> Hippies, rads, and freaks changed Nixon's mind? Or the prospect of a hot
> war with China?
Both were contributing factors, but also important was the end of the post-WW II boom and the beginning of the long neoliberal downturn -- you know, current account deficits, inflation was kicking up, OPEC was getting feisty, the Bretton Woods accords had to be scrapped, etc.
That said, the ultimate credit should go to the people of Vietnam, who fought for thirty years, against crushing odds, and at an inconceivable human cost, to win their independence.
-- DRR