November 12

This Day in History

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Lead Story
Ellis Island closes, 1954
American Revolution
Abigail Adams leads rhetorical charge against Britain, 1775
Automotive
Goldenrod sets the land-speed record, 1965
Civil War
The destruction of Atlanta begins, 1864
Cold War
Yuri Andropov assumes power in the Soviet Union, 1982
Crime
High school sweethearts murder their newborn child, 1996
Scott Peterson convicted, 2004
Disaster
Plane crashes in Rockaway, New York, 2001
General Interest
First meteor shower on record, 1799
Japanese war criminals sentenced, 1948
Voyager I flies near Saturn, 1980
Akihito enthroned as emperor of Japan, 1990
Hollywood
William Holden, star of Sunset Boulevard and Network, dies, 1981
Literary
DeWitt Wallace, founder of Reader's Digest, is born, 1889
Music
Toby Keith has his third straight #1 country album with Shock'n Y'all, 2003
Old West
U.S. reconsiders war with Plains Indians, 1867
Presidential
Carter shuts down oil imports from Iran, 1979
Sports
Pudge Heffelfinger becomes first pro football player, 1892
Vietnam War
Seymour Hersh breaks My Lai story, 1969
Nixon sets new deadline for next troop withdrawal, 1971
World War I
Allied fleet enters Dardanelles, 1918
World War II
Brits sink the battleship Tirpitz, 1944

Vietnam War

Nov 12, 1971:

Nixon sets new deadline for next troop withdrawal

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President Richard Nixon sets February 1, 1972, as the deadline for the withdrawal of an additional 45,000 U.S. troops. U.S. troop withdrawals had begun in the fall of 1969. After the February withdrawals were complete, the total U.S. force strength in South Vietnam was 139,000. Nixon said that most offensive activities were now being undertaken entirely by the South Vietnamese and that U.S. ground forces were "now in defensive positions." He further stated that 80 percent of the forces that were in Vietnam when he took office had come home, and that American casualties had dropped to less than 10 a week.

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This Week in History, Nov 12 - Nov 18

Nov 12, 1969
Seymour Hersh breaks My Lai story
Nov 12, 1971
Nixon sets new deadline for next troop withdrawal
Nov 13, 1967
President receives optimistic reports
Nov 13, 1969
"March Against Death" commences in Washington, D.C.
Nov 14, 1965
Major battle erupts in the Ia Drang Valley
Nov 14, 1967
Marine general killed in Vietnam
Nov 14, 1972
Nixon promises Thieu that U.S. will continue to support South Vietnam
Nov 15, 1966
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs heckled at university
Nov 15, 1969
Second moratorium against the war held
Nov 16, 1961
Kennedy decides to increase military aid to Saigon
Nov 16, 1970
Ky defends South Vietnamese operations in Cambodia
Nov 16, 1971
U.S. provides support to beleaguered Cambodians
Nov 17, 1965
1st Cavalry unit ambushed in the Ia Drang Valley
Nov 17, 1970
My Lai trial begins
Nov 18, 1964
South Vietnamese conduct largest air assault to date
Nov 18, 1969
South Vietnamese fight first major battle after U.S. troops are withdrawn
Nov 18, 1970
Nixon appeals to Congress for funds for Cambodia

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