Kissinger Henry. White House Years

Подождите немного. Документ загружается.

chargethat“HenryKissinger’stravelstoParisandSaigonwerenomorethana

publicitystuntthatfalselyraisedhopesforpeace.”Andby51percentto33

percent,morevotersagreedwithPresidentNixon’sapproachtobringinghome

AmericanforcesfromVietnamthanwithMcGovern’sapproach.(Twelvedays

earlier,onAugust30,theGallupPollhadshowedthefollowingelection

preferences:Nixon,64percent;McGovern,30percent;undecided,6percent.)



InthesecircumstancesNixonsawnopoliticaladvantageinadoptingmy

recommendations.Butaswashiscustomwherenationalsecuritywasconcerned,

heacceptedtheforeignpolicyrationalethoughnotwithoutremindingmethatit

wasreallyagainsthispoliticalinterests.HaigcabledtomeinMoscow:



He[thePresident]statedthattheNSCdoesnotseemtounderstandthattheAmerican

peoplearenolongerinterestedinasolutionbasedoncompromise,favorcontinuedbombing

andwanttoseetheUnitedStatesprevailafteralltheseyears.Ipointedoutthatthisvery

attitudewasfragileandhadbeenaccomplishedsimplybecausewehadbeenabletocarefully

blendaseriesofstrongandforthcomingmeasuresinawaythatreestablishedPresidential

credibility…ThePresidentfinallyagreedbutinsistedthatinconveyinghisapprovaltoyouthatI

emphasizetoyouhiswishthattherecordyouestablishtomorrowinyourdiscussionsbea

toughonewhichinapublicsensewouldappealtotheHawkandnottotheDove.Iagaintold

thePresidentthattherecordthusfarofthesemeetingswasunassailableandthatIwas

confidentthatitwouldremainthatwayfollowingtomorrow’smeeting.



WiththeadvantageofhindsightIbelievewecouldhaveriskedproceeding

withSaigon’sformulationandwithoutthemodifica tionIproposed.Hanoiwould

almostsurelynothavebrokenoffthetalksfearingtheclearprospectofNixon’s

reelection.Inowthinkalsothatthiscoursewouldhavebeentacticallywise;it

wouldperhapshavereducedThieu’smistrust,thoughgivenourdifferent

perspectivesnothingcouldhavepreventedthefinalblowup.Inthenegotiation,it

madenodiffere nce. Forourproposalwasneverevendiscussed.OnSeptember

15LeDucThomadeourproposalirrelevantbypresentingthethirdnewNorth

VietnameseproposalinthefourmeetingssinceJuly.



<<Contents>>



****



Interlude:MeetingsofSeptember15and27



NthewaybackfromMoscowIstoppedat Chequersontheeveningof

September14tobriefPrimeMinisterHeathaboutmyconversationswith

theSovietleaders.WehadannouncedthatIwouldalsogotoParistobrief

Pompidou.Buthabitsofsecrecyarehar dtobreak.Inordertogainthesixhours

neededformeetingLeDucThoI flewtoParisbyasmallplanefromaBritish

militaryairportearlyinthemorningofSeptember15.Tomaskmymove ments,

DoNotDisturbsignswereleftonthedoorsofoursuitesatClaridge’sHotel,and

thePresidentialplaneremainedatHeathrowuntilitflewofftoParislaterinthe

day.Itwasapointless—evenjuvenile—gamenotworthplaying,sincewewould

announcethemeetingwithLeDucTholaterinthedayinanyevent.Fromthen

untiltheendofthenegotiationswemadenospecialeffortstomaskmy

movements,andindeedtowardtheendbegantoannouncetheminadvance.

