U.S. Halts Vietnam Bombing: Shift in War Strategy

The United States halted the Christmas bombing of North Vietnam on December 30, 1972, ending Operation Linebacker II after eleven days of the most concentrated aerial bombardment of the war. B-52 Stratofortresses had flown over 700 sorties, dropping approximately 20,000 tons of bombs on Hanoi, Haiphong, and surrounding areas. The bombing killed an estimated 1,624 Vietnamese civilians and destroyed much of Hanoi's industrial infrastructure. President Richard Nixon had ordered the operation on December 18 after the Paris peace talks broke down. The North Vietnamese delegation had stiffened its negotiating position, and Nixon wanted to demonstrate that the United States retained the capacity and willingness to inflict devastating damage. He also needed to reassure South Vietnam's President Nguyen Van Thieu, who opposed the draft peace agreement, that the United States would use force if North Vietnam violated any settlement. The operation was controversial from the start. The B-52, a strategic bomber designed to deliver nuclear weapons in a general war with the Soviet Union, was being used against a country with a functioning air defense system. North Vietnam shot down fifteen B-52s during the campaign, killing or capturing over sixty American airmen. The losses challenged the Air Force's doctrine about the survivability of the B-52 in a modern air defense environment. International reaction was overwhelmingly negative. Sweden's Prime Minister Olof Palme compared the bombing to historical atrocities. Pope Paul VI condemned it. American allies in Europe distanced themselves. The bombing's effect on the peace negotiations remains debated. When talks resumed on January 8, 1973, the North Vietnamese agreed to terms similar to what had been on the table before the bombing, leading critics to argue that the campaign achieved nothing. Supporters contend that Linebacker II broke Hanoi's will and forced concessions that wouldn't have come otherwise. The Paris Peace Accords were signed on January 27, 1973. American forces withdrew. South Vietnam fell to the North two years later.