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Monday December 20, 1971
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This Day In 1970's History: Monday December 20, 1971
  • Communist forces in Cambodia have surrounded government troops near Phnom Penh. Communists again control the Plain of Jarres and are succeeding in the air war; four American fighter-bombers and Phantom jets were downed. North Vietnam displayed four captured American crew members, including Maj. Kenneth Johnson.

    In Minneapolis, a reporter visited Johnson's parents. The parents are relieved that their son is alive and they trust that President Nixon will win his freedom. Mrs. Johnson says she believes that Nixon is really trying on the POW issue. Mr. Johnson said he hopes that the President's visit to China will be effective. [CBS]

  • More U.S. troops have been withdrawn from Vietnam. [CBS]

  • The air war in Vietnam continues unabated although a Cornell University study shows that the air war is not escalating. More bombs have been dropped in the Nixon years than under Lyndon Johnson, but the trend is downward. President Nixon has stressed the importance of air strikes on infiltration routes. But the capability to escalate bombing is present, and there is no end in sight to the air war. [CBS]

  • A Harvard University professor reported that Henry Kissinger told Chinese leaders that the U.S. would reduce its troop strength on Taiwan before President Nixon's visit to Peking. The White House denied the report, but some troop reductions have taken place in Taiwan. [CBS]

  • New Pakistani President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto promised to lead his country to recovery; Yahya Khan resigned as President. Bhutto urged the Pakistani people not to lose heart, and promised revenge. [CBS]
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