Nixon Uses the Bomb

What about the POWs in North Vietnam?
You explode a nuclear bomb over Hanoi and kill our POWs being held in the Hanoi Hilton and other locations. In 1970 OTL one thing American society agreed with was getting the prisoners home.
I think a better option would be to start a Operation Linebacker type bombing of the North in conjunction with the Son Tay Raid in November 1970.
OTL the communists were shook up by the Son Tay Raid. In Benjamin F. Schemmer’s “The Raid” he mentions that the Russians and Chinese were afraid the Americans were going to conduct more raids on bigger targets.
I propose that instead of going nuclear instead heavy conventional bombing of the North and a blockade of Haiphong in 1970. Throw in some Special Forces hitting some high value targets and I think China and Russia might persuade their North Vietnamese comrades to accept a peace settlement in 1971.
 
i agree viper. On the domestic front persuade Ky and Thieu to stop fighting. They both have strengths their conflict sabotaged democracy's hope for survival in Saigon.
Try to avoid persecuting Assemblyman Chou. A government of genuine democrats will have a better chance when full withdrawal happens.
Far better, than overkill or a rapid scuttle.
 

Paul Large

Banned
I'm thinking of a TL where Pres. Nixon, frustrated with North Vietnamese intransigence, orders 2 nuclear bombs dropped on North Vietnam. Both 5 megatons, targeting Hanoi and Haiphong.

OTL, he considered nuclear weapons and was advised against it by Kissinger.

http://blog.nuclearsecrecy.com/2013/10/25/nixon-and-the-bomb/

Simultaneously he orders a full-scale invasion of North Vietnam and tells his commanders there " There is no RoE, kill the bastards if they don't kneel at the sight of US troops."

As I see it, two things would have to happen: Kissinger is prevented from becoming either NSA or SecState, and someone is appointed to SecState who approves of heavy-handed measures like that.

I propose that Kissinger is killed in a random accident before becoming NSA.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtis_LeMay is called out of retirement by Nixon and becomes NSA.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Rumsfeld is named SecState.

Nixon sells it on TV to America as " we will not allow the freedom-hungry people of Asia to be dominated by the tyrant Communist empire's minions. Once before the US was forced to deploy the most terrible weapon in history to destroy fascist tyrany; now it is deployed against communist tyranny. I implore the Soviet Union: do not test our resolve. Hanoi and Haiphong are not worth Moscow and Minsk."

Comments?
Don’t let the history books fool you Kissnger was as much of a heavy hand as Nixon was. Perhaps more. If and when they dropped the big one on the north followed by full invasion the Chinese and the Russians would hold there noise and watch it happen. Nixon was to unpredictable for other world leaders to get a handle on just how far he would go. As far as the American people were concerned there was still an air of American dominance in the world and his silent majority may fray a bit but I think the bulk of the population would go along with what Nixon was doing. And they would be very happy to see steps being taken to end the war. Nixon had it in him to be great or he could be a complete failure. It was all a toss if the dice.
 
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