Kissinger Henry. White House Years

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XuanThuymaintainedHanoi’spoliticalterms:thereplacementofThieu,

Ky,Khiem,andother“warlikeleaders.”Heeventriedtobehelpfulinthiseffort;

drawingonalifetimeofexperienceinriggedelections,hepointedout thatthe

imminentSouthVietnamesepresidentialelectiongaveusagreatopportunityto

getridofouralliesina“natural”way.



EventhoughIadamantlyrefusedtoembracehisloadedpoliticalproposals,

hewasclearlyeagertokeepthediscussionofournewmilitaryproposalalive,

whichsuggestedtomethatHanoimightbeintheprocessofreconsideringits

politicaldemands.OnthewholeXuanThuytreatedourpropositionswithmore

carethanusual.Hedidnot,foronce,denouncethemas“nothingnew.”Hesaid

againandagainthatHanoiwouldstudyourofferseriously.Inourshell‐shocked

stateweconsideredthatthisminimumprerequisiteofnegotiationsshoweda

newflexibility.Atonepointheevensaidthat“incaseyourproposalisaccepted

ingeneral,thennexttimeweshouldbepreparedtodiscussallconcrete

questions.”HestressedHanoi’sdesiretonegotiate.Hedidnotrepeattheusual

insistencethatacease‐firewasimpossibleintheabsenceofafullpolitical

settlement.Herepeatedlyaskedforanothermeeting.Forthefirsttimehe

showedimpatience,suggestingadatewellbeforeJuly1.WesettledonJune26.

SoonwereceivedwordthatLeDucThohadleftHanoi,stopping inPekingand

MoscowonthewaytoParis.Aseriousnegotiationseemedintheoffingforthe

firsttime,andtherewereotherhintsofbreakthrough.Wewerealsoengagedin

puttingthefinishingtouchesonmysecrettriptoPeking(thedefinitive invitation

reachedWashingtononJune2),andwewerestillexploringasummitwiththe

SovietUnion.Itwasamomentofextraordinaryhope.



Allthewhile,ofcourse,XuanThuyinParisthrewouttantalizingpublichints

toeggonCongressionalpressurestofixadeadline.AttheJune3plenary, while

herepeatedthatthepoliticalandmilitaryissueswere“thetwocrucialand

inseparablequestions,”headdedambiguouslythatthewithdrawaldeadlinewas

“theimmediatecrucialpoint.”ClarkClifford,addressingaJune8dinnermeeting

oflawyerslobbyingagainstthewar,declaredthathehad“reasontobelieve”that

awithdrawaldeadlineofDecember31,1971,wouldsecurethereleaseofour

prisoners.Butunde rsharpprobingbyajournalist,XuanThuyhimselfrefutedthis.

ChalmersRobertsconcluded,afteraninterviewpublishedintheWashingtonPost

ofJune10:“ThecentralissuebetweentheUnitedStatesandNorthVietnamat

theParispeacetalkshasalwaysbeenthepoliticalfutureoftheSouth,despitethe

recentconcentrationinCongressandelsewhereonAmericantroopwithdrawal

andthereleaseofprisonersofwar.”



June,too,wasthemonthinwhichforthefirsttimeaHouseof the

CongressvotedtooverridetheAdministration’sVietnampolicybylegislation.On

June22,totheeditorialacclaimoftheleadingjournals,theSenatepassedbya

voteof57to42theMansfieldamendmentcallingonthePresidenttowithdraw

allAmericanforcesfromVietnamwithinninemonthsifHanoiagreedtorelease

allourprisoners.Thepracticaleffectwastomakeirrelevantfiveofourseven

pointsinthesecretnegotiations.Hanoinowknewthattherewasafloorunderits

risks;ifthesepressuresmounted,itwouldnotneedtonegotiateaboutacease‐

fireanywhereinIndochina,orpledgetoceaseinfiltr ation,orpromisetorespect

theneutralityandindependenceofLaosandCambodia.Ifitagreedtoreleaseour

prisoners,therewasagoodchancethattheCongresswouldimposean

unconditionaltotalwithdrawalofAmericanforces.