O



AswasthecasesoofteninthehistoryofVietnamnegotiations,the

meetingitselfmockedallthecarefullylaidplans.LeDucThocontinuedinthe

mild,almostpleasanttonethathehaddisplayedsincetheJuly19meeting.There

wasagainnoneofthebravadoofthefirstthreeyears,ofhowAmericanand

worldopinionwouldforceustosettle.Almostplaintively,herepeatedlyinquired

whetherwewerewillingtosettlerapidly.Iwasvaguelyreassuring,intentionally

magnifyinghisuneasiness.Finally,Ibroughtforwardouroverallplan,including

theparagraphtowhichThieuobjected.LeDucThodismisseditasnothing

basicallynew,whichwasclosetothemark.Butinsteadofstickingtohisprevious

position,hetabledanewten‐pointproposal.Itsmajorfeaturewastodeprivethe

GovernmentofNationalConcord(asoutlinedbyhimatonlyourlastsession)of

someofitspower.WhereasonAugust14HanoihadagreedthattheSaigon

governmentcouldcontinueuntiltheGovernmentofNationalConcordwas

formed,Thonowproposedthatthetwoexistingadministrationscontinueeven

afterasettlement.TheGovernmentofNationalConcordwouldbeconfinedto

supervisingcompliancewiththeprovisionsoftheagreementandtheconductof

foreignpolicy;itwasagain“provisional,”tolastuntilafinalsettlementforwhich,

however,therewasnoclear‐cutprocedure.CommitteesofNationalConcord

wouldbesetupineachprovince;theywouldgovernallcontestedareas.Saigon

wouldbeinchargeofdomesticpolicyinallareascontrolledbyit.ButTho

added—notpreparedtogiveupadebatingpointevenwhenhewasinahurry—

thatsincemostareaswerecontested,theCommitteesofNationalConcordwould

takeovermostofthecountry.LeDucThoalsoputforwardanumberofcosmetic

concessionssuchasextendingthedeadlineforourwithdrawalfromhisoriginal

thirtydaystoforty‐five days(asagainstthethreemonthsinourproposal).



AsLeDucThomusthaveexpected,Irejectedhispoliticalproposaloutright.

Wewouldacceptnocoalitiongovernmentinanyguise,Itoldhim.Contrarytohis

previouspractice,herespondedwithonlythemildestritualcomplaintsaboutour

“sincerity,”andevenseemedtoredoublehisefforts.WasIpreparedto aimforan

agreementinprinciplebyacertaintimetable?hesuddenlywantedtoknow.After

suchanagreementthevariousforumsproposedinhisAugust11draftwould

begintonegotiateitsimplementation.Isawnoharminagreeingtoatargetdate

solongasweweremaking noadditionalconcessions.WesettledonOctober15.

Thevariousforumswouldstillleaveplentyofroomtorefineaspectsofthebasic

agreement.



TogainmoretimeandtherebybringmorepressureonLeDucTho,I

proposedthatwedevotethenextmeetingtonailingdownlanguageonthe

alreadyagreedpoints.Theseweremostlyonthemilitaryquestions.Thowasthe

modelofconciliation.Heagreed,thoughpointingoutthatprogressonthe

politicalquestionwouldfacilitatethesolutionofthemilitaryissues;itwasno

longeraprecondition.Henextproposedatwo‐daymeeting,preferablywithina

week’stime.Iacceptedthisunprecedentedrequest,butpushedthedatebackto

September26.ThemorewesqueezedLeDucThoagainstwhatwasmoreclearly

thaneverhisself‐imposeddeadline(ourPresidentialelection),themore

forthcominghewaslikelytobe.InasummarymemorandumpreparedforNixon

immediatelyafterthemeetingIwrote:



Itisnotentirelyclearwhattheyhavetogainbybeingsoeagertopursuethedialogue.

Theirdilemmaisthatfurthertalksstrengthenourdomesticpositionandnegotiatingrecord

withoutinanywayrestrictingourmilitaryflexibility,whileiftheybreakthemoff,theyhaveno

hopeofsettlingbeforeNovember,whichIsensefromourmeetingistheirstrongpreference.



Mysurmiseisthattheyaredeeplyconcernedaboutyourre‐electionanditsimplications

forthembut,withtheircollectiveleadership,theymaybehavingdeepdifficultiescomingto

gripswiththeverypoliticalconcessionstheywillhavetomaketomovethetalksoffdead

center.Theycontinuetoposeunacceptabledemands,perhapsbecausetheylackimagination,

perhapsbecausetheywishtodeferthenecessaryconcessionstothelastpossiblemoment.



