Kissinger Henry. White House Years

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Thus,wecananticipatenolastingpeaceinthewakeofaconsummatedagreement,but

merelyashiftinHanoi’smodusoperandi.Wewillprobablyhavelittlechanceofmaintaining

theagreementwithoutevidenthair‐triggerU.S.readiness,whichmayinfactbechallengedat

anytime,toenforceitsprovisions.Thuswearenowdowntomyoriginalquestion:isitbetter

tocontinuetofightonbyscuttlingtheagreementnow;orbeforcedtoreactlater,vindicated

bytheviolationofasolemnlyenteredagreement?



Irecommendedthelattercourse,butLeDucThowasrapidlydrainingthe

prospectofpeaceofitsexhilaration.



AsIhadexpected,Nixonacceptedtherecommendation;hisreplyindicated

thathewouldpreferalmostanyagreementtoarecess.Ishouldseek“some”

(unspecified) improvementovertheOctoberdraft.Themessagefolloweda

meetingatCampDavidofthePresident,DeputySecretaryofDefenseKenneth

Rush,andAdmiralMoorertoreviewcontingencyplansforastep‐upofmilitary

operations.RushandMooreragreedwholeheartedlythattheOctoberagreement

wassoundandthattheCongresswouldcutofffunds,certainlyafterJune30,ifit

werenotimplemented.Nixon,afterhavingtoldmeformonthsthathismain

concernwastheright‐wingconstituency,wasnowcomingaroundtotheview

thatthecontinuationofthewarhadnopublicsupport.Ofcourse,Iwasaware

fromthecabledinnuendosthatthiserosionofpublicsupportwasbeingblamed

onmy“peaceisathand”pressconference.Needlesstosay,Iconsideredthisan

excuse;IthoughtthelossofsupportinherentinHanoi’sOctober8acceptanceof

ourprogram—andexacerbatedbySaigon’sintransigence.Wewerebothright

anditmadenodifference.ForneitheronOctober8noronOctober26didwe

haveachoice.Whatevertheultimatepenalties,thecoursewetookwasdaring

butavoidedworsedangers.



Fundamentally,Nixon’sandmyattemptstoshiftresponsibilitybackand

forthwereasmeaninglessastheywereunworthy.Ifthenegotiationssucceeded,

therewouldbethesamescrambleforcreditastherewasnowtoavoidblame.If

theyfailed,Iwasthelogicalvictim—andjustifiablysowhateverthemeritsofmy

analysis.Ihadpushedthecoursethathadproducedtheexistingsituation;

Presidentialassociateshavean obligationtoprotecttheirchief.Ihadincurreda

specialresponsibilityinthisregardbymysolitaryprocedures.



Reflectionssuchasthesewere,ofcourse,oflittlehelpinParis.Mydilemma

wasthatIwascaughtbetweenSaigon’sobstreperousness,thesubtleinsolenceof

Hanoi,andasoggysetofperceptionsinWashington,which,bytryingtokeep

negotiationsgoingatnearlyallcost,wasdeprivingusoftheleveragetobring

matterstoahead.



Thefour‐and‐a‐half‐hoursessionofDecember8sawTho’scontinuing

refusaltodiscusstheprotocols,coupledwithgrudgingbutnotquiteconclusive

concessions.ThoandIagreedfinallytodropthewholephrase“administrative

structure,”translationofwhichhadcausedsomuchanguish.[

IntheOctober

agreement,thepartiesagreed“tosetupanadministrativestructurecalledtheNationalCouncil

ofNationalReconciliationandConcord…” Droppingthephraseentirely,thepartiesnowsimply

agreed“tosetupaNationalCouncil…”]Healsoconfirmedhiswillingnesstogobackto

theoriginaltextoncivilianprisoners.Theseweremajorstepsforward.ButLeDuc

Tholefthimselfsufficientrunningroom.Heremainedadamantondefining the

DMZinamannerthatthrewitsstatusintoquestionandthereforeindirectly

providedalegaljustificationforpermanentinterventionbyHanoiintheSouth.

