On 30 January 1969, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Earle Wheeler had suggested to the president that he authorize the bombing of the Cambodian sanctuaries. He was seconded on 9 February by the U.S. commander in Vietnam, General Creighton W. Abrams, who also submitted his proposal to bomb the Central Office of South Vietnam (COSVN), the elusive headquarters of PAVN/VC southern operations, located somewhere in the Fishhook region of eastern Cambodia.[14] Abrams claimed to Nixon that the regions of eastern Cambodia to be bombed were underpopulated and no civilian deaths would be caused, but documents showed that he and other generals were aware that eastern Cambodia was indeed populated and "some Cambodian casualties would be sustained in the operation".[15] The plans for the bombing was opposed by the Defense Secretary Melvin Laird who doubted the bombings could be kept secret and feared the reaction of Congress and public opinion; by the Secretary of State William P. Rogers who feared the bombings would derail the peace talks in Paris; and by the National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger who feared that Nixon was acting rashly none made any moral objections to the bombings.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Menu

Nixon and Kissinger wanted out of Vietnam, albeit gracefully. Those two did detente with the USSR and Kissinger was instrumental in normalizing relations with the PRC, setting up Nixon's historic visit with Mao in China.

Shouldn't the blame go to the military and intel community, the deep state? Nixon was at odds with the deep state, who thought he was too soft because of detente and China. Nixon was a poor hick from California in the eyes of the Yale-grad WASP elite who run intelligence. The CIA set up the Watergate scandal to ruin Nixon. Nixon said so on the tapes. The operatives who got caught at Watergate were involved in the Bay of Pigs. They were suspiciously sloppy with the tape on the door, and the value of raiding that target doesn't make sense.