1973 in the Vietnam War Vietnamese parties wanted the kind of peace promised by the agreement" was the conclusion of one scholar. The last American combat troops left Vietnam as per the Paris Peace Accords. The U.S. military command in South Vietnam, MACV ceased to exist. Fewer than 250 U.S. military personnel remained in Vietnam assigned to the U.S. Embassy in Saigon for advisory duties plus a few marines for protection of the Embassy. About 8,500 civilians working for the U.S. government remained in South South Vietnam. An official publication of North Vietnam summed up the pluses and minuses of the peace agreement. On the
1972 in the Vietnam War mines off the coast of North Vietnam to prevent ship travel to and from the country. Operation Linebacker II began. Better known as the "Christmas bombings", 129 B-52s and smaller tactical aircraft struck at targets in North Vietnam, including around the city of Hanoi. North Vietnam shot down three B-52s. Military adviser Alexander Haig met with President Thieu in Saigon to deliver a letter from President Nixon. Nixon said it was his "irrevocable intention" to achieve a peace agreement with North Vietnam, preferably with the cooperation of South Vietnam, "but, if necessary, alone." He pledged continue military support to South