r, which had destroyed Nixon's predecessor, was the major problem to the new president's designs. Even before his inauguration, Nixon had Kissinger engage in secret peace talks with North Vietnam hoping to speed American withdrawal from Vietnam. Early in his term, Nixon announced a gradual replacement of American fighting forces with South Vietnamese. His plan was to have all American troops out of Vietnam by the end of 1970. However, Nixon did not want to be the first president to lose a war and he could not be satisfied with a simple withdrawal from Vietnam. He believed that abandoning South Vietnam to the communists would invite further communist aggression in the region. Nixon had to face a vigorous anti-war movement and appeal to the "silent majority," another version of his "forgotten Americans," who he felt supported his foreign policy. He pledged not to back down, and in early 1970 escalated the war authorizing bombings on North Vietnam and attacks on Cambodia. After his reelection, Nixon once again ordered escalation in the bombings, which Alexander Haig, Kissinger's deputy, described as "brutalizing" the north. Two weeks after the bombings began, Nixon announced that peace negotiations were soon to resume, and by January 28, 1973, a cease fire was established that allowed the US to remove its reaming 23,700 troops and end its twelve-year military involvement in Vietnam. Domestically, Nixon adhered to a standard Republican spending-cut program, cutting back and opposing federal welfare services and proposing antibusing legislation. He also implemented the New Economic Policy, which called for a ten- percent tax on many imports. These policies were initially successful, causing American exports to become cheaper and improving the balance of trade. However, when the wage and price commissions began to give way to pressures from both labor and business interests, inflation increased again. This began a decade-long rise ...
