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The American bombing of North Vietnam had brought the communists back to the negotiating table at Paris, but they did not move far from their already known positions. They were especially inflexible on the issue of partitioning South Vietnam into areas controlled by themselves and by Saigon. President Nixon\'s delegation was in no position to haggle over these issues. In January 1973 the US Congress explained clearly that if the war would not come to an end soon it would consider to use more drastic measures. After a month Henry Kissinger signed for America the twenty three articles of the Paris Peace Accords on 23 January. The major provisions may be summarised as follows:
The United States pledged to cease all warlike acts against the DRV, not to intervene again in the internal affairs of the ROV and to respect the unity, independence and sovereignty of Vietnam as recognised in Geneva in the year 1954. The communists pledged that they would not try to unify Vietnam by force.
Except some hundred Marine guards at the US embassy in Saigon all foreign forces had to be withdrawn within sixty days. The own troops were not allowed to increase their strength, not by more soldiers and not by better war techniques.
The parties to the accords also pledged co-operation in exchanging war prisoners and those military personnel listed as MIA (missing in action).
Foreign powers were requested to stop all military campaigns in Cambodia and Laos.
The United States should contribute unstated sums to repair the damage cause by war in Indochina. They also were pledged to obey the peace accords made in Geneva.
When the armistice went into effect on 28 January 1973 the chances for a permanent peace in Vietnam were weak at best. At the one side the communists thought the accords would expel other forces out of their country but at the other side the government in Saigon didn\'t trust the other party. In consequence fighting soon broke out among the controlled areas in South Vietnam. Although the last US air raid was executed on 15 August 1973 Nixon donated the ARVN more than one billion dollars and some 7000 \"civilian\" technicians. When Nixon resigned his office on 9 August 1974 in the face of probable impeachment over the Watergate Scandal, he was succeeded in office by Gerald Ford.
In December 1974 General Giap and other members of Hanoi\'s polit bureau planned operations against South Vietnam. They expected that their forces would be strong enough to launch an offensive to get the provinces of South Vietnam, which was weakened by corruption and disorder. So the chances for the communists were really fine. In March 1975 the first operations started and within one year the ROV\'s cities and ports fell one after another to the communist advance. President Thieu abruptly resigned his post and fled to Taiwan and on 30 April the American ambassador Martin left the embassy by a Marine helicopter. The days before ten thousands of American citizens and other refugees had left the country due to the fear of a communist regime. Some hours later the communist took control over South Vietnam.
In the meantime the Khmer Rouge had ignored the peace accords and had continued their operations in Cambodia. The already controlled much of the countryside and at the end of 1975 the whole country was under their power.
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