President Nixon's Cambodia Incursion Address

April 30, 1970: President Nixon announces his plan to eradicate communist sanctuaries along the Cambodia-South Vietnam border.
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[@MrZZooh]

Whether you like him or not, you gotta give him credit for taking the time to actually explain all this to the American people as opposed to today's presidents who just bomb and have their toadies explain it to the media afterwards. Nixon had balls.

[@account1account168]

Terrible choice that he made

[@rudem.2973]

This is why? I will always remember him as a very big ," Dick Head " ! His name was : DICK !

[@chrishonegger7180]

Agreed

[@NotesNNotes]

he lied about the war for years, he didn't explain anything.

[@kerry1111111]

@@NotesNNotes Trying to fix LBJ's mess.

[@ronniecoleman2342]

I can't believe people hated Nixon. This was a precise and intelligent briefing. We never got this with any president since. What a shame. Imagine Biden trying to stumble through this.

[@Shah-of-the-Shinebox]

Nixon had his flaws and mistakes, but I agree with your statement. He was an articulate, intelligent man and one of America's greatest presidents. No president since has matched his intelligence and political savvy. He was hated long before being president back in the late 40s/early 50s for being a staunch anti-communist. Biden wouldn't be worthy to shine Nixon's shoes

[@tinywaterlotus]

Killing over 100,000 innocent Cambodia citizens was never the right decision. The Ho Chi Minh trail was still successful no matter how much the US bombed it (which was averaged to be an average of every 7 minutes). It was a waste of ordnance that could've been used IN Vietnam against the Vietnamese troops, rather than killing Cambodians who they were never against. While Nixon had used Vietnam’s first violation of the Geneva Conference agreement on the neutrality of Cambodia through the Ho Chi Minh Trail as a justification to secretly carpet bomb areas in Cambodia, the overall impact Operation Menu’s bombings left on Cambodia and its citizens was enough to be defined as a genocide and left Cambodia unstable and ready to be overtaken by an atrocious regime, the Khmer Rouge.

[@cplkirk1]

Baloney! Nixon was absolutely right and was proven right 2 years later when we helped the S. Vietnamese stop the NVA Easter Offensive. Just where do you get this nonsense about 100,000 Cambodian citizens being killed by us? It is total nonsense.

[@tinywaterlotus]

@@cplkirk1 If you read anything about the secret bombings the U.S. did, approved by Nixon, you would see the factual evidence of them bombing nearby Cambodian villages by the trail. My family members are refugees from the war and have been affected by the U.S. bombings as well. Do a simple google research on the bombings on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Your comment is insensitive and shows you lack knowledge outside of youtube.

[@cplkirk1]

Ms. Chin, Can you personally verify that US bombings caused 100-500,000 deaths in Cambodia? I think not. The Ho Chi Minh Trail bombing was mostly in Laos along the infiltration routes. My "knowledge" is mostly empirical. I was a USMC intelligence specialist during Operation Frequent Wind in which we evacuated many South Vietnamese from the NVA as they overran Saigon. I think you base your "knowledge" from leftist-slanted charlatans who have no experience with the actual events of the war. I have empathy for Vietnamese (your family?) refugees who came to the US after the war and more so for the many tens of thousand executed by the communists following 1975. If Nixon remained in office the South Vietnamese would still be in possession of their own country.

[@sucroseboy4940]

@@cplkirk1 This is in no way justifiable. No matter what the goal was, Operations Menu and Freedom Deal resulted in between 50,000 to 150,000 deaths (according to Ben Kiernan, historian and director of the genocide studies at Yale). Further more the bombings were indirectly involved with the Khmer Rouge’s rise to power. This makes Nixon directly responsible for 50,000 to 150,000 deaths, and indirectly responsible for sone 1,85 million deaths in the Khmer Rouge genocide. Fact checked most of this might be a few things i misremembered, but in any case this was wrong and caused the deaths of many innocent people that could have been prevented

[@cplkirk1]

