Invasion of Cambodia
In 1970, Cambodia was neutral between the North Vietnamese and the South Vietnamese, but it was evident that the North had bases situated just inside of the borders of Cambodia. During President Lyndon Johnson’s term, he declined the opportunity to bomb these bases even though US military advisers had strongly suggested to bomb them. When President Nixon first entered office, he gave permission to bomb Cambodia. Trying to keep this information out of the public ear in fear of raids, Nixon decided to keep this project hidden.
In April of 1970, the NLF, (National Liberation Front) bases were not destroyed so Nixon decided to take control and send in more troops to finish off the job. Nixon was previously enforcing the victimization, which was to send American Troops home and replace them with newly trained south Vietnamese soldiers, so many protests broke out. At a protest at Kent State University, four students were killed when National guardsmen opened fire.
When the US marines arrived in Cambodia, hostility and enmity aroused among the local population. The Khmer Rouge, which was the Cambodian communist movement, had received little interest from the locals, but after the U.S. invasion, membership of the Khmer Rouge grew rapidly.
In April of 1970, the NLF, (National Liberation Front) bases were not destroyed so Nixon decided to take control and send in more troops to finish off the job. Nixon was previously enforcing the victimization, which was to send American Troops home and replace them with newly trained south Vietnamese soldiers, so many protests broke out. At a protest at Kent State University, four students were killed when National guardsmen opened fire.
When the US marines arrived in Cambodia, hostility and enmity aroused among the local population. The Khmer Rouge, which was the Cambodian communist movement, had received little interest from the locals, but after the U.S. invasion, membership of the Khmer Rouge grew rapidly.