chances of a second term, Nixon put his reelection above the lives of American soldiers. Postponing the inevitable, he kept America in the war into the fourth year of his presidency. At the same time, Nixon negotiated a odecent intervalo deal with the Communists to put a face-saving year or two between his final withdrawal and SaigonAEs collapse. If they waited that long, Nixon secretly assured North VietnamAEs chief sponsors in Moscow and Beijing, the North could conquer the South without any fear that the United States would intervene to save it. The humiliating defeat that haunts Americans to this day was built into NixonAEs exit strategy. Worse, the myth that Nixon was winning the war before Congress otied his handso has led policy makers to adapt tactics from AmericaAEs final years in Vietnam to the twenty-first-century conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, prolonging both wars without winning either. Forty years after the fall of Saigon, and drawing on more than a decade spent studying NixonAEs secretly recorded Oval Office tapes--the most comprehensive, accurate, and illuminating record of any presidency in history, much of it never transcribed until now-- Fatal Politics tells a story of political manipulation and betrayal that will change how Americans remember Vietnam. Fatal Politics is also available as a special e-book that allows the reader to move seamlessly from the book to transcripts and audio files of these historic conversations. Introduction -- Fatal politics -- Vietnamization -- "A nightmare of recrimination" -- "A hell of a shift" -- How to kill a withdrawal deadline -- "I'm being perfectly cynical" -- "We want a decent interval" -- Meeting Zhou -- "Old friends" -- "He deserves our confidence" -- JFK v. Nixon -- The Kennedy critique -- The liberal mistake -- "Super secret agent" -- Sixty-six percent for six months -- "One arm tied behind" -- "Why does the Air Force constantly undercut us?" -- The appearance of success -- "Any means necessary" -- "A Russian game, a Chinese game and an election game" -- "It could be a bit longer" -- The Democrats -- "No one will give a damn" -- "Idealism with integrity" -- "Our terms will eventually destroy him" -- Blowup 1968 -- "We're behind the trees!" -- "Saving face or saving lives" -- "Brutalize him" -- Kissinger v. Thieu -- "No possibility whatever" -- "The man who should cry is I" -- "The fellow is off of his head" -- No coalition government -- "Peace is at hand" -- "A little bit diabolically" -- The Chennault Affair -- "The clearest choice" -- Election day 1972 -- Promises and threats -- Christmas bombing -- "Let us be proud" -- The prisoners dilemma -- The final cutoff -- Stabbed in the back -- "We can blame them for the whole thing" -- Nixon's Dolchstoßlegende -- Unearthing Nixon's strategy -- The University of Virginia's Miller Center -- Decision points -- The Nixon tapes -- Interpretive inertia -- Last days in Vietnam -- A better war -- The aid-cutoff myth -- How wars don't end -- Questions unasked. Vietnamization "A nightmare of recrimination" "A hell of a shift" How to kill a withdrawal deadline Ted Kennedy The liberal mistake China "I'm being perfectly cynical" Cold steel Meeting Zhou Booting away nationalistic fervor "Old friends" "He deserves our confidence" JFK v. Nixon "Super secret agent" Sixty-six percent for six months "One arm tied behind" "Why does the Air Force constantly undercut us?" The appearance of success "Any means necessary" "A Russian game, a Chinese game and an election game" "It could be a bit longer" The Democrats "No one will give a damn" "Idealism with integrity" "Our terms will eventually destroy him" Blow-up 1968 "We're behind the trees!" "Saving face or saving lives" "Brutalize him" Kissinger v. Thieu "No possibility whatever" "The man who should cry is I" "The fellow is off of his head" No coalition government "Peace is at hand" "A little bit diabolically" The Chennault Affair "The clearest choice" Election day 1972 Promises and threats Christmas bombing "Let us be proud" The prisoners dilemma The final cutoff Stabbed in the back "We can blame them for the whole thing" Nixon's dolchstoss legende Unearthing Nixon's strategy The University of Virginia's Miller Center Decision points The Nixon tapes Interpretive inertia A better war Questions unasked. Forty years after the fall of Saigon, and drawing on more than a decade spent studying Nixon's secretly recorded Oval Office tapes - the most comprehensive, accurate, and illuminating record of any presidency in history, much of it never transcribed until now - Fatal Politics tells a story of political manipulation and betrayal that will change how Americans remember Vietnam. "In Fatal Politics, Hughes turns to the final years of the Vietnam War and Nixon's reelection bid of 1972 to expose the president's darkest secret"--Jacket.