▁bomb ing ▁of ▁Vietnam , ▁also ▁of ▁La os ▁and ▁Camb odia , ▁and ▁w iden ed ▁the ▁scope ▁of ▁the ▁conflict ▁by ▁inv ading ▁Camb odia . ▁While ▁these ▁actions ▁sought ▁to ▁gain ▁b arg aining ▁power ▁at ▁the ▁Paris ▁conference ▁table , ▁they ▁also ▁drew ▁a ▁" fir est orm " ▁of ▁college ▁protest s ▁in ▁America . ▁K iss inger ▁describes ▁a ▁debate ▁over ▁the ▁min ing ▁of ▁H ai ph ong ▁har bor , ▁in ▁which ▁he ▁critic izes ▁Hel ms ▁at ▁C IA ▁for ▁his ▁disapp ro val ▁of ▁the ▁plan . ▁In ▁K iss inger ' s ▁telling , ▁here ▁Hel ms ' ▁opposition ▁reflected ▁the ▁bias ▁of ▁C IA ▁anal yst s , ▁" the ▁most ▁liberal ▁school ▁of ▁thought ▁in ▁the ▁government ." ▁ ▁When ▁cont empl ating ▁his ▁administration ' s ▁inheritance ▁of ▁the ▁Vietnam ▁War , ▁N ixon ▁understood ▁the ▁struggle ▁in ▁the ▁context ▁of ▁the ▁cold ▁war . ▁He ▁viewed ▁Vietnam ▁as ▁crit ically ▁important . ▁Hel ms ▁re called ▁him ▁as ▁saying , ▁" There ' s ▁only ▁one ▁number ▁one ▁problem ▁here about s ▁and ▁that ' s ▁Vietnam — get ▁on ▁with ▁it ." ▁N ixon ▁saw ▁that ▁the ▁on going ▁S ino - S ov iet ▁split ▁presented ▁America ▁with ▁an ▁opportunity ▁to ▁tri ang ulate ▁Soviet ▁Russia ▁by ▁opening ▁relations ▁with ▁the ▁People ' s ▁Republic ▁of ▁China . ▁It ▁might ▁also ▁drive ▁a ▁w edge ▁between ▁the ▁two ▁major ▁supp or ters ▁of ▁North ▁Vietnam .