ABSTRACT
Nixon's task was made all the more difficult by his employment of the seemingly contradictory methods of troop reduction and applications of intense firepower to coerce the North Vietnamese to accept what he considered honorable peace terms. This chapter analyzes at least some of the ways he sought to shape that support while pursuing complex and somewhat contradictory objectives. Revisionists contend that a more consistent and effective public relations effort on Nixon's part, and avoidance of the Watergate scandal, probably would have preserved South Vietnam's independence. The chapter considers how the White House used polls to minimize congressional "interference" with its Vietnam policy, and how the administration relied on polls to undermine the opposition. On February 3, 1971, Nixon assigned Chief of Staff and former advertising executive H. R. Haldeman to sit in on all critical foreign policy meetings to bring consideration of congressional and public relations factors.
