Operation Menu

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Operation Menu was the codename for the American bombing of North Vietnamese strongholds and supply lines in Cambodia during the Vietnam War in 1969.

Contents

1 Background
2 Bombing
3 Units involved
4 Aftermath

Background

In 1965 Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia made an agreement with China and North Vietnam that allowed Vietnamese military forces to establish bases in Cambodia and to use the ports of the country for deliveries of military supplies. On February 22, 1969, the North Vietnamese launched a minor offensive against South Vietnam. The offensive was viewed as a "test" of the new administration ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} (Nixon had just began his first term a month before). The decision to bomb the North Vietnamese strongholds in Cambodia was to demonstrate to the North that the United States was willing to strike into neighboring Cambodia and that it was not a safe zone for their army. The bombing began with Operation Breakfast on March 17, 1969 and was conducted in secret until the New York Times broke the story on May 8, 1969.

Bombing

The six missions that made up the Operation Menu bombing campaign were called Breakfast, Lunch, Snack, Dinner, Dessert and Supper.

It should be noted that while the bombing of Cambodia continued after Operation Menu ended in August of 1969, the scope of the bombing missions were limited to roughly a dozen North Vietnamese bases that existed no more than 10-15 miles from the Cambodian / South Vietnamese border. And that the Cambodian government exercised no authority by its own choice over the territory occupied by North Vietnam.

Units involved

Aftermath

The raids were secret and records were falsified to report that the targets were actually in South Vietnam.^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} As the bombers were being guided and instructed when to release their bombs by MSQ-77 RADAR systems, even the crews of the bombers themselves were not aware what country they were bombing. ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]} These attacks were conducted without the consent of Congress. ^{[[Citing sources citation needed]]}

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