Question

How did Nixon ease Cold War tensions?

Answer 1

By pulling the troops out of Vietnam.

Answer 2

A little more explaination

Answer 3

The CIA noticed a rift between USSR and China and exploited it to the world's advantage. Nixon's rapprochement with China was first carried out first in secret with our friends in Pakistan. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger made two secret trips to China in 1971. This led to an announcement that stunned the world in 1972 that Nixon would visit China and the Chinese would visit the USA with the goal of normalizing relations between the two countries.
Cultural exchanges followed. We sent them ping-pong teams. They sent us Pandas. We learned the Peking should be spelled Beijing.
The Soviets didn't want to be left out of all this. They didn't want to be the bad guy among superpowers. Nixon used the opportunity to improve our relationship with the USSR. The president got a red telephone on his desk with a direct connection to Moscow and the Kremlin got a similar phone with a connection to Washington.
Nixon visited Moscow and similar cultural exchanges were made.
Nixon in perfect place to take advantage of the split between China/USSR. Because he had been such a hardline Cold Warrior as Vice-President, under Eisenhower and in Congress, no one saw this as caving to the Communists. There wasn't much political room for opposition from any American politician.

Answer 4

@Orwell84 The end of the Viet Nam war was made a bit easier by the rapprochement with China. The Viet Cong saw their foreign support start to dry up. The Peace Accords of 1972 ended US troop involvement in Viet Nam. It was a diplomatic and military victory for the US. Congress later decided to pull monetary and equipment support to South Vietnam. Because we did not support our allies in the south, the Viet Cong were able to overcome the South Vietnamese. Congress was able to pull a defeat out of the jaws of victory.

Answer 5

Thanks !