Final answer:
President Nixon's decisions on the Vietnam War, such as the escalation of bombings, were influenced by various factors, including antiwar protests and public opinion, despite his initial public denial. The secrecy surrounding these actions and the eventual admissions in his memoirs suggest that there was some connection between public dissent and his aggressive war policies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks whether a specific incident affected President Nixon's decision to expand the Vietnam War. While the student has not specified which incident they are referring to, the context provided suggests that incidents such as the secret bombings in Laos and Cambodia, protests against the war, and issues with military discipline may have influenced Nixon's decisions. President Nixon's actions, including the escalation of bombing missions, suggest that while he publicly denied the impact of the antiwar movement, the protests and public opinion did somewhat influence his policies, a fact that he later admitted in his memoirs.
Despite these claims, Nixon continued to seek an aggressive stance in the war with strategies such as the "Madman Theory," an attempt to appear irrational and volatile to scare the North Vietnamese into negotiations. Furthermore, the widening of the war which included bombings in neighboring countries and planting mines in North Vietnamese ports, was driven largely by a desire to place pressure on North Vietnam during negotiations for US withdrawal. However, these actions were controversial and met with increased public opposition and congressional scrutiny, culminating in the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which limited presidential war powers.