Notwithstanding the peace treaty of January 1973, which was supposed to end hostilities between North and South Vietnam, Presidents Nixon and Ford had sought military assistance for the pro–U.S. governments of South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos but were rebuffed by Congress. In March 1975, an unexpectedly large North Vietnamese offensive caused a desperate Ford to ask Congress for $722 million in military and economic assistance to South Vietnam; Congress again refused. Thousands and eventually much larger numbers fled from the advancing North Vietnamese army, seeking U.S. help, which would not be forthcoming.

There were recriminations on both sides of the political aisle about who was to blame for the debacle. In this cartoon, Herblock points to the hapless Henry Kissinger, secretary of state under Nixon and Ford.