Inretrospect,Iwonderwhetherwepaidtoohighapriceforsecrecy.Hanoi

wantedsecrecybecauseitsoughttodeprivetheAdministrationofthepossibility

ofusingthenegotiationstorallypublicopinion.Wewentalongbecausewe

thoughtsuccesswasmoreimportantthanpublicitybutalsobecauseexperience

hadshownthatnomatterwhatweproposed,ourcriticswouldpushusfurther,

underminingourposition.Thereisnodoubtthatin1971secrecyenabledHanoi

towhipsawus;thequestionwhethermoreopennesswouldhavestoppedthisor

producedanevenearlierstalematemustremainintherealmofconjecture.



June,finally,wasthemonththePentagonPaperswerepublished.The

intensityoftheAdministration’sreactioncannotbeunderstoodexceptinthe

contextofourChinainitiativeandVietnamnegotiations.Forthefirsttimeinthe

warHanoihaddeignedtosaythatitwouldstudyanAmericanproposal.We

believed,rightlyorwrongly,thatHanoiwasapproachingafundamentaldecis ion

onwhethertoendthewarbeforetheVietnamesepresidentialelectionin

October.Andyet,attheverymomentthesedecisionswerebeingmadeinHanoi,

thousandsofdocumentssuddenlyappearedinthepress,leakedbythosewhose

motivewastodiscreditallUSeffortsinVietnam.Thatthevillainofthepapers

wasapreviousAdministrationdidnotchangeourproblem.IfHanoiconcluded

thatourdomesticsupportwaseroding,forwhateverreason,itwasboundtohold

fasttoitsposition.Thewarwouldcontinue;therewouldbenochanceforpeace

in1971exceptthroughcapitulation.Idonotbelievenowthatpublicationofthe

PentagonPapersmadethefinaldifferenceinHanoi’sdecisionnottoconcludea

settlementin1971.Butneitherthosewhostolethepapersnorthegovernment

couldknowthisatthetime.



WhenLeDucThoandImetonJune26,itwasnotunderidealconditions.

TominimizetheriskofdiscoveryIhadchosenanewroutetoParis.I arrangedfor

atwo‐dayvisittoLondonforwhichmygoodfrie ndSirBurkeTrend,theCabinet

secretary,suppliedtheinvitation.Hehaddevisedthepretextofwishingto learn

abouttheoperationoftheNSCsystem;itwasasubterfugemorelikelytofool

AmericansthantheBritish,whoknewverywellthatsuchpro cedureswerenext

toimpossibletograftontotheBritishCabinetsystem.Butittookacourageous

BritishcivilservanttopretendthatBritainhadanythingtolearnfromtheUnited

Statesinbureaucraticmanagement.Onthesecondoftwodayssetasidefor

consultationsBurkesuggestedatriptothecountryside.The“countryside”in

questionwasaBritishmilitaryairportwhenceaBritishplanetookmetoParis.

TherewasanunexpectedhitchwhenVillacoublayAirportwasclosedforanhour

becausetheFrenchPresidentwasdepartingfromit.AtlastwereachedRue

Darthé,whereforthefirsttimeinfourteenmonthsLeDucThowaswaitingfor

me.



“Ducky,”aswehadcometothinkofhim,couldnothavebeenmore

cordial.Insteadofoursittinginthelivingroomasusual,hetookusintothetiny

diningroom,whichhadbeenequippedwithagreen‐coveredconferencetable.

