It has become conventional wisdom that only a stern anti-Communist such as Richard Nixon could have opened relations with China. It may also be that only a Nixon could have withdrawn U.S. forces from a conflict with a Soviet proxy and accepted a cease-fire that left thousands of Communist insurgents far beyond their legal borders, in place for an eventual onslaught. By the time the 1973 Paris accords were signed, any prudent politician might have had enough doubts about South Viet Nam's survival to start shifting blame to others for having "lost" an ally. Hawks like Nixon assailed doves for cutting...
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