Richard Nixon in The Obamians, by James Mann


On Homeland Security: 1969: Doing away with draft undercut antiwar movement

American leaders talked about the importance of overcoming the "Vietnam syndrome"--meaning a fear of casualties and opposition to further US military intervention overseas. Vietnam taught the lesson that even a supposedly small and limited war could eventually consume the US and divert it from all other objectives. The main lesson was that if American resorts to force at all, it had better do so carefully.

Vietnam had social and political ramifications that were not foreseen at the time. The war led to the abolition of the draft, and that in turn had sweeping consequences for many other aspects of American life.

In the fall of 1969, demonstrations against Vietnam spread from college campuses to the American heartland. Pres. Nixon tried in various ways to undercut the growing strength of the antiwar movement. The one that succeeded was to do away with the draft. In April 1970, Nixon announced that he was reducing draft calls to zero and was meanwhile increasing the pay for military service

Source: The Obamians, by James Mann, p. 14 Jun 14, 2012

The above quotations are from The Obamians
The Struggle Inside the White House to Redefine American Power

by James Mann
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