ABSTRACT
The return of the 591 American POWs in February and March 1973 represented the only positive U. S. accomplishment to come out of any postwar negotiations held in accordance with the terms of the Paris agreements. Except for dismissing a few corrupt officials for cosmetic purposes, Thieu chose to cover up his regime's systemic corruption. U. S. officials, led by the last U. S. ambassador to South Vietnam, Graham Martin, went along with the cover-up. Hanoi, sensing that final victory was near, ordered General Dung to marshal all of his forces for an immediate offensive against Saigon. The North Vietnamese, positioning their forces for a final assault on Saigon, had no time for desperate proposals for a political solution to a war that they were about to win on the battlefield. President Ford then ordered the final phase of the Saigon evacuation, code-named Operation Frequent Wind.