Andhereiteratedhisdemandfora totalwithdrawalofAmericancivilian

techniciansworkingwiththeSouthVietnamesearmedforces,whichwouldhave

thepracticaleffectofparalyzingallthesophisticatedequipmentofSaigon’s

militaryestablishment.Still,wewerenowdownes sentiallytotwoissues:the

DMZandAmericancivilianpersonnel.Comparedwithwhathadalreadybeen

settled,thesecouldbedealtwithinonesessionprovidedthedesirewasthere.

OnthisassumptionIaskedHaigtoreturntoWashington.Ifwesettledon

December9,IwantedhimreadytoleaveforSaigonthenextmorningwiththe

VicePresidenttoobtainThieu’sconcurrence.



ButLeDucThoprovedaswilyinachievingdelaysashehadbeenferocious

inproducingdeadlocksor,briefly,flexibleinmovingtowardasettlementin

October.Athree‐and‐a‐half‐hourmeetingonDecember9seemedtoproduce

furtherprogress.Buteachapparentsuccessconfirmedthesinkingfeelingthatour

interlocutorwasleadingusthroughanendlessmaze,fornomatterwhatwas

settled,LeDucThomanagedtokeepaliveatleastonemoreissueateachsession.



OnthisoccasionLeDucTho“gave”uswhatwealreadyhadinOctober,the

righttohaveAmericanciviliansservicesophisticatedSouthVietnamesemilitary

equipment.ButhehungfirmontheDMZbecauseheknewthatpermitting

militarymovementthroughitvitiatedthebanoninfiltration,whichwasso

importantapartoftheagreement.Henowmadeaclaimnovelinourexperience

withCommunistnegotiators. HesaidthatthePolitburoinHanoihadoverruled

himwheninNovemberhehadagreedtotheclausethattheDMZmustbe

respected.Hewasstillawaitingnewinstructions,hesaid;hecouldgonofurther.

ItwasunprecedentedforamemberofanyCommunistPolitburotoclaimthathe

hadexceededinstructions.GivenourknowledgeofNorthVietnamese

procedures,itwasalsohighlyimprobable.(AtleastIthinksonow;then,for

reasonsIfindhardtounderstand,Itendedtobelievehim.)



Iofferedacompromise.ThelanguageaboutrespectingtheDMZshould

stayasagreedtwoweeksbefore.ButIwouldbepreparedtoaddasentenceto

anotherparagraphwhichprovidedthat,pendingreunification,NorthandSouth

Vietnamshouldpromptlystartnegotiationstoestablishnormalrelationsin

variousfields.Thesentencewas:“Amongthequestionstobediscussedwillbe

theauthorizationofcivilmovementacrosstheProvisionalMilitaryDemarcation

Line.”ThishadtheadvantageofimplyingthatallmovementacrosstheDMZwas

barred,pendingagreementbetweentheparties,andthatmilitarytransitwould

beprohibitedpermanently.LeDucTho,afraidthathemighthavedifficulty

findinganargumentforrejectingthiscompro mise,resortedtoyetanothernovel

gimmick.Hesuddenlycomplainedofa headache,highbloodpressure,general

debility;heseemedtobeanelderlymanindistress.Soconvincingwasthe

performancethatIofferedtoadjournthemeeting.Neveronetogiveupanedge,

Thosuggestedthathewouldneedtheentirenextdaytorecover,therebyneatly

stallingtalksforanotherforty‐eighthoursand,ofcourse,abortingtheVice

President’striptoSaigon. Hegenerouslyagreed,however,tohavetheexperts

meet—notyet,tobesure,tobeginworkontheprotocols(hehadnotyeteven

givenusHanoi’sdrafts)buttoconformthelanguageoftheexistingtextsofthe

agreement.AssoonasIagreedtothisprocedure—and,indeed,Ihadlittlechoice

whenfacedwithanobviousinvalid—Ducky,hispurposeaccomplished,magically

recoveredandwespentanotherhourininsolentbanter.



