Immediate American withdrawal would amount to a defeat of the noncommunist South Vietnamese allies. Nixon announced a plan later known as Vietnamization. The United States would gradually withdraw troops from Southeast Asia as American military personnel turned more and more of the fighting over to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. In theory, as the South Vietnamese became more able to defend themselves, United States soldiers could go home without a communist takeover of Saigon.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

Describe the events that fueled antiwar sentiment in the Vietnam era
Explain Nixon’s steps to withdraw the United States from the conflict in South Vietnam