Page 201 - Stand Down Vietnam

General Creighton W. Abrams
Commander of U.S. Military Operation – Vietnam
1968 -1972

“You people are telling me what you think I want to
know. I want to know what is actually happening.”

General Creighton W. Abrams

Abrams was appointed as deputy to General William
Westmoreland. Westmoreland used search-and-destroy
tactics; Abrams preferred a clear-and-hold strategy.

Under his command, American forces were divided into

small units that would live with and train the South
Vietnamese civilians to defend their villages from
guerrilla invasions. This, so-called “Hearts and Minds
Strategy” was successful.

Following the election of President Richard Nixon,
Abrams began implementing the Nixon Doctrine referred
to as Vietnamization. The doctrine aimed to decrease
U.S. involvement in Vietnam.