@@sucroseboy4940 What, exactly, is in no way justifiable? Are you referring to the bombings into the NVA base camps and staging areas in Eastern Cambodia? If so, I have researched the "sources" you base your ridiculous civilian casualty numbers on and they are dubious, to say the least. I am aware of the writings and lecturing of Ben Kiernan of Yale and I, hearing him speak, I believe he is just another Australian fraud trying to empower himself in US academia with false info. Also, he is simply wrong. Concerning deaths in Cambodia, he should be more concerned with the Khmer Rouge's atrocities to Cambodia's citizens of about 1.5 MM people than with Nixon's bombings of military targets. Be realistic, the population density of Eastern Cambodia in 1970 would, in no way, support the number of people in the area you claim to be hit by US bombs. It's simply impossible -- there weren't even that many Cambodians living in that remote, wilderness area. Most of the Cambodian population at that time was in the major cities. Next time you watch a video of a Ben Kiernan's lecture, take a good look at who attends and what platform is being used. Kiernan is just another lifer academic. He's not even a good speaker. Your numbers are ridiculous. Massive NVA forces had a "safe" refuge near the Cambodian border and Nixon went after them.

[@zandig666]

I'm here to find out more about the Cambodian incursion thanks for all the information 🇨🇦

[@gaguy1967]

US intervention in Cambodia was completely justified

[@MasayaShida]

How so?

[@manlyman888]

n . Shihanouk and his former VN friend from saigon are vietcong leader he allow vietcong freely base on cambodia for so long

[@keptarareach4810]

And how is dropping 200+ tons of bombs justification for that?

[@gaguy1967]

@@keptarareach4810 north vietnam was using cambodia as a staging point to attack south vietnam, even international law allows for that

[@jwharton4575]

@@gaguy1967it wan’t America’s war in the first place, they had no right to be in Vietnam, let alone Cambodia

[@Kabutoes]

The Viet Cong in Cambodia actually outnumbered the Cambodian Army (FANK) by like 10 thousand. In operation Chenla II FANK lost 10 whole Battalions to the Viet Cong and PAVN. Nixon couldn’t support them then

[@MrZZooh]

Thanks for sharing. I was born in the 80s but Nixon is my favorite president. He was a true statesman.

[@zandig666]

Thanks for sharing as well from 🇨🇦

[@user-xy8qk9gz7g]

Mr President, I support your policy.

[@2000Betelgeuse]

I think Mr Nixon did what he genuinely thought was the best course of action.....its easy for us to say he was wrong with 20/20 highlight...

[@sucroseboy4940]

There is some truth to it. But a man like Nixon should have never been president. What he did was awful, and caused hundreds of thousands of lives, mostly civilians. He cared about his own people so much that he was blind to what his actions caused to the rest of the world.

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

Mostly true at this point. His best chance to get out of Vietnam was to pull troops out in 1969 after he just got into office, blame the war on LBJ and the Democrats, and spin it to where the North Vietnamese were not pawns of Russia and China. 50/50 popularity at the time, would have been far wiser. But he listened to the hawks when he got into office and at this point was stuck in many ways.

[@zandig666]

Why would he televise this the enemy would be watching as it would be the next morning in Vietnam

[@starter47990]

Nixon at his best

[@chaddelk3605]

The NVA was using the Ho Chi Minh Trail to supply the Vietcong with weapons to use against our soldiers in South Vietnam. Parts of the Ho Chi Minh Trail were within the Cambodian border (which can clearly be seen on the map). President Nixon had the guts to take action against the NVA in Cambodia which is exactly what he did. He made the right decision.

[@RovexHD]

Killing off half a million Cambodians in the process real smooth.

[@RovexHD]

And who was Pol Pot supported by ? Henry Kissinger.

[@satanlovesallah8639]

+RovexHD your mommy !!

[@rothaflint]

Chad Delk

[@TheScandalessLife]

You're a dumb bitch just like Nixon lmao

[@KianoUyMOOP]

I count seven hippies who watched this video.

[@MKIVWWI]

Now 13 Commie-loving hippies.

[@TheBombayMasterTony]

14 hippies.