WithonlyoneissuenowremainingIhadeveryhopeoffinishingwhenwe

nextmetonMonday,Decemb er11.ButIstillunderestimatedLeDucTho.The

experts’meetingofthedaybeforehadgonereasonablywell,thoughittook

sevenhourstoconformtextsthathadalreadybeenagreedhalfadozentimes. 

Therewasacloudonthehoriz o nwhentheNorthVietnamesesoughttochange

theprovisionintheagreementwhichstatedthattheparties“shallstrictly

respect”the1954and1962accordsonCambodiaandLaos.TheNorth

Vietnameseproposedtodropthe“shall,”thusturningthesentencenotintoan

obligationbutintoastatementoffact—anextremelyunsettlingpropositionwhen

onereflectedontheover100,000NorthVietnamesetroopseventhenrunning

amokinthesetwocountries.



Overnight,fromDecember9to10,IhadsentabriefnotetoLeDucThoin

thePresident’snametellinghimthatNixonwasstillconsideringmycompromise

languageontheDMZandhadnotyetapprovedit.ThePresidentwouldfarprefer

tostickwiththeorig inaltext.IthoughtthatinthismannerwhatIhadproposed

couldappearasagenuineconcessioninHanoi.[

Iwastobecaughtonmyowncunning:

Nixoncitesthisinstructionashisownalthoughheneversawituntilafterward.

]LeDucTho

wouldnotfallfortransparentploys,however.OnDecember10hereturneda

briefnoteindicatingthathissuperiorsinHanoiconsideredthattheirposition—

puttingtheverystatus oftheDMZintoquestion—was “amostcorrectand

reasonableproposal.”



ThehappiestgroupinPariswastheSaigonambassadorialdelegation

assignedtokeepaneyeonme.Theironlydutywasto listentomybriefingseach

evening;theirinstructions weretoholdfasttoeachofSaigon’ssixty‐ninechanges

andtolistentonocompro mise—clearlytotestwhateverLeDucThohadleftof

myemotionalequilibrium.Therewerenocompromisestodiscuss.Theincreasing

depressionoftheAmericandelegationcausedscarcelyconcealedelationamong

theSouthVietnamese.



OnDecember10IreceivedalsoHaig’saccountofaseriesofbewildering

movesbyNixon,whichilluminatedthedifficultyofguidingcomplexnegotiations

fromadistance.FirsthecalledDobrynintotellhimthathehadrejectedmy

compromiselanguageontheDMZandaskedMoscowtohelpusbringHanoiback

totheformulationagreedtoinNovember(respectfortheDMZwithnoprovision

forevencivilianmovementacrossit).Hethendevelopedsecondthoughtsabout

Agnew’sgoingtoSaigon,fearingthatoncetherehemightsidewithThieuagainst

hisownAdministration;henowwantedtosendConnally.Haigarguedhimoutof

thatbecausenoprivateemissarycouldpossiblycarrythecloutoftheholderofa

constitutionaloffice(ConnallynolongerbeingTreasurySecretary),andbecause

Agnew’sknownproclivitiestotherightwouldgiveaddedweighttohissupportof

theagreement.Finally,HaigsentmethePresident’sinstructionsfortheconduct

ofthetalks:



AssumingyouareabletoslipMonday’smeetingtolateMondayafternoon,youshould

thenholdtoughontheDMZissue,confirmingthatthePresidentremainsadamant.IfMoscow’s

assistanceisevident,wemaythenfindHanoicaving.Ifnot,thePresidentbelieves,andIknow

youdoaswell,thatwemustnotbreakoffthetalksonMonday.Inthateventyoushouldreturn

foranewsessionhopefullyasearlyaspossibleonTuesdaymorning,thusgivingme[Haig]

maximumtimetoleaveTuesdaynightwiththeVicePresident.Thiswillenableustomanage

theVicePresident’spersonalschedule,thelow‐keyedannouncementandcoordinationwith

BunkerandThieu.AlsoonTuesdayyoushouldagainenterthetalksinatoughposturebywhich

timeMoscow’sultimateleverageshouldbeevidentif,infact,theyexerciseitatall.IfLeDuc

Thoisstillintransigent,youshouldthentryourcompromiseasthefinalUSconcession.Ifeven

thisfails,thePresident,aswepredicted,wouldevenbewillingtocavecompletelywiththe

hopesthatwecanstillbringThieuaround.



