Invasion of Cambodia - April 29 - July 22, 1970
Since the beginning of the war, the National Liberation Front, also known as the Viet Cong, had set up bases in the nearby country of Cambodia. Cambodia had declared itself as a neutral country, supporting neither America nor the NLF. At the time, Lyndon B. Johnson was under pressure from his military advisers to bomb these NLF bases. Johnson refused to attack these bases because he was concerned that it would destroy the anti-communist government of Prince Sihanouk. After Johnson’s terms, Nixon stepped into office and ordered the bombing of the NLF bases in Cambodia. Nixon did not want attention brought to this act, knowing that it would cause much protesting, so he ordered the events to be kept in secrecy. The bomber pilots were sworn to secrecy and their flight logs were falsified to keep the bombings secret. When the bombings failed to take the bases out of commission, Nixon ordered the invasion of Cambodia in April of 1970. There was much protesting across the nation in reaction to this invasion, especially in many colleges. At Kent State University in Ohio, one protest became violent when National Guardsmen entered to intervene and began to shoot into a crowd of protesters. In Cambodia, the communist movement called the Khemr Rouge used the invasion to build support among the lower class.
The Invasion of Cambodia was a very bold move by the American military and it is often contested whether or not it was a beneficial action for the US to make. The widespread protests that came from the invasion showed the united distain of this action. The strategic value of this invasion can also be contested; many people argue that what the US gained from the attack was not worth the price they paid in time, money, and lives.
The Invasion of Cambodia was a very bold move by the American military and it is often contested whether or not it was a beneficial action for the US to make. The widespread protests that came from the invasion showed the united distain of this action. The strategic value of this invasion can also be contested; many people argue that what the US gained from the attack was not worth the price they paid in time, money, and lives.