[@Ap0lly0n7]

Sounds like somebody wants Agent Orange in their cereal.

[@bazle64]

I count plenty of mayonaise stinking incentrious hillbillies

[@definitelyantifa7817]

You lost. The hippies won.

[@raminsaeedi6065]

We love you president nixon

[@gggaryjon67]

Going across the border was totally ineffective. The result of this stupid decision led to Cambodia becoming a failed state and the genocide that resulted, almost a million killed. This is the man responsible.

[@JustinaJamess]

Gary Gibbens Cambodia used to be a rich country we were smart and had good schools!

[@vibes7s]

It was the Chinese who were responsible for Khmer Rouge just listen to the survivors it was the south Vietnamese soldiers who saved the combodians as say the SURVIVORS WHO HAS THEIR ENTIRE FAMILIES KILLED AND WORKED TO DEATH BY THE CHINESE BUILDING THE AIRPORT. Do some research

[@luckyshow98]

@@vibes7s how can i read up on this? suggest any articles, books? sounds fascinating!

[@rekwinchester7509]

@@vibes7s The Chinese and vietnames. Nixon still contribute and led to the horrible event

[@essessessesq]

sorry, but what you describe happened AFTER the USA stopped helping in 1974 when the Democrat Congress ended all aid....North Vietnam then invaded and took over and the massacres began. The Congress forbade President Ford to do ANYTHING to help the Cambodians and the South Vietnames being massacred.

[@PrimoMagazine]

Nixon's decision was excellent. The Americans roundly defeated the North Vietnamese in Cambodia. The next time the North Vietnamese went on a major offensive was from North Vietnam and not Cambodia.

[@Sybok51288]

his Vietnamization would of been successful too if congress didn't withdraw air support from South Vietnamese after watergate, if the Americans kept their airforce active (no ground troops) there would still be a South Vietnam

[@PrimoMagazine]

@@Sybok51288 You're 100% right.

[@manlyman888]

true i'm cambodian . Shihanouk and his former VN friend from saigon are vietcong leader he allow vietcong freely base on cambodia for so long

[@definitelyantifa7817]

Why not just invade North Vietnam then? Otherwise it’s futile

[@essessessesq]

@@definitelyantifa7817 that was what Goldwater suggested, h said LBJ left our men as sitting ducks. Nixon decided to get the m OUT of the war, and he did it

[@panhavuththeng383]

tell us where did you boom in cambodia ? pls tell Cambodia people

[@polpotsuperme7099]

Panhavuth Theng becuse vietcong live in cambodia

[@Dagan81]

#Panhavuth Theng When you provide aid to the communist government in North Vietnam as did the governments of Cambodia and Laos, you should expect a strong reply. Don't blame our government for the rise of Pol Pot. Your government supported the North Vietnamese regime after pledging to remain neutral in the war. As a result, you paid with the blood of one-quarter of your nation's population in his 'killing fields' - none of which we contributed to. That decision, as a consequence of your government's agenda, is on your head. And you paid the price you rightly deserved, by your own hands.

[@nymey71]

@@Dagan81 so, you think it was right to take away the lives of thousands of innocent people because their failed leader broke your rules. You fought a war that not even yours, you were uninvited. No one asked for your help. You only came to the war because of your own insecurity. Your evil intervention is responsible for the deaths of those innocent people.

[@nymey71]

@@sethavichea7216 I didn't reply to him

[@b0gie726]

@@Dagan81 Do you think the incursion decision by Nixon would've changed if the government during that time had supported the pro-Western forces. We even had a coup that was supported by the US. When the pro-US regime asked for help during the Civil War, the US government didn't intervene like they did during the Vietnam War. How did the presence of American troops stop the "domino effect", when all it did was allow what they had planned to stop. It was a waste of valuable American lives and led to PTSD for the remaining.

[@honeyjbc1]

This is a brilliant speech and only those who never understand the danger of Communism could disagree. This is a spectacularly brilliant speech.

[@essessessesq]

Correct. Nixon showed here what an effective thinker and attorney he was. He proved his case with facts.

