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Not American, but I'll take a crack.
In 1968, Hubert Humphrey, Lyndon B Johnson's Vice President was running for president on a Democratic ticket against Republican Richard Nixon.
LBJ announced an end to bombing in Vietnam and possible peace talks as an October surprise. https://twitter.com/battymamzelle/status/1296940590592962561
In 1968, Hubert Humphrey, Lyndon B Johnson's Vice President was running for president on a Democratic ticket against Republican Richard Nixon.
LBJ announced an end to bombing in Vietnam and possible peace talks as an October surprise. https://twitter.com/battymamzelle/status/1296940590592962561
The US had been involved in the Vietnam War deploying troops to assist South Vietnam and conducting a strategic bombing of the Viet Cong and NVA, for four years now.
The American people were very much against the War by then. Massive draft dodging and civil disobedience was done by the anti-war movement.
The peace talks announcement boosted poll numbers for Humphrey, who had been trailing in the polls until then. He began catching up.
The peace talks announcement boosted poll numbers for Humphrey, who had been trailing in the polls until then. He began catching up.
Later, LBJ confirmed that peace talks would definitely happen. This took Humphrey into the lead.
Nixon was concerned. The White House was slipping from his grasp.
He decided to use underhanded means to retake his lead. He would attempt a sabotage of the peace talks.
Nixon was concerned. The White House was slipping from his grasp.
He decided to use underhanded means to retake his lead. He would attempt a sabotage of the peace talks.
Nixon is more widely known for the Watergate scandal (wherein he obstructed an investigation of the wiretapping and break-in at the DNC's office in Watergate)
But this was nothing compared to what I'm about to tell you now. The ghoul was willing to let a bloody war continue
But this was nothing compared to what I'm about to tell you now. The ghoul was willing to let a bloody war continue
for the sake of getting into office.
Nixon believed he would prevail, unless a major event reset the political topography. He knew that Johnson knew that too. As did the Soviet Union. Kremlin leaders had never much liked the red-baiting, anti-communist Nixon.
Nixon believed he would prevail, unless a major event reset the political topography. He knew that Johnson knew that too. As did the Soviet Union. Kremlin leaders had never much liked the red-baiting, anti-communist Nixon.
To keep him from the Oval Office, and help Humphrey become president, they were meddling in the U.S. presidential campaignâpressing their clients in North Vietnam to agree to a ceasefire and hold constructive talks to end the war.
Kissinger alerted the Nixon campaign in late September, and again in early October, that something was up. Johnson was willing to halt the U.S. bombing of the North, and with the Soviets applying pressure on Hanoi to meet certain American conditions,
the odds were never better for an early settlement of the conflict, which had already claimed 30,000 American lives and torn America apart.
Nixon gave campaign manager H.R. Haldeman the following order: find ways to sabotage LBJ's plans for productive peace talks, making his announcement look like a gimmick, so that a frustrated American electorate would turn to the Republicans as their only hope of ending the war.
The gambit worked and the Chennault affair - named for Anna Chennault, the Republican lobbyist and fundraiser who was Nixon's back-channel to the regime in Saigon, remained a political and diplomatic whodunnit for decades afterward.
Nixon had no influence in Moscow, or Hanoi. But he was not completely vulnerable to events. He had that pipeline to Saigon, where South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu and his associates feared that LBJ was selling them out.
If Thieu would drag his feet, and stall the proposed peace talks, Nixon could portray Johnsonâs failed peace initiative as a desperate political trick. But to do so, Nixon had to get word to Thieu, and tell him to stand firm.
Nixonâs main conduit was Chennault, the Chinese-American widow of Claire Chennault, the American aviator who led squadrons of âFlying Tigersâ into battle on behalf of China against the Japanese invaders during WW2.
She had many friends in South Vietnam, Nationalist China, and other pro-Western countries in Asia
Nixon's campaign successfully managed to derail LBJ's peace process.
Nine days later, Thieuâs decision to boycott the talks headlined The New York Times and other U.S. newspapers, reminding American voters of their long-harbored mistrust of the wheeler-dealer LBJ and
Nine days later, Thieuâs decision to boycott the talks headlined The New York Times and other U.S. newspapers, reminding American voters of their long-harbored mistrust of the wheeler-dealer LBJ and
his "credibility gap" on Vietnam. Hubert Humphrey's momentum dissipated, and he found himself trailing once more.
At this time, LBJ had directed the intelligence community to spy on South Vietnam. US spies had managed to hear Chennault telling Thieu "Hold on, we're gonna win."
At this time, LBJ had directed the intelligence community to spy on South Vietnam. US spies had managed to hear Chennault telling Thieu "Hold on, we're gonna win."
LBJ was furious. National Security Advisor Walt Rostow urged him to reveal Nixon's treachery. Humphrey's aides told him to expose Chennault's secret correspondence with Saigon and disgrace their Republican foes.
Both LBJ and Humphrey, however, balked on making the Chennault affair public. They lacked direct proof that Nixon was personally directing Chennault's clandestine communication with SVN to derail the peace talks. They felt it would backfire and sink Humphrey further.
Americans remained angry with their number one and two in the White House. Come November, Nixon won 303 electoral votes.
He was elected President and ramped up American involvement in the Vietnam War. He also took the US into two more wars in Cambodia and Laos.
He was elected President and ramped up American involvement in the Vietnam War. He also took the US into two more wars in Cambodia and Laos.
The US would remain in the Indochinese theatre of war until 1973.
All in all, 6,000,000 lives were lost in the wars in Southeast Asia that Nixon dragged America into.
The Chennault affair remained a mystery through the 20th century despite some elements of it being discovered.
All in all, 6,000,000 lives were lost in the wars in Southeast Asia that Nixon dragged America into.
The Chennault affair remained a mystery through the 20th century despite some elements of it being discovered.
Nixon stuck by denial of involvement while his lawyers continued to keep his notes from being acquired and examined by judicial authorities.
The Chennault affair has only been fully uncovered in 2007. Here's a couple of sources on it:
1) https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/06/nixon-vietnam-candidate-conspired-with-foreign-power-win-election-215461
The Chennault affair has only been fully uncovered in 2007. Here's a couple of sources on it:
1) https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/06/nixon-vietnam-candidate-conspired-with-foreign-power-win-election-215461
