Madman Theory
The Madman Theory, in English: Theory of the madman, describes a tactic deliberately chosen by US President Richard Nixon in the hope of ending the difficult situation in the USA in the Vietnam War .
The Nixon government wanted to convince the world that the president was insane and capable of irrational acts. This was intended to stir up fear in the states of the Eastern bloc of an attack with nuclear weapons , the use of which was no longer ruled out in a conventional war, in order to induce them to give in to US positions.
He told his advisor Harry Robbins Haldeman :
“I want the North Vietnamese to believe that I've reached the point where I'll do everything I can to end the war. We're going to pass something like, 'My God, you know how much Nixon hates communism. When he gets angry, no one can hold him back - and he has his hand on the nuclear trigger. ' In two days Ho Chi Minh will be in Paris in person and asks for peace. "
In 1969 , as a show of determination, the President ordered Operation MENU , a top-secret area bombing of Cambodia , and the invasion of the country in 1970. However, the tactic did not achieve the success Nixon had hoped for.
See also
literature
- Marc Frey : History of the Vietnam War. The tragedy in Asia and the end of the American dream. 4th edition. CH Beck, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-406-42078-8 ( Beck'sche series 1278).
- HR Haldeman , Joseph DiMona: The Ends of Power. Dell Publishing, New York NY 1978, ISBN 0-440-12239-2 .