[@essessessesq]

so much hatred here from people posting----i didn't want Nixon to be president, but pleas e compare him to the last few "leaders"---this was clearly a man of great intelligence, and probably did want to do what is right.

[@BuddyNovinski]

I will agree that Nixon was intelligent. In fact, had he denounced the break-in at the Watergate, he'd have completed his second term. However, we've been going downhill in leadership since then, the middle class has been shrinking, and the global and corporate economy has taken over.

[@essessessesq]

@@BuddyNovinski all true, Buddy

[@michaelbrewder9508]

At least Nixon took a shave before this presentation

[@Texas28Redrum]

P O L I T I C S.. My father inlaws parents were killed along with Doctors, Lawyers, Teachers and Business Men and Women they said they kept Farmers alive. What all the Politicians did was Destroy a country that was GROWING really fast... so they kept this country poor. I watched a video .. the Prince at the time doing an interview about not wanting to do business with any other countries because all their sources was from their own country. They were doing WELL for a South East Asian Country and then Politic Happened!

[@starter47990]

Nixon made the right decision. In fact, the U.S. should have simply invaded North Vietnam and ended it

[@tinywaterlotus]

Killing over 100,000 innocent Cambodia citizens was not the right decision. the trail was still successful no matter how much the US bombed it (which was averaged to be an average of every 7 minutes). I agree that they should've just invaded North Vietnam, but never the decision to sacrifice Cambodians and leaving us helpless to the Khmer Rouge.

[@DeansLists]

Invasion would’ve started war with China like with Korea

[@starter47990]

@@tinywaterlotus the U.S. did not kill 100,000 Cambodian civilians. You cannot make up your own numbers and facts. The Viet Cong was responsible action in Cambodia

[@starter47990]

@@DeansLists so what? We would have kicked China's ass like we did before. Remember, the U.S. killed over 200,000 Chinese in that war. Besides, the Cambodian government ASKED the U.S. for help

[@jwharton4575]

@@starter47990responsible for the us bombing Cambodia? 🤨

[@davidcoleman757]

When he made this announcement, he'd already been bombing Cambodia for nearly a year. I thoroughly recommend 'Sideshow' by William Shawcross as a forensic analysis of how these illegal bombings were conducted and covered up.

[@zandig666]

That's why Nixon said many of which r secret I'm guessing stuff he said he can't tell the people

[@zandig666]

Thx I'm checking slideshow out !!

[@TheHaydena76]

Illegal and justified.

[@snakes3425]

@SiriusUFOResearch what about the NVA and VC who were also in Cambodia and Laos before the main invasion, using Cambodia as a staging bases, the Ho Chi Mihn trail ran through both countries weren't they violating Cambodia's neautraility as well?

[@angelamagnus6615]

This does not give American the right to violate the sovereignty of other nation.

[@snakes3425]

@@angelamagnus6615 The point I was trying to make is both sides violated Cambodia and Laos' neutrality during the war

[@essessessesq]

@@angelamagnus6615 AH, but Cambodia ASKED the USA FOR HELP....sort of like Belgium asked the British for help when Germany violated Belgium's neutrality in 1914!

[@ThuyNgoc-yc5dm]

1968..1972 Mr. Nixon . Why are you so cruel, you ordered to bomb us in Vietnam for what purpose? We do not tease Mr. We are people living in peace. Many innocent people died because of the war ordered by Nixson Năm 1968..1972 Ông Nixon. Tại sao các ông lại độc ác như vậy, các ông ra lệnh ném bom Việt Nam chúng tôi nhằm mục đích gì? Chúng tôi không trêu chọc ông Chúng tôi là những người sống trong hòa bình. Nhiều người vô tội đã chết vì cuộc chiến do Njxson

[@account1account168]

All the women and children that got killed by this mans illegal actions

[@darkairlord]

The ones strapped with explosives running at American soldiers ?

[@PichiKey]

He's already dead. He died 18 years ago...?

[@jamescousino4295]

"This is not an invasion of Cambodia". Bro was straight up gaslighting the American people.