Forthefirsttimeinourprivateencountersthesettingwouldbelikethatfora

formalbargaining.Hemeanttosymbolizethathewasthereforseriousbusiness,

notvilificationorpsychologicalwarfare.LeDucThowassodeterminedtocreate

afriendlyatmospherethatheevenpermittedmetointerrupthisepicpoemon

AmericanperfidyinCambodia.WhenIagainemphasizedthatwehadnothingto

dowithSihanouk’soverthrow,Ducky’sreplyaddedanewdimensionto

epistemology(thephilosophyofknowledge).Withamaximumeffortat

generosityhesaid:“Itemporarilybelievethatyouhadnothingtodowiththe

coupinPhnomPenh.”LestIbecarriedawaybythisunprecedented—iflimited—

declarationoffaithinme,LeDucThoimmediatelyaddedthatitwasanassertion

basedonpolitenessratherthanonconviction.



Whilehewasatit,LeDucThoenlightenedmeonrelationswithhis

Communistallies.OnJanuary9IhadtoldDobryninthatIwasreadytoresume

privatetalkswiththeNorthVietnamese,andDobryninhadbroughtmethereply

thatHanoipreferredto dealthroughexistingchannelsinParis.LeDucThonow

complainedbitterlyaboutouruseofintermediaries.Healsoimpliedstronglythat

HanoihadinvitedadirectapproachwellbeforetheLaotianoperation.Itledto

melancholyreflections.IfLeDucThoweretellingthetruth,Moscowhaddelayed

transmittingareplythatwewouldsurelyhavetakenintoaccountinplanningthe

Laotianenterprise.IfDobryninweretellingthetruth,Hanoiwastryingtosow

distrustbetweenusandtheKremlin, perhapstodiscourageanytemptationin

Moscowtoimposeasettlement.IconsidereditmorelikelythatDobryninhad

toldthetruth.Thenceforward,weneverusedMoscowasanintermediaryto

Hanoi;whateverwetoldMoscowwealsopassedtoHanoidirectlyviaParis,and

usuallywellaheadoftime.



Whenwefinallygotaroundtothesubjectofourmeeting,XuanThuy,being

technicallythechiefnegotiato r,openedwithsomepointedquestionsaboutour

May31proposal.LeDucTho,playingtheroleofspecialAdvisertoXuanThuy,

followedwithalengthy,generalizedstatementaboutthehistoryofnegotiations,

andallegedthatalliedmilitarymoveshadinterferedwithanegotiated

settlement.Bothwereverycarefultoavoidsayinganythingthatsuggested

rejection.AndtheirtonequicklybecamemoreconciliatorywheneverImadea

sharpreply.



Aftertwohoursofsparringtherewasateabreak.XuanThuywentupstairs,

presumablytoworkonhisnextstatement,butLeDucThoforthefirsttime

joinedmeforasociablechatinthesmallgardenbehindthehouse.Iinvitedhim,

too,toHarvardafterthewartogiveaseminaronMarxism‐Leninism.LeDucTho 

delicatelysuggestedthathisviewsmightbestrongmedicineforacapitalist

country.Iassuredhimthathewasmorelikelytobereceivedcordiallybymy

HarvardcolleaguesthanI.



Afterthebreaktheprobingresumed,until Isaid:“Wehavemadeour

proposal.Ifyouhavenootherproposalsofyourown,Ihavenothingmoreto

say.”ThistriggeredXuanThuyintoalongrecitalofthesagaofVietnamesehistor y

thatturnedouttobepreliminarytoanewNorthVietnamesenine‐pointproposal.

SinceHanoifeltobligatedtodemonstrateitsmoralsuperiorityateveryturn,Xuan

ThuypresentedHanoi’sprogrambystating,onlyhalfinjest:“Thisprovesour

desireismoreearnestthanyourstoendthewarbecausewehavemorepoints

[thanyou]!”