Wewere,infact,inthestrongestbargainingpositionofthewar.

September15wasthedaythatSouthVietnameseforcesrecapturedQuangTri,

theoneprovincialcapitaltakenbyHanoiinitsoffensive.Itwastheweekofpolls

showinggrowingAmericanpublicsupportforNixon’shandlingofthewarandthe

widestNixonleadoverMcGovernever.Anditwasthetime(welearnedafew

weekslater)thatCOSVNDirect ive06informedCommunistcadresthataneffort

wouldbemadeto“force” Nixontosettlethewarbeforeelectionday—whichwas

Hanoi’swayofpreparingitspeople foranagreementessentiallyonourterms.



TheSeptember15meetingturnedouttobethelastregularsessionheldat

11rueDarthéinChoisy‐le‐Roi.AlthoughIhadmaskedmymovements,LeDucTho

wasnotsosuccessful—orcareful.HispresenceinPariswasknown;afewdays

earlierhehadevenhintedtojournalistsaboutameetingwithme,which,

however,gaveusnodifficulty.(WhileI wasinMoscow,Thohadrepliedtoa

newsman’squeryaboutmeetingme:“Youwillhaveananswerina fewdays’

time.”)AnenterprisingCBS‐TVfilmcrewfollowedLeDucThofromhisresidence

tothemeetingplaceandendedupwithfilmofmyenteringandleavingthe

hithertosecrethouse.ItwaslefttotheNorthVietnamesetofindanewvenuefor

subsequentmeetings.



IlefttheSeptember15meetingsatisfiedthatwehadagainturneddowna

coalitiongovernmentandconvincedthatHanoiwaswellonthewaytoseparating

themilitaryandpoliticalissuesaswewanted.Hanoi,having comethisfar,would

soonerorlatertableitsrock‐bottomposition.Thissamepros pectfilledThieu

withreneweddismay.Bunkerwasagainunabletoobtainanappointmentwith

ThieutoreportonmymeetingwithTho.ButBunkergavemehisownassessment

thatour“patienceandpersistenceseemstobepayingoff.”Headded:“Ithinkwe

havebeenunderstandingandveryforbearingindeferringtohis[Thieu’s]views

andIbelievethatweshouldnowbefirminmakingclearthatwealsohave

imperatives.”



InsteadofgettingtoseeThieu,BunkeronSeptember16washandeda

letterfromThieutoNixonostensiblyinreplytoNixon’sletterofAugust31.Itwas

artfullywritten(probablybytheAmerican‐educatedNha),expressingagreement

withallthePresident’sgeneralpoints.Characteristically,itvoicednoappreciation

forourhavingheldthelineonthekeyissuesofcoalitiongovernment,supervised

cease‐fire,andnofurtherinfiltration;rather,itwarnedthatnofurther

concessionsshouldbemade:



…theCommunistsshouldnotbeencouragedtoapplyamoreingeniousandless

expensivemethodtotakeovercountriesthroughso‐callednegotiatedandpoliticalpeace

solutions…ThereforetocontinuetomakeconcessionstotheCommunistsinaveryillogicalway

servesonlytoencouragetheminbeingmorestubbornintheirpositionandtheirpursuitof

aggression.



Notacknowledgingthatallourpreviousproposalshadhadhisconcurrence,

Thieusaidthatthetermswehadalreadyofferedwere“indeedtooforthcoming,

veryreasonableandlogical,andonwhichwehavegonetoofar.”(Callingour

previousproposals“reasonableandlogical”wasachillingechoofNorth

Vietnamesephraseology.)Thieu’sstrictureswereasunnecessaryastheywere

wounding,forwehadnointentionofofferinganythingnewatthenextmeeting.