[@khabbad]

He was right

[@aaronruss6331]

It wasn't an invasion. They intervened in Cambodia in order to fight the vietcong in the country who forced their way into the country.

[@cbskwkdnslwhanznamdm2849]

No

[@khabbad]

@@cbskwkdnslwhanznamdm2849 yep

[@DeBreeze1]

Nixon killed over 100,000 Cambodian civilians trying to bomb the viet cong in Cambodia, if thats not an invasion its a terrorist attact.@@aaronruss6331

[@michaelbrownlee9497]

Were they in there to restore french colonialism..., or were they in there to annilhate it. Watching these clips, knowing a bit of history from the area and the epic apocolypse now is mind trip. There was a fantastic series of novels written on the history of this area. So many people that dont know if they are coming or going that are oblivious to these struggles, just like the pharohs dream vision of Jacobs ladder. I watched a snail move across the edge of my razor this morning. Imagine all the people that watched this live, it would of been on every channel, a big event.

[@kiens8136]

it's funny how people think as long as american people lives, cambodian blood mean nth for them

[@benkleschinsky]

War and death is never good, but by 1973 the Vietnam War had come to an end after 30 years of communist slaughter. If we had not bombed Ho Chi Minh Trail, it's very likely the war would have continued on for decades more. The history books forget, it was President Kennedy that first ordered troops to engage in "clandestine warfare" in North Vietnam in 1961.

[@essessessesq]

exactly....when JFK took over, we had a mere 300 genuine "military advisors" there that Ike had sent....by the time JFK was done, he had sent in 22,000 FIGHTING troops....JFK actually started the USA's huge role in the V-nam War

[@PhilKensebben01]

Lol pentagon papers, operation menu, madman theory google them.

[@essessessesq]

the Pentagon Papers tell how the DEMOCRATS LIED about our early involvement in Vietnam....they had nothing at all to do with Nixon's actions in ENDING the war

[@SengReanSey]

We Cambodian's People still think US still do wrong on Cambodia during that war, more life was lost, so who pay on this?

[@zandig666]

Sorry my brother from 🇨🇦

[@Shah-of-the-Shinebox]

Nixon was damned if he did or damned if he didn’t. It was really the best worst case scenario.

[@franhodgson1932]

A great president, a difficult decision but he saw it through.

[@iltoni6895]

It was a war crime

[@shelsy_delgado9815]

no

[@essessessesq]

@@iltoni6895 please prove that assertion

[@iltoni6895]

@@essessessesq what kind of proof do you request. Is it not a war crime to knowingly bomb civilians

[@essessessesq]

@@iltoni6895 Unfortunately, modern day warfare is such that it is difficult to conduct it without harming some innocent victims. that is why i deplore ALL unnecessary wars. Nixon was a Quaker, and he never started ANY war....he took office in 1969 and immediately began withdrawing the 530,000 American soldiers that the Democrats JFK and LBJ had needlessly put in Vietnam....the only reason for the Cambodian bombing that Nixon ordered was that North Vietnam had illegally invaded Cambodia and was using its neutral land as a base to make attacks on the American soldiers that Nixon was methodically removing from Vietnam. In order to protect the decreasing numbers of American soldiers as Nixon was removing them, he had to stop those enemy bases in neutral Cambodia. Neutral Cambodia ASKED him to do this. I am sure some innocent people were killed by accident. But not deliberately. This was not a deliberate attack on a target that was 100% civilians. Our atomic bombings of Japan's civilians in 1945 WAS a barbaric war crime, done to "impress" the world that we had this fancy new means of mass destruction.

[@jeraldsamuel5598]

Did he want to stay in or get out, he couldn't make up his mind.

[@vengencefrom1979]

is it any wonder that vietnam is getting ready to mine its 'rare earths', a resource that the u.s. doesnt have.

[@seane6616]

Us has lots...

