Cease-fire Signed in Paris:  A cease-fire agreement that, in the words of Richard Nixon, “brings peace with honor in Vietnam and Southeast Asia,” is signed in Paris by Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho.  The agreement is to go into effect on January 28.

End of Draft Announced

Last American Troops Leave Vietnam   The last American combat troops left Vietnam. Their departure was part of the Paris Peace Accords, which the United States had signed with North and South Vietnam two months earlier, on 15 January. The Peace Accords also stipulated a cease-fire between the North and South, the releasing of American prisoners of war, the reunification of the two sides, and a call for elections in Vietnam.

Hearings on Secret Bombings Begin:  The Senate Armed Services Committee opens hearing on the US bombing of Cambodia. Allegations are made that the Nixon administration allowed bombing raids to be carried out during what was supposed to be a time when Cambodia’s neutrality was officially recognized.  As a result of the hearings, Congress orders that all bombing in Cambodia cease effective at midnight, August 14.

Kissinger and Le Duc Tho Win Peace Prize:  The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to Henry Kissinger of the United States and Le Duc Tho of North Vietnam.  Kissinger accepts the award, while Tho declines, saying that a true peace does not yet exist in Vietnam.