TheprogramproposedadeadlineforourwithdrawalofDecember31,

1971—orsixmonthsaway,aretrogressionfromMadameBinh’seightpointsof

thepreviousSeptember,butmatchingthemostrecentversionsoftheMcGovern‐

Hatfieldamendment.Itexplicitlyagreed,forthefirsttime,thatAmerican

prisonersoftheVietnamesewouldbereleased—insteadofmerely“discussed”—

simultaneouslywithourwithdrawals,thusalsofulfillingtheMansfield

amendment.Astandstillcease‐firewouldbeinstitutedoncompletionofthe

agreement,andwouldbesubjecttointernationalsupervisionandguarantees.

Thepoliticalproposalswerealittlemoreambiguous.Hanoihadunder stoodthat

wewouldneveragreetoitsversionofacoalitiongovernment.Therefore,we

werenowbeingaskedto“stopsupporting”Thieu,Ky,andKhiemsothat“anew

administrationstandingforpea ce,independence,neutralityanddemocracy”

wouldbesetup.To“stopsupporting”ouralliescouldmeananythingfrom

withdrawingourforcestoendingalleconomicandmilitaryaid,orevenconniving

intheiroverthrow.



TheobligationtorespecttheneutralityandindependenceofLaosand

Cambodia(oursixthpoint)wasreferredtoinoneparagraphsayingthatthe

problemsbetweenIndochinesecountriesshouldbesettledbythemonthebas is

ofmutualrespectfortheirsove reignty,whichwasfine,butitaddedthatHanoi

was“preparedtojoininresolvingsuchproblems”;theGenevaAccordswere

invokedasiftheywereaddressedonlytotheUnitedStates.Theimplicationwas

thatrestrictionsdidnotapplyto NorthVietnamandthatHanoihadaspecial

statusindeterminingthefutureofthecountriesofIndochina. Andtherewasa

demand—whichIrejectedoutofhand—thattheUnitedStatespayreparations

“forthedamagecausedbytheUSinthewarzonesofVietnam.”Theproposals

wereputforwardasan“integratedwhole”;inotherwords,Hanoiwouldnot

countenancethewithdrawal‐for‐prisonersexchangethatwasthestapleofour

domesticdebate. 



Inthefairy‐taleatmosphereofVietnamnegotiations,aftertwoyearsof

Communiststonewallinganddomestic flagellation,mycolleaguesandIwere

elatedthatHanoihadforthefirsttimerespondedtoapropositionbyus,even

thoughtheresponsecouldhardlybecalledgenerous.Itwasa majorstepforward

onlybythestandardsofpreviousexchanges.ForthefirsttimeHanoipresented

itsideasasanegotiatingdocumentandnotasasetofperemptorydemands.Le

DucThorepeatedlystressedthattheseweresubjectsfornegotiation;wewere

invitedtomakecounterproposals.IndealingswithDuckyonewasgratefulfor

smallfavors.ThefactthattheNorthVietnameseusedthephrase “theUnited

Statesshould”ratherthanthetraditionalperemptory“theUnitedStatesmust”

wasconsideredbytheHanoidemonologistsonmystaffasahugeadvance.Le

DucThoofferedtostayinParisuntilthenegotiationswerecompleted.



Infact,IjudgedthatforuseveryoneofHanoi’sproposals,however

unacceptablyphrased,wasnegotiable,exceptthedemandforreparationsand

theambiguitywithrespecttothepoliticalsolution.Ifthelattermaskedtheold

demandthatweoverthrowtheSaigongovernment,wewereonceagainata

deadend.Butifitmarkedastageintheretreatfromthatposition,asettlement

wouldbepossible. IreportedtoNixon:



Therealmeaningoftheircounter‐proposalandtheirdiscussionisasofnowunclear.

Thereremainsthestrongpossibilitythattherecanbenonegotiatedsolutionexceptonterms

whichwecannotaccept.Theirpositionandapproachwereconsistentwithanattemptontheir

parttogaintime.Itwasalsoconsistent,however,withmovingtowardourapproach,forifthey

aretodothattheymustfirstgothroughtheexerciseoffightingfortheirpoliticaldemandsand

showingthatwewereunyielding.Also,theydonotneedtosendLeDucThotoParistostring

usalong,andinanyevent,itisnotclearwhatthattacticreallybuysthem;thereisnothingwe

losebywaitingrightnow;theirproposalhadsomepositiveaswellastoughelements,andthey

wereclearlyeagertonegotiatefurtherandconcretely.