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

Historical fact: this speech, and the bombing (which had actually already been going on some) lead to large student protests. This in turn lead to Kent State, which Nixon was very distraught about it. This in turn lead to Nixon visiting the hippies protesting at the Lincoln Memorial and taking with them for a few hours. Imagine this today. Joe Biden going to a small town in Louisiana and listening to local townsfolk talk about gun rights, defunding the police, or woke legislature with no media around. Or go back a few years and imagine Trump going on a environmental cleanup work party with the Nature Conservancy.

[@Flowerz__]

Interesting fact. Presidents still go visit places of interest like this all the time tho.

[@Flowerz__]

Also Basically every Nixon did was bc of a political decision. We’ve all heard the tapes… he was looking out for himself and was ridiculously power hungry.

[@PhilAndersonOutside]

@@Flowerz__ No doubt he was paranoid. He was well on his way to winning re-election by the biggest margin in modern history, and yet he was still paranoid about lowing power and controlling things after Watergate.

[@seane6616]

@@Flowerz__Not to have real talks or because they care though...

[@Flowerz__]

Not a crook?

[@billhughes869]

No twitter back then!

[@Skywalker567]

No teleprompter either

[@PhilKensebben01]

What a Madman

[@essessessesq]

rather than engage in playground name calling, why not try to PROVE to us that what he said was WRONG?

[@jwharton4575]

@@essessessesqit’s a reference to the madman theory lol

[@account1account168]

Should of gone with second choice

[@megarachnid]

It's notable that Nixon leaves out so many important facts in this speech. First of all, the "secret" bombing of Cambodia that had been going on for almost a whole year at that point (I guess the reason it's called the "secret" bombing of Cambodia is why he could not mention it in the speech). This bombing was clearly a violation of the neutrality of Cambodia and it was never done with Prince Sihanouk's permission (the leader of Cambodia at the time). That, and the pro-US coup that had taken place in Cambodia two months before this speech, in March 1970. The increased North Vietnamese activity in Cambodia that Nixon refers to in the speech was because of that pro-US coup that had taken place in Phnom Penh. As far as I'm aware, it has not been confirmed, but some suspect that the US was directly involved in that coup (which would be another clear violation of Cambodia's sovereignty).

[@Thunderchild-gz4gc]

Laos and Cambodia weren't neutral. Give it up. Both countries were fighting civil wars and Cold War proxy wars like North and South Vietnam

[@megarachnid]

@@Thunderchild-gz4gc They were neutral. Stop your propagandistic nonsense. You did not answer any of the points in my comment. For example, about the pro-US coup in Cambodia in 1970.

[@gaguy1967]

@SiriusUFOResearch yes, it was because N Vietnam was using Cambodia as a refuge from which to attack S Vietnam. Under international law if a case like this if the Cambodian govt is unable or unwilling to stop the N Vietnamese, the S Vietnamese and its allies can indeed invade Cambodia

[@Fergusforslipknot]

RRRRRRRRRRRRICHARD NIXXONNNN *lips flap back and forth*

[@TheBombayMasterTony]

Interesting.

[@philipcheung7705]

Yes, new exercise. But v v a bigger science?

[@philipcheung7705]

a chess? here I will prefer our fly-tigers the road makers.

[@levdavid2412]

America should have listened to Cassius Clay.

[@mikecaramehas3521]

Nixon made the right decision we had to take out the enemy sanctuaries in eastern Cambodia especially adjacent to III Corp in South Vietnam.. We had to protect our withdrawal and Vietnamization.

[@account1account168]

6:59

[@Brandon-hn4yg]

14:41

[@95snuffy]

Thou doth protest too much.... Some one once said, "If the President does it, it's not illegal." Talk about corrupt, huh?

[@essessessesq]

Context, please. In truth, Nixon said that if the President orders a "national security investigation", it is lawful. And it is. That referred to the investigation of Daniel Ellsberg that he had to order, after Hoover refused Nixon's orders to investigate Ellsberg, because old J. Edgar was close pals with Ellsberg's FATHER! Amazing, but true

[@goat964]

👀👀👀👀

[@littlejeffrey2175]

Dirt bag Rest In Terror - Jeffrey Jetra

[@arbide3]

The Devil.