ThieufinallydeignedonSeptember17toreceiveBunker’sbriefingonmy

meetingwithLeDucTho.Thieusawtwopossibilit ies:TheNorthVietnamese

mightbepreparingtoreachanagreementinprinciplepriortoourelections,or

elsetheywereuncertainaboutourstrategy.Stillhalf‐believingthatThieu’s

hostilitymustreflectamisunderstanding,IsentBunkeranevenmoredetailed

reportoftheSeptember15se ssionandaddedareportonmydiscussionsof

VietnaminMoscow,whichwereinfactsuperficialsinceIsawlittlethatMoscow

couldcontributetotheintenseexchangestakingplaceinParis.Buttheprospect

ofsuccessseemedonlytoheightenThieu’sintransigence. OnSeptember20ina

speechinHué,hepointedlydeclared:“Noonehasarighttonegotiateforor

acceptanysolution”exceptthepeopleofSouthVietnam.OnSeptember23I

madeonemoreeffortto healthebreach,wiringBunker:



ItisalsoimportantthatThieuunderstandthatinthesensitiveperiodfacingus,his

discernibleattitudeonthenegotiationscouldhaveamajorinfluenceonHanoi’sstrategy.If

Thieuisgenuinelyworriedthatwemightsettleprematurely,hemustunderstandthatthe

appearanceofdifferencesbetweenWashingtonandSaigoncouldhavethepractical

consequenceofinfluencingHanoitowardarapidsettlementinthesecrettalkssoastoexploit

whattheymightperceiveasasplitbetweentheU.S.andGVNandtheresultingpolitical

disarrayinSaigon.Thiswoulddisruptthecarefullymeasuredpaceweareattemptingto

maintain.OurstrategyatthispointistoforcefurthermovementinHanoi’spositionand

maintaintheappearanceofconstructiveactivityinPariswhilecontinuingtoapplymaximum

militarypressure.ThereforeitisessentialthatThieustayclosetoussothatwedemonstrate

solidaritytoHanoi.



ForthemeetingofSeptember26‐27theNorthVietnamese,somewhat

sheepishabouttheirresponsibilityforblowingthecoveroftheRueDarthé

meetingplace,hadfoundanewsite.Togettherewehadtofollowaroute

seeminglydesignedtoremindoneofthepast,present,andfutureofourhost

country,France.WedroveSouthwestoutofParisthroughtheBoisdeBoulogne,

pasttheracetrackofLongchamp;thenweskirtedthemonumentmarkingthe

routeofGeneralLeclerc’sliberationofParisin1944,traversedtheintersectionat

LePetitClamartwheredeGaulleescapedanassassinationattemptin1962,and

passedthenuclearresearchcenteratSaclay.Inthesmallquietcountrytownof

Gif‐sur‐Yvette,atnumber108avenuedeGeneralLeclerc,behindahighgreen

woodenfence,wasaone‐storywhitestuccohousewithalargegarden.Thiswas

ournewmeetingsite.Wehadgraduatedtomorepleasantandelegant

surroundings.



TheNorthVietnamesewouldnotsayhowtheyfoundthehouse,onlythat

itwaslenttothemby“friends.”Itturnedoutthatthe“friends”weretheFrench

CommunistParty.IthadbeenthehomeandstudioofthecubistpainterFernand

Leger,whohadbeenaPartymemberorfellowtravelerandhadbequeathedhis

housetohisgratefulPartywhenhediedin1955.Thusincongruouslyamid

strikingreproductions(andperhapssomeoriginals)ofLeger’sabstractpaintings

andtapestries,webeganacrucialroundofincreasinglyconcretenegotiationsto

endthewar.Ournewlocationwastoremainpeacefullyundiscoveredfortwo

moremonthsuntil,aftermy“peaceisathand’’pressconferenceofOctober26,

theworld’sjournalistslaidonmassiveandunshakablepursuitwhenwereturned

toGif‐sur‐YvetteinlateNovember.



LeDucThoandXuanThuydisplayedthesamesenseofurgencyforanearly

endtothewarthattheyhadonSeptember15.Theyspentthefirsttwohours

layingoutaworkprogram(a“shedyule,”accordingtoNguyenDinhPhuong,the

NorthVietnameseinterpreter)[

Farbeitfrommetomakefunofanyone’saccent—hewas

anexcellentinterpreter.ButtheschedulethatLeDucThoinsistedonbecameacrucialpointin

thebreakdownofthenegotiationinOctober.Theword“schedule”—pronouncedintheBritish

waybutwiththestressoddlyonthelastsyllable—wasrepeatedsomanytimesbyLeDucTho

thatitremainsindeliblyinmymemoryinMr.Phuong’spronunciation.]designedto

completeasettlementwithinthemonth.This“shedyule” soontooktheplaceof

theepicpoemofHanoi’sstruggleforliberationastheopeningritualofourtalks.

Thowouldputforwa rdhisrecommendationsforacceleratednegotiationlikean

openingprayer.Iwouldrespond. Wewouldhaggle,sinceIconsideredthisas

goodasubjectasanyotheronwhichtowastetimesoastopushHanoiagainstits

owndeadline.AtlastIwouldagreetothe“shedyule.”Thowouldthenwriteit

downpersonallyinalittlenotebookwhosepageswerelinedwithbluesquares,

therebyconferringadditionalsolemnityonit.Thenexttimewemettheprocess

wouldberepeated.The“shedyule,”however,wouldbeslippedbytheintervalof

timethathadsinceelapsed.OnceinexasperationThocalledout:“Iamwritingit

downbutIwantyoutoknowthatIdon’tbelieveit.”



Whenwefinallyturnedtosubstance,LeDucThocamebacktotheideaofa

visitbymetoHanoitoovercomefinaldifferences.Thiswasincludedinthe

“shedyule’’hypotheticallyifwecompletedthenegotiations.Afterabusinesslike

point‐by‐pointreviewofthedifferencesandsimilaritiesbetweenthetwosides’

positions,LeDucThosubmittedyetanothernewcomprehensiveproposal,their

fourthinfivemeetings.(Inthepasttheyhadstucktotheirplansforatleastsix

months.)HedidthisevenafterIhadsaidthatIwouldwithholdanynewideasto

reflectonhiscommentsovernight.(Itwasjustaswell;allIhadwereminor

draftingchanges.)



LeDucTho’snewplan—whichhecalledhis“final”offer—strippedaway

furtherlayersfromtheCommunistdemandforatripartitecoalitiongovernment

andmovedagaintowardourproposal,whichreducedthisessentiallytoamixed

electoralcommission.Hestillcalledfora“ProvisionalGovernmentofNational

Concord”withoutThieu,butonceagainhehadreduceditsfunctions;the

GovernmentofNationalConcordwastobeadvisorytotheexistinggovernments

withavagueresponsibilitytomediatebetweenthetwosides,andwithneither

enforcementpowersnortherighttoconductforeignpolicy.It,likeourproposed

CommitteeofNationalReconciliation,would“operateinaccordancewiththe

principleofunanimity”—thatis,anymemberhadaveto,guaranteeingits

impotenceevenforitslimitedfunctions.Itremainedunacceptable,but“from

Hanoi’sperspectiveitrepresentsmajormovement,” Ilaterreportedtothe

President.Itwas“notinconsistent,”Iobserved,“withtheireventuallyturning

theircoalitiongovernmentintoanirrelevantcommitteeinordertogiveaface‐

savingcovertoastandstillcease‐fireanddefactoterritorialcontrolbyboth

sides.”



AnevenmorestunningconcessionwasLeDucTho’ssuggestionthataftera

settlementHanoi’stroopswouldwithdrawfrombothLaosandCambodiaand

thatourprisonersinLaoswouldbereleased.(HesaidtherewerenoAmerican

prisonersinCambodia.)Itwasaremarkablebreakthrough.Wehadinsistedonan

Indochina‐widecease‐fire;wehadpressedforthereleaseofallourprisonersheld

inIndochina;wehaddemandedNorthVietnamesewithdrawalfromtheother

countriesofIndochina.Noneoftheserequirements,exceptthereturnof

prisoners,hadmuchdomesticsupportinAmerica;yetallwereonthewayto

beingrealized.Eventhequalityofthesnacksservedto usescalateddramatically.

Onthesecondday,September27,theyserveduscaviar,shrimpflourchips,white

wineandsherry,inadditiontofruitandspringrolls.



Sinceourstrategyseemedtobeworking,Iconfinedmyselftohandingover

shortdraftsonsuchquestionsasinternationalguarantees,thetechnicalitiesof

internationalsupervisionofacease‐fire,andtheexchangeofprisoners.AsLeDuc

Thopressedharderandharderforrapidprogres s,heexpressedirritationthatI

wasonlyinchingforwardandconcentratingonperipheralissues—w hichwas

true.



ItoldLeDucThothatmanyofhisnewproposalswerestepsforward.

However,thecontinuingrequirementthatThieuwouldhavetoleaveofficeafter

thesignatureofafinalagreementwasridiculous.Iemphasizedagainthatwe

wouldneveroverthrowourallies,directlyorbysomesubterfuge.LeDucTho

stressedthe“finality”oftheiroffer.IreiteratedthattheAmericanpeoplewould

neverstandforourendingawarwhichhadcostso muchbyimposinga

Communistgovernment.Thefinaloutcomewouldhavetobelefttothefree

decisionofthepeople—aconceptthatThohadgreatdifficultyingrasping.He

seemedbotheredbythewinner‐take‐allaspectofSaigon’spresidentialelections;

hewonderedwhethertheproposedelectioncouldnotbeforaConstituent

AssemblyinsteadofforthePresident.Finally,LeDucThoaskedwhetherour

proposedCommitteeofNationalReconciliationcouldbegivenanyfunction

beyondsupervisingelections.Hewaspreparedforathree‐daysessionnexttime.

HeproposedOctober7—tendaysaway.Hesaidthatthemeetingwouldbe

“decisive.”TostepupthepressureslightlyIacceptedforOctober8.



Allthismadeitincreasinglyobviousthatwewereapproachinga crucial

point.Wehadinprinciplesettledallmilitaryissues:cease‐fire,infiltration,

withdrawals,releaseofprisoners,internationalsupervision,Laos.Welacked

agreementonCambodia.LeDucThowasstillpushingpoliticalformulasdesigned

toundermineSaigon.Buthiseagernessforathree‐daymeetinginearlyOctober

leftnodoubtthatwehadnotyetheardthelastword.Thatmightprove

unacceptableandwhenwecametodraftingwhathadbeenagreedinprinciple

thewholeprocessmightevaporate.Butwehadcomealongway.Thenext

meetingwouldbringeitherabreakthroughoracommitmenttoanothermilitary

test.



IhadnodoubtwhatThieupreferred.DefiantleaksfromSaigonwere

multiplying.AppreciationforservicesrenderedisnotaVietnamesetrait;Thieu

tookourdoggedrearguardactiononbehalfofhiscountryforgranted;orelsehe

wantedtoshifttheonusforanyconcessionsontoourshoulders.Butaswe

approachedthisclimacticmoment,anotherconsultationwithThieuwasclearly

necessary.



NixonwascampaigningontheWestCoast.Withinhoursofmyreturnfrom

ParisonSeptember27IreachedHalde maninLosAngelesandproposedthatwe

sendAlHaigtoSaigontoreviewwithThieuthevariouscontingenciesthatmight

ariseinmynextmeetingwithLeDucTho.Nixonagreed.



IrecommendedthatweputanumberofoptionsbeforeThieuaspolitical

proposalsforthenextmeeting.WemightagreetoelectionsforaConstituent

Assemblyinsteadofpresidentialelections;withdrawingtheproposalfora

presidentialelectionwouldremoveanyneedforThieu’sresignation.Wemight

asktheproposedCommitteeofNationalReconcilia tiontoreviewtheConstitution

oneyearafterapeaceagreementforconsistencywithitsterms.Thisseemedto

methesafestcoursesinceSaigonwouldhaveanabsolutevetointhisbody.



Asitturnedout,allingenuitywaswasted.Haigcouldhavesavedhimself

thetrip.AgreatadmirerofThieu,Haigthistimefoundhimselfexposedtothe

standardThieutreatment,whichinturnwasverysimilartoLeDucTho’stacticsin

PariswhenHanoithoughtitwasinastrongposition.Whenthetwomenmetfirst

onOctober2,fortwohoursandfortyminutesinthePresidentialPalace,Thieu

wascalmandconciliatory,askingthoughtfulquestionsdesignedtoelicitasmuch

informationaspossible.Haigfollowedtalkingpointsdraftedbymeandmystaff

thatlaidoutourstrategyofexploitingHanoi’simpatiencetoelicitfurther

concessions.Conversely,acontinuingstalematethatcouldbeattackedathome

asresultingfromourfailuretoseizeopportunitiesforpeacewouldinthelongrun

threatenourcapacitytoaidSouthVietnam.Haigexplained whywehad

proceededaswedidonSeptember15.Ourwillingnesstoputforwardsomething

marginallynewhadbeenimportanttokeeptheprocessgoing;Hanoihadinfact

madea“dramaticallyrevisedproposal.”Weneededsomethingmarginallynew

forthenextnegotiatingsession,forthesamepurpose.Haigoutlinedtheoptions

Nixonhadapproved.



HaigassumedfromThieu’sreactionthatThieuwasreassured.(Thieu

seemedtobeexpectingthatwewouldaskagainforhiscommitmenttoresign

beforeanewelection.)HaigreportedthatThieu’sframeofmindwas“as

constructiveaswecouldhavehopedforandhewillbeinclinedtobemore

cooperativethanotherwisewouldhavebeenthecase.”



Hewassoontolearnotherwise.HisscheduledappointmentwithThieufor

October3wasabruptlycanceled.InthemeantimeNixonhadmetwithGromyko

atCampDavidonOctober2.UndertheimpactofHaig’soptimisticreport,Nixon

hadtoldGromykothatwewouldmakeourfinalofferatthemeetingofOctober

8.Ifitwererejected,therewouldbenofurthernegotiationduringtheelection

period.Afterward,wewouldturnto“othermethods.”



OnOctober4,Thieudroppedtheothershoe.HeconfrontedHaigwithhis

entireNationalSecurityCouncilandbitterlyattackedalmosteveryaspectofthe

Americanproposal,includingthosehehadlongsinceaccepted.Hewoulddiscuss

noneofthevariantswehadputbeforehim.Thieuwasintearsatsomemoments.

(Iwastobesubjectedtotheidenticalprocedurelessthanthreeweekslater.)

Haigreported:



Wehavejustcompleted3hour,50minutesessionwithPresidentThieuandhisNational

SecurityCouncil,includingVicePresidentHuong,PrimeMinisterKhiem,ForeignMinisterLam,

ForeignPolicyAssistantDuc,andSpecialAssistantNha.ItwasveryapparenttoBunkerand

myselfasweapproachedthePalacethataconfrontationwasintheoffing.Traffichad

apparentlybeenstoppedforsometimeandasweenteredthePalacetherewasclearevidence

ofanatmosphereofcrisis.WhenBunkerandIwerecalledtothePresident’soffice,wewere

insteadusheredstraighttotheconferenceroomwheretheNationalSecurityCouncilwasin

waiting.ThieuintroducedthemeetinginVietnamesewithNhastandingatachalkboardand

servingastranslator…Itwasevidentfromtheoutsetthatwewerebeingconfrontedbysolid,

unifiedGVNoppositiontoUScounter‐proposals.



Nixon’sreactionwasfarfromthesympathyforThieuthatherecallsinhis

memoirs.

OnthemorningofOctober4,NixontoldmethatHaighadmadea

mistakereturninghomeashadalwaysbeenplanned;heshouldhavestayedto