MycolleaguesandIhadneverhadexperiencewithHanoi’sofferingto 

reconcileparallelpointsincomparabledocuments.IproposedtoNixon—andhe

agreed—thatonJuly12,attheendofmytriparoundtheworld(including

Peking),IwouldsubmitacounterproposalseekingtomergeHanoi’sdocument

andours.Butbeforethatmeetingcouldtakeplace,theNorthVietnamesepulled

anotheroftheircharacteristicduplicitousstuntsthatsoheig htenedoursenseof

outragewheninourdomesticdebateitwaswewhowereaccusedofbadfaith.

TheagentfortheirmaneuverwasMadameBinh.OnJuly1,justasIwasleaving

onmytriparoundtheworld,shepublishedanewseven‐pointplanthatpartly

duplicatedLeDucTho’sninepoints,spelledsomeofthemoutingreaterdetail,

omittedothersaltogether,andaddedsomenewones.



MadameBinh’splanwascleverlygearedtotheAmericanpublicdebate,

danglingtheprospectofasimplewithdrawal‐for‐prisonersdealbygrouping

togethertheprovisionsonwithdrawalandprisonersandcreatingtheimpression

thatthetwowerelinkedandperhapscouldbeseparatedfromtherestofthe

package.TheotherpointsomittedanyreferencetoCambodiaandLaosandwere

morevaguelyexpressedonsomeissuesandmoreintransigentonothers.For

example,MadameBinh’sproposalsweresharperinspellingoutacoalition

governmentalongfamiliarlines;theyalsodeferredacease‐fireuntilsucha

governmentwasformed,ratherthanitsgoingintoeffectwhenouragreements

weresigned,asLeDucThohadhadit.



Almostconcurrently,LeDucThostronglyimpliedtoAnthonyLewisofthe

NewYorkTimesonJuly6thatMadameBinh’spoint1—withdrawalfor

prisoners—couldindeedbesettledseparatelyfromtheotherprovisions.Thiswas

aflatuntruth;itwascontradictedbythesecretninepoints,whichexplicitlylinked

alltheprovisions,callingthem“anintegratedwhole.”(LeDucThoatourmeeting

onMay2,1972,confirmedthatjournalistsholdingLewis’sviewhadjustbeen

“speculating.”)Similarlydeceptiveinterviewsweregiventoprominentantiwar

Americans,includingSenatorGeorgeMcGovern.Neitherjournalistsnor

legislatorshesitatedtotakeforgrantedthetruthofHanoi’sclaimsandthedeceit

ofours.Ducky,ingreatform,reachednewheightsofcynicalimplicationwhenhe

suggestedtojournaliststhathewouldbereadytomeetifIaskedhimtodoso.



MadameBinh’splanhaditsintendedeffect.TheCongressandmediawere

atonethattheAdministrationwaspassingupyetanotherunparalleled

opportunityforpeace.ABaltimoreSuneditorialofJuly3spokeofan“openingin

Paris.”TheWashingtonPostonJuly8saw“new PossibilitiesinVietnam.”The

ChicagoDailynewsonJuly9detecteda“faintscentofpeace.”NewsweekonJuly

12headlined:“Awaytoendthewar?”AverellHarrimanweighedinonJuly15

withanarticleintheNewYorkTimestotheeffectthatMadameBinhhadgivenus

a“reasonablechance”toendit.LifeonJuly23hadfewdoubts:“wehope

PresidentNixonseizesthechance.”Wewereconstrainedfromdemonstrating

thatthe“chance”wasbogusandatvariancewiththeentirerecordofthe

secret—andthepublic—negotiations,forpreciselytheoppositeofthereason

allegedbyourcritics.Itwasoureagernesstoscoreabreakthroughthatmadeus

preserveasecrecywhichenabledourcynicaladversariestowhipsawusbetween

apublicpositionwedarednotrebutandaprivaterecordwecouldnotpublish.



