The North Vietnamese, sensing victory, were in no mood to make concessions. As a result of this meeting and the fall of Quang Tri City, Nixon was prepared to up the ante, stating that
"the bastards have never been bombed like they're going to be bombed this time."
Andersen Air Force Base in Guam was the site of the most massive buildup of air power in history. More than 15,000 people and more than 150 B-52s lined all available space on the flightline.
Linebacker II provided the Air Force and U.S. Naval forces with specific objectives and removed many of the restrictions that had previously caused frustration within the Pentagon.
Although Hanoi claimed that the U.S. had "carpet-bombed hospitals, schools, and residential areas, committing barbarous crimes against our people", the North Vietnamese government itself claimed that only 1,624 civilians had been killed by the bombing.
