Historic Feature: U.S. President Nixon and South Vietnam President Thieu Conduct Secret Meetings at Midway House, 6/8/1969

U.S. President Nixon and South Vietnam President Thieu Conduct Secret Meetings at Midway House, June 8, 1969. Photo Credit: Unknown

The more you know about Midway Atoll, the stranger it gets, and just like Las Vegas the going phrase on island is "What happens on Midway, stays on Midway." On June 8, 1969 U.S. President Nixon held secret meetings with South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu at Midway House to discuss the Vietnam War. Among the chatter of seabirds, Nixon announced that 25,000 U.S. troops would be withdrawn by the end of August. The two parties emphasized that South Vietnamese forces would replace U.S. forces. Along with this announcement of the first U.S. troop withdrawal, Nixon discussed what would become known as "Vietnamization." Under this new policy, Nixon intended to initiate steps to increase the combat capability of the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces so that the South Vietnamese would eventually be able to assume full responsibility for the war. What the sea birds on Midway have heard over the last 100 years we may never know, and given that the oldest known albatross, Wisdom, is over 60 years old, they must have heard a lot!

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