NowonderthatNixon,alwaysskepticalofnegotiations,bombardedme

withmissivesonmyround‐the‐worldtriptotoughenupourstanceinParisand

bringmatterstoahead.OnalmostallthenegotiationsIconductedIwasfacedby

thisambivalenceonhispart.Heusuallyhadtobepersuadedtoenterthematall;

eachnewvisittoPariswasprecededbyamoreorlessprotractedinternaldebate.

Oncethathurdlewaspassed,Nixoninvariablyapprovedthenegotiatingplanthat

Isubmittedtohim.Then,whenIwasunderway,hewoulddelugemewithtough‐

soundingdirectivesnotalwayscompatiblewiththeplan,andsomeincapableof

beingcarriedoutatall.Thereasonmayhavebeenhisuneasewiththeprocessof

compromiseorthefearofbeingrejectedeveninadiplomaticforum.A

contributingcausewasundoubtedlyhishighlydevelopedsenseofthehistorical

record,whichtemptedhimtoensurethatheappeartoughe rthanhisassociates;

hewasthusprotected,whateverhappened.Andyetheneverinsistedonthese

secondthoughts;heinvariablyreturnedtoandbackeduptheoriginalplan.



Ambivalencewascompoundedinthisinstancebythewishtobeoutof

VietnambeforethePresidentialelectionof1972,yetwithouthavingSaigon

collapse.WhenthesecretvisittoPekingsucceeded,thefirstflushofeuphoria

causedNixontohardenhisVietnamstand.Eventheideaofsuddenlyannouncing

atotalwithdrawalcoupledwithanall‐outairassaultresurfacedinaHaigcableon

July10:



Youshouldbeawarethatheisseriouslyconsideringthealternativeplanwhichhehas

mentionedpreviouslyofmovingoutprecipitouslyandconcurrentlyundertakingmajoraireffort

againstNorth.Obviouslythismessageischaracterizedbyoverkillandinstructionsmustbe

interpretedinthelightofyourdiscussionsatpreviousstop[Peking].Ididfeelyoushouldhave

thebenefitofatmospherehere.



NothingcouldstopNixonfromcallingmeinParisonanopenphoneline

themorningofJuly12togivemegraphicandbloodcurdlinginstructionseven

whilerepeatinghisapprovalofthecounterproposalIwasabouttosubmit.He

reasonedthattheconversationwouldbeoverheardbytheFrench—whichwas

probable—whowouldwarnHanoi—whichwasmoredoubtfulandtechnically

impossibleintimefortheafternoonmeetingwithLeDucTho.



ThoughmygettingtoPariswaseasythistime—Iarrivedopenlyfrom

Pakistan—LeDucTho’spublicinvitationtoameetinghadalertedthepress.Itwas

stakedoutinforceattheAmbassador’sResidenceonAvenued’IénawhereIwas

staying.IsolvedtheproblembyhavingDavidBrucearriveconspicuouslyforwhat

wasannouncedasareviewoftheParisnegotiations.Igreetedhimatthefront

doorandtookhimintotheResidence.Oncehewassettled,Isneakedoutthe

backintothecourtyardwhereGeneralWalterswaswaitinginhispersonalcar;he

hadeventhoughtofequippingmewithahat.Slidingdownlowintheseatincase

thepresswascoveringtherearexit—whichitwasnot—wef ollowedinstructions

previouslycabledtomebyWalters,whowashavingsomuchfunthathe

probablywouldhavepaidusfortheprivilegeofparticipating.Writteninthemost

portentousPentagoneseandlabeled“PlanforMovementtoandfromlocation,”

hisscenarioread:



1. My[Walters’s]personalChevroletconvertible,6CD408,isprepositionedinrear

countyardofembassyResidenceonedaybeforeaction.



