Why Did The Us Carpet Bomb Cambodia

On march 18 1969 american b 52s began carpet bombing eastern cambodia.

Why did the us carpet bomb cambodia.

Operation menu was a covert united states strategic air command sac tactical bombing campaign conducted in eastern cambodia from 18 march 1969 until 26 may 1970 as part of both the vietnam war and the cambodian civil war the targets of these attacks were sanctuaries and base areas of the people s army of vietnam pavn commonly referred to during the vietnam war as the north vietnamese. Bombing were concentrated during the period in which u s. On march 18 1969 the united states began a four year long carpet bombing campaign in the skies of cambodia devastating the countryside and causing socio political upheaval that eventually led to the installation of the pol pot regime. As civilian casualties mounted and media accounts of the destruction surfaced public support for the carpet bombing diminished.

Began in 1965 under president lyndon b. Bombing of cambodia came to a halt. The united states would instead focus on trying to convince the cambodian government to be more assertive in the defense of cambodian neutrality or to let others act to preserve that neutrality. Bombing of laos 1964 1973 was part of a covert attempt by the cia to wrest power from the communist pathet lao a group allied with north vietnam and the soviet union during the vietnam.

During the vietnam war president richard nixon ordered carpet bombing of north vietnam as well as cambodia which was believed to be supplying the viet cong. On august 14 1973 u s. You can license this story through ap archive. Johnson and ended in 1975 under president gerald ford.

Operation breakfast was the first course in a four year bombing campaign that drew cambodia headlong into the vietnam war. Several nations complained about the u s. B 52 bombers are diverted from their targets in south vietnam to attack suspected communist base camps and supply areas in cambodia for the first time in the war.