IN THE WORLD
Operation FREEDOM DEAL was a United States Seventh Air Force interdiction and close air support campaign waged in Cambodia between May 19, 1970 and August 15, 1973, as an expansion of the Vietnam War, as well as the Cambodian Civil War. Launched by Richard Nixon as a follow-up to the earlier ground invasion during the Cambodian Campaign, the initial targets of the operation were the base areas and border sanctuaries of the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Viet Cong (VC). As time went on most of the bombing was carried out to support the Cambodian government of Lon Nol in its struggle against the communist Khmer Rouge. The area in which the bombing took place was expanded to include most of the eastern one-half of Cambodia. The bombing was extremely controversial, and led the U.S. Congress to pass the War Powers Resolution. Operation FREEDOM DEAL followed and expanded the bombing of Cambodia conducted under Operation MENU in 1969 and 1970. Most of the bombing was carried out by U.S. Air Force (USAF) B-52 bombers.