2. Iarriveatembassyonfootat1245.Gen.Kirschman[mycodename]andIgodown

embassybackstairs,getinmycarandleaverearofbuilding.Weproceedby

circuitousroutetomyhomeat49BlvdCharcot,Neuilly.



3. Onarrivalheretwocoursesarepossible.



a. Gen.Kirschmangetsout,goesthroughelectronicdoorwhichlocksbehind

him,takeselevatorandgoesdowntobasement.MeantimeIhavedriven

intobasement.MywarrantOfficerlocksgaragedoorbehindmeandwe

emergefromrearexitonrueSt.James.



b. Gen.KirschmangoesintogaragewithmeandremainderofalternativeA.Is

carriedout.



4. MywarrantOfficerremainsatmyhometomakesurephoneisnotansweredandno

oneisletintoapartment.



5. Gen.KirschmanandIproceedtopredeterminedpoint10blocksfromlocation.Here

wemeetmysecretaryinrentalcarwhohasjust“cased”location.Ifallisclearwe

proceedtolocation.



6. WereturntomybasementviarueSt.James,switchtomypersonalChevrolet,

emergefromBlvd.CharcotexitandreturntoResidence.



WeeventuallycarriedoutOption3bsinceWaltersdidnottrustmetofind

mywaytothebasementunaided.Theplanworkedperfectly,mostlybecauseno

onewasfollowingus.



****



AtlastIwasagainfacetofacewithLeDucThoandXuanThuyacrossa

rectangulartablecoveredwithagreencloth.Butthenegotiatingframework

wouldneverbethesameagain;ithadbeenfundamentallychangedbymytripto

Peking,thoughLeDucThodidnotyetknow this.XuanThuyagainspokefirstfor

Hanoi.Hisrolewasthatofthepicadorinabullfight.Hewastobloodyusand

perhapsletLeDucThostudyourreactions.Whenseriousexchangesbegan,Le

DucThowouldtakeoverwithhisse tmonologueofHanoi’sview.



Notunexpectedly,theJuly12meetingbegantestily;IaccusedtheNorth

VietnameseofbadfaithinpublishingMadameBinh’ssevenpoints.XuanThuy

answeredwithagrabbagofaccusations,mostlyaboutmilitaryactionswithin

SouthVietnam,whichwereasmisleadingastheywereirrelevant.HeknewandI

knewthatnomajormilitaryactionsbyeithersideweregoingaheadinSouth

Vietnam.However,theNorthVietnamesewereeagernottopushthesematters

toofar.Theyseemedanxioustoengageinnegotiations.Notyetknowingofmy

triptoPeking,theythoughttheyhadusontherun;theyprobablywantedtosee

whetherwewouldbuckle.



“Negotiations,”however,isarelativeterminHanoi.LeDucThoandXuan

Thuywouldcharacterizetheirproposalsas“concrete”and“factual”;oursby

contrastwere“unrealistic”and“vague”and“abstract,”nomatterhowspecific

theymightbe.“Realism”wasmeasuredbycorrespondencewithHanoi’spointof 

view.Duckywouldtreathispresenceasaconcession,hiswillingnesstodiscuss

ourpoints—ifonlytorejectthem—asasignofgoodwill.Hewouldintroduceeach

newdemandwiththepropositionthatitwasbasedonreason,fact,andhistory,

whichhewouldthenexplainatexcruciatinglength—causingmeononeoccasion

toremarkthatifhewouldem phasizereasonandgoeasieronhistorywewould

allgain.



Evenformalagreementstendedtohaveaspecialmeaning.Forexample,on

thefaceofit,oursevenpointsofMay31andtheirninepointsofJune26were