Aftermath Operation Menu

the constitutional issues raised @ hearings became less important when house judiciary committee voted (21–12) against including administration s falsification of records concerning menu in articles of impeachment leveled against president nixon. 1 of key issues prevented congressional inclusion embarrassing fact 5 key members of both political parties had been privy information , had neither said nor done it.

the consequences of u.s. bombing of cambodia, positive , negative, still debated participants , scholars. preventing further north vietnamese offensives, failed. in may 1969, pavn/nlf launched offensive similar in size of mini-tet offensive of previous year. cost north vietnam effort , manpower disperse , camouflage cambodian sanctuaries prevent losses further air attack. president nixon claimed raids success, since air power alone had provide shield withdrawal , vietnamization. emboldened nixon launch cambodian campaign of 1970.

while out of country on 18 march 1970, prince deposed national assembly , replaced lon nol. nixon administration, although thoroughly aware of weakness of lon nol s forces , loath commit american military force new conflict in form other air power, announced support of newly proclaimed khmer republic. on 29 march 1970, north vietnamese had taken matters own hands , launched offensive against cambodian army documents uncovered after 1991 soviet archives revealing invasion launched @ explicit request of khmer rouge following negotiations nuon chea. force of north vietnamese overran large parts of eastern cambodia.

author william shawcross , other commentors asserted khmer rouge born out of inferno american policy did create , sihanouk s collaboration both powers [the united states , north vietnam] ... intended save people confining conflict border regions. american policy engulfed nation in war.

shawcross challenged peter rodman follows:

when congress, in summer of 1973, legislated end u.s. military action in, over, or off shores of indochina, u.s. military activity going on air support of friendly cambodian government , army desperately defending country against north vietnamese , khmer rouge onslaught ... destabilized cambodia north vietnam s occupation of chunks of cambodian territory 1965 onwards use military bases launch attacks on u.s. , south vietnamese forces in south vietnam. cambodia s ruler prince sihanouk complained bitterly these north vietnamese bases in country , invited attack them (which did air in 1969–70). next came north vietnamese attempt overrun entire country in march–april 1970, u.s. , south vietnamese forces responded limited ground incursion @ end of april.

kissinger in interview theo sommer defended bombing, saying:

people refer bombing of cambodia if had been unprovoked, secretive u.s. action. fact bombing north vietnamese troops had invaded cambodia, killing many americans these sanctuaries, , doing acquiescence of cambodian government, never once protested against it, , which, indeed, encouraged it. may have lack of imagination, fail see moral issue involved , why cambodian neutrality should apply 1 country. why moral north vietnamese have 50,000 100,000 troops in cambodia, why should let them kill americans territory, , why, when government concerned never once protested, , indeed told if bombed unpopulated areas not notice, why in these conditions there moral issue?

the simultaneous rise of khmer rouge , increase in area , intensity of u.s. bombing between 1969 , 1973 has incited speculation relationship between 2 events. ben kiernan, director of genocide studies program @ yale university, said following:

apart large human toll, perhaps powerful , direct impact of bombing political backlash caused ... cia s directorate of operations, after investigations south of phnom penh, reported in may 1973 communists there using damage caused b-52 strikes main theme of propaganda  ... u.s. carpet bombing of cambodia partly responsible rise of had been small-scale khmer rouge insurgency, grew capable of overthrowing lon nol government ...

shawcross s , kiernan s views echoed in 2011 statistical study of u.s. bombing in vietnam concluded air war counterproductive ... hampered pacification campaign , more of have hastened communist victory.

when phnom penh under siege khmer rouge in 1973, air force again launched bombing campaign on communist forces, claiming had saved cambodia otherwise inevitable communist take-over , capitol might have fallen in matter of weeks. 1975, president ford predicting new horrors if khmer rouge took power, , calling on congress provide additional economic, humanitarian, , military aid cambodia , vietnam.