External links
- Complete Text of Nixon's Speech Archived February 5, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
"Peace with Honor" was a foreign policy slogan used by U.S. President Richard Nixon. It originated from a campaign promise Nixon made in 1968: "I pledge to you that we shall have an honorable end to the war in Vietnam." [1] The slogan became part of the Nixon Doctrine which included Peace Through Strength. Through these policies Nixon sought to end the war in Vietnam; the Peace with Honor slogan was specifically what he wanted to achieve, using the Nixon Doctrine and Peace Through Strength, Nixon said "peace through strength is the message I leave with you today... we seek peace with honor". [2]
Nixon used it in a speech on January 23, 1973 to describe the Paris Peace Accords to end the Vietnam War. The Accords specified that a ceasefire would take place four days later. According to the plan, within sixty days of the ceasefire, the North Vietnamese would release all U.S. prisoners, and all U.S. troops would withdraw from South Vietnam. On March 29, 1973, the last U.S. soldier left Vietnam. On 30 April 1975, Saigon was taken by North Vietnamese troops. [3]
Nixon claimed in 1968 to have a secret plan to end the war. Nixon never made such a claim during his campaign, but neither did he explain how he would achieve peace. Therefore the assumption that he had a secret plan became a widespread belief and is commonly misattributed as a direct quote. [4]