Inotherwords,NixonhaddisavowedtoDobryninmycompromiseproposal

asbeingtoosoft.Atthesametimeheinstructedmetoputitforwardandto

acceptHanoi’sformulationasalastresort.Hewantedtoprevailbybluffing

Dobryninbutwasultimatelypreparedtocavein.Abluffinwhichthegap

betweentheformalpositionandwhatonewillacceptissowidecannotwork.



Inanyevent,LeDucThowasonestepaheadofuswhenwemeton

December11.Hewantednoagreement,atleastonthisround.Thepossibility

thatwemightcaveinhadobviouslyoccurredtohimaswell;hethereforemoved

decisivelytoescapetheembarrassingsituationwhereintherewasonlyoneissue

leftonwhichwemightyield.Hemovedquicklytoremovethisdanger.First,he

rejectedsigningproceduresthatwehadassumedsettled.(Thiswasacomplex

arrangementbywhichSaigoncouldsignwithoutrecognizingtheCommunist

ProvisionalRevolutionaryGovernment.)Next,forty‐eighthoursafterconceding

theissueofAmericanciviliantechniciansassistingSouthVietnamesearmed

forces,heinsistedthatthisappliedonlytothepublictextoftheagreementto

avoidembarrassingus.Henowaskedforawrittenprivateunderstandingthatour

technicianswouldbewithdrawn.Healso,regretfully,wasnotyetreadytodiscuss

anyoftheprotocols.AndhisinstructionsontheDMZwouldnotarriveuntilnext

day.LeDucTho,inshort,madeitclearthathewouldnotsettlethatday,nor

(giventheoutstandingissues)wasasettlementlikelyonthemorrow.This

behaviorwasinitselfirritating.Itwasdoublyinsultingtodelayaconclusionwhen

theNorthVietnamesehadknownthatforthelastforty‐eighthourstheVice

PresidenthadbeenpoisedtoleaveWashingtontoimposethenegotiated

agreementonarecalcitrantally.IreportedtothePresidentthroughHaig:



Itisnotimpossiblethatwecouldconcludetheagreementtomorrow,butnothingin

theirbehaviorsuggestsanyurgencyandmuchintheirmannersuggestscock‐sureinsolence…



ItisobviousthatanagreementwaseasilyachievableonanydaysincelastThursday.

Hanoimaywellhaveconcludedthatwehavebeenoutmaneuveredanddarenotcontinuethe

warbecauseofdomesticandinternationalexpectations.TheymaybelievethatSaigonandwe

havehopelesslysplitandthattheimminenceofChristmasmakesitimpossibleforustorenew

bombingtheNorth.Ifthisisthecasewewillfaceadecisionofmajormagnitude.Ibelievea

totalcollapsebyusnowwouldmakeanagreementunenforceable.ThePresidentmustalso

understandthatanagreementatthispointandunderconditionsthatledtothecollapseof

SouthVietnamwouldhavegraveconsequencesforhishistoricpositionlater.



AlltheseDecembermeetingsnowalternatedbetweentheCommunist

meetingplaceinGif‐sur‐Yvette(theLegerhouse)andtheeleganttown‐houseof

anAmericanbusinessmaninNeuilly.Everydaywespedtotheappropriatesitein

ahair‐raisingmotorcadewithanheroicFrenchpoliceescort.Woodenstandshad

beenthrownupatbothplacesfromwhichtheassembledjournalistscould

observethenegotiatorspacingduringbreaks.Ironically,thegrimmerthe

situationinside,themorecordialnowwasthedemeanoroftheNorth

Vietnamesewelcomingusandbiddingusfarewelloutsidethehouse;nodoubt

theywantedtogiveenoughofanimpressionthatprogresswasbeingmadeto

forestallanythoughtsofmilitaryescalationonourpart.Mindfulofmy

instructionstogivenoindicationofanimminentbreak,Ioccasionallychattedina

friendlywaywithLeDucThowithinsightofphotographers—earningmeanother

reprooffromHaldeman.



