As President, Gerald R. Ford oversaw the final stages of the War in Vietnam. Though the Paris Peace Accords officially ended the War on January 27, 1973, fighting between North and South Vietnamese forces continued and American civilians and military personnel remained in the country. In 1975, North Vietnamese forces advanced through South Vietnam, culminating in the Fall of Saigon on April 30.
In Operation Frequent Wind, the U.S. military airlifted thousands of Americans and South Vietnamese out of the country. President Ford successfully lobbied Congress for humanitarian aid for Vietnamese refugees. Through Operation New Life, more than 111,000 refugees were evacuated to Guam before being resettled in the United States.
Marines of Company H, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, take to the water as they move to join up with other elements of their battalion during Operation Hastings
View in the National Archives CatalogMarines of Company H, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, take to the water as they move to join up with other elements of their battalion during Operation Hastings
View in the National Archives CatalogDigitized Resources
- Ford Cabinet Meetings on the Vietnam War
- National Security Council Meeting Minutes for Meetings on the Vietnam War
- Operation Babylift
- Selected Documents on the Vietnam War
- SS Mayaguez