was to negotiate a peace agreement but at the same time to veet na miez the conflict. >> we had to turn the war over to south vietnam or it would be helpless. we couldn't fight their war forever. >> the south vietnamese were taught to think like americans, act like americans fight like americans. >> south vietnam's president thieu, he wanted nothing more than to gradually take over full responsibility for the war. >> president nixon started withdrawing troops almost right away. he had a lot to withdraw. over 500,000 men were there. >> but he did this very slowly. as they supposedly shifted the burden of the fighting to the south vietnamese. it was going so slowly a lot of people were getting killed in the process, and there was no end to it. >> october 15, 1969, vietnam moratorium day. >> surely this is a day unique in our history. never have so many of our people publicly and collectively manifested opposition to this country's involvement in a war.