AcableIreceivedfromHaigaftertheDecember11meetingfurther

elucidatedWashington’sframeofmind.ThePresidentwantedmetostayaslong

astherewasanyhopeofasettlement;toreturnforconsultationsifIjudgedthe

deadlocktobeunbreakable;torecessbutnottoadjournthetalks;andtobrief

thepressifhedecidedtoresumebombing.HaigatmyrequesttoldDobrynin

aboutthestatusofournegotiationsandlethimknowthatthepromisedSoviet

intercessionwasclearlyineffective.Dobryninmadeambiguouslyhelpfulnoises.I

keptbriefingtheChineseAmbassadortoParis,HuangChen.Hedidnoteven

pretendthatPekingwasdoinganything,thoughhecouldnothavebeen

friendlier.BeforemynextmeetingwithLeDucThoIlearnedofaverytough

speechbyThieutohisNationalAssemblythatrejectedonceagaintheexisting

frameworkofnegotiations.



AsIthinkabouttheeventsofthatperiod,Iadmirethecourageofthat

dauntlessleaderwho,assaultedbyhundredsofthousandsofenemytroopsand

pressedbyhisonlyally,neverthelessperseveredinhiscomplicatedgameof

maneuveringbetweencontendingnecessities.Relentlessly,hesoughtto

demonstratetohisownpeoplesimultaneouslythathewasagenuineVietnamese

nationalistandnota puppetoftheUnitedStates;thathewascapableof

providingtheleader shipeveninpeacetoresisttheCommunistinvaders(under

whoserulethevastmajorityofthepopulationdidnotthenanddonotnowwish

tolive);andthathewasnotanobstacletopeace.Henavigat edtheseshoalswith

skillanddetermination,onthewholetothebenefitofhispeople.Atthetime,our

needsdiffered.Andsoonustheimpactofhisruthlessegocentricit ywastomock

oursacrifices,toundohisownpositioninAmerica,andtoimposeonusmounting

financialandhumancosts. 



NixonarmedmeforthemeetingofDecember12withamessagetoreadto

LeDucThothatcontradictedhisinstructionofthepreviousdaytocaveinasalast

resortandthatshowedthatwhateverhismaneuvers,oncehehadanalyzedthe

problemNixonwoulddowhatwasright.Writteninexpectationofarecess,it

instructedmetotellLeDucThothatinnocircumstanceswouldwemakethe

wrongkindofsettlementandthatuntiltherewasanendtoNorthVietnamese

intransigencetherewouldbenofurtherAmericanconcessions.



OnDecember12theexperts,headedbySullivanonoursideandVice

ForeignMinisterNguyenCoThachontheother,metagaininthemorning.The

NorthVietnamesestillrefusedeithertodiscussourdraftprotocolsortogive us

versionsoftheirown.LeDucThohadmeanwhilereceivedinstructionsonthe

DMZ.Hehadaproposalthatomittedthephrase“civilian”frommyformula for

permittedmovementacrosstheDMZ.Inotherwords,Hanoiwantedtoleave

opentherightofmilitarytransitthroughaDemilitarizedZone—one oftheneater

tricksofdiplomacy,andonethatraisedevenfurtherdoubtsaboutthebanon

infiltration.Toeaseourpain,Thofinallyproducedprotocolsforthecease‐fireand

internationalcontrol machinery.Henowpreemptedourplansbyinforming me

thathehaddecidedtoleaveParisforHanoionThursday,December14,taking

fourorfivedaystogetthere.Hewouldnotbeabletosettleunlesshecould

personallyconverttherecalcitrantsinthePolitburowhowereconstantlygiving

himahardtime,especiallyontheDMZ.Heofferedtoreturnifnecessary,but

thoughtwecouldsettlethere mainingissuesbyanexchangeofmessages—a

patentabsurditygiventhemanytechnicaldetailsstillrequiringattention.The

ideaofapacificThoconstrainedbyhisbellicosepee rsfrommakingconcessions

wasmind‐boggling;butitservedTho’spurposeofstallingwithout(hehoped)

givingusanexcusetoretaliate.LeDucTho agreedtomeetonceagainthenext

dayinanowforlornhopeforabreakthrough,andtoreviewtheconclusionsof

theexpertswhowouldbeatlastreview ingtheprotocols.



IreportedtoWashingtonattheendofDecember12:



Allofthissoundsmildlyencouraging;butIhavecometothefollowingconclusion.Hanoi

hasdecidedtoplayfortime,eitherbecauseofthepublicsplitbetweenusandSaigon;or

becausetheyhaveapipelineintotheSouthVietnameseandknowaboutourexchanges;or

becausetheirleadershipisdividedandtheyarestillmakinguptheirmindsonwhetherto

concludetheagreement.Theirconsistentpatternistogiveusjustenougheachdaytokeepus

goingbutnothingdecisivewhichcouldconcludeanagreement.Ontheotherhand,theywish

toinsurethatwehavenosolidpretextfortakingtoughactions.Theykeepmatterslow‐keyto

preventaresumptionofbombing.Theycouldhavesettledinthreehoursanytimethesepast

fewdaysiftheywantedto,buttheyhavedeliberatelyavoidedthis…



Theyhavereducedtheissuestoapointwhereasettlementcanbereachedwithone

exchangeoftelegrams.Idonotthinktheywillsendthistelegram,however,intheabsenceof

strongpressures.



OvernightwestudiedtheNorthVietnamesedraftsoftheprotocols.They

were“outrageous,”asIreport edtoNixon.Theonespellingoutthesize,

composition,andfunctionsoftheInternationalCommissionofControland

Supervision(ICCS)leftthesupervisorymachinerysubjecttosomanymultiple

vetosthatitwasinconceivablehowitcouldpossiblyinspectanything.TheICCS,

whichwouldhavetwomembersproposedbytheCommunists(Hungaryand

Poland)andtwobyourside(CanadaandIndonesia),wouldrequireunanimityto

makeanyinvestigationortofileanyreport;nomemberwouldhavetherightto 

fileaminorityreport.Moreover,theICCSwouldhavenotransportofitsownbut

wouldhavetoaskthepartybeinginspectedforitsapprovalas wellasforany

jeepsortelephonesorotherequipment.LeDucThojokedcynicallythatin

Communistareastheymighthaveto travelbybuffalocart.Incasealoopholehad

beenleftunintentionally,thenumberofICCSinspectorswouldbelimitedto250,

includingsupportper sonnel,toinspectinfiltrationacrosssevenhundredmilesof

jungleandanevenlongershoreline.Hanoi’sdraftforesawthattheTwo‐Party

JointMilitaryCommission(consistingoftheVietCongandSaigon),whichwehad

conceivedashavingprimarilyliaisonfunction,wouldbeasstrongasthe

internationalinspectionmachinerywasweak.Thisbodywastohavesubgroups

downtothedistrictlevel,thusintrudingaCommunistpresenceintoeveryareaof

SouthVietnamintheguiseofliaisonmachinery.Iexplainedourobjection

sarcasticallytoLeDucThoonthenextday:



WefeelthatyourdraftexaggeratesthetraditionalVietnamesehospitalitytoapoint

wherethese[ICCS]teamswillfinditalmostimpossibletoobserveanything,findingthemselves

surroundedastheyarebytheirVietnamesehostsateverymoment.[Laughter.]Asweanalyze

it,thereareaboutfourtimesasmanyliaisonofficersasthereareCommissionmembers,and

Westernersnotusedtoyourstandardsofhospitalitymayconfuseitwithbeingtakenprisoner.

[Laughter.]SoIbelievethatsomegreaterpossibilityforinitiativeshouldbegiventothese

members.Secondly,asweunderstandyourdraft—andIamafraidweunderstandit—it

providesforallcommunicationsandsupportoftheCommissiontobefurnishedbythepartyin

whoseareatheCommissionoperates.NowtheSpecialAdviserhasalreadypointedoutthat

theymayhavetomovebybuffalocart.Butourbasicconcernisthepurposesofthe

Commission,anditsincentivetofindviolationsmaybehigherthanthatoftheparty

committingtheviolation.Andyouhavesetitupnotonlythatthepartyhastoagreetothe

investigationtobeginwithbutthatithastosupplyallthecommunicationsandtransportation.



Thecease‐fireprovisionswereequallyabsurd.Theyprovidedforthe

groundingofeverySouthVietnameseairplaneandtheimmobilizationofevery

militaryvesseleveninSouthVietnamesewaters.Inthepretenseofdefiningthe

cease‐fire,HanoiproposedtodeprivetheSouthVietnameseofanycapacityfor

self‐defense.NowondermystaffexpertonVietnam,JohnNegroponte,called

Hanoi’snegotiatingtacticsintheDecemberround“clumsy,blatant,and

essentiallycontemptuousoftheUnitedStates”aswellas“tawdry,petty,andat

timestransparentlychildish.”



AllthesequalitieswereapparentinmylastmeetingwithLeDucThoon

December13.Thiswasthedaythatfinallyexplodedthenegot iation.Itwasthe

firstmeetingwithLeDucTho attendedbytheheadofourdelegationtothe

peacetalks,AmbassadorWilliamPorter.Itmadehimyearnforthecalmerif

equallysterileatmosphereoftheplenarysessions.Thatmorningthelanguage

expertshadmetagaintoensurethatbothsideswereworkingfromthesame

textsofwhathadbeenagreed.Whereasearlierexperts’meetingshadbeenmore

orlessbusinesslike,inthismeetingtheNorthVietnamesethrewinseventeen

brand‐newgratuitousphrasesthatineffectreintroducedearlierNorth

VietnamesedemandswhichhadbeendroppedbyLeDucThoinhistalkswithme.

MywholesessionwithhimonDecember13waswastedintheexerciseof

renegotiatingallthesubstantiveissues.



Oneofthelinguistictrickshehadbeenplayingallalongcanserveasan

example.InOctoberLeDucThohadproposedthattheNationalCouncilof

NationalReconciliationandConcordshould“direct”certainspecifiedactivities.I

hadrejectedthisasimplyingagovernmentalauthorityfortheCouncil

incompatiblewiththepremiseoftheagreement.LeDucThothentried“oversee”

or“supervise,”allofwhichhappenedtohavethesameVietnamesetranslation.

ThesetooIrefused.Finally,weagreedontheweakerword“promote.’’Whenwe

checkedtheVietnamesetextoftheprotocols,wefoundthatHanoihadkeptthe

offendingVietnamesewordthroughout.



MoreseriouswasthattheNorthVietnameseinthetranslators’meeting

reopenedthedisputeovertheuseofthefuture tenseintheclause“theparties

shallrespectthe1954and1962GenevaAgreements”onLaosandCambodia;

theyagaindroppedthe“shall.”ThiswasnotonlyrenegingonwhatLeDucTho

hadconcededthedaybefore;itwasalsodecidedlyunnervingbecauseLeDucTho

againrestedhisobjectiononthegroundthatNorthVietnamwasalready

respectingtheseagreementsandthereforethefuturetensewasmisleading.In

thisinsolentinterpretation,theagreementtorespecttheneutralityofLaosand

CambodiaturnedintoaconfirmationofHanoi’srighttomaintain forcesinLaos

andCambodia.



IhadcometoParisonDecem ber4withinstructionsfromNixontosettle.

LeDucThohadkeptmetheretendays,ourlongestnegotiatingsessionever,and

eachdayweseemedfartherawayfromanagreement.AttheendofSaturday,

December9,LeDucTho andIagreedtherewasonlyoneissueleft(theDMZ).At

theendofMonday,December11,thereweretwonewissues(civiliantechnicians

andsigningprocedures).AttheendofTuesday,December12,thereweremany

more(thethreefromSaturdayandMonday,someothersinthetext,andseveral

newonesintheprotocols).Eachdayseveralissuesthatwethoughthadbeen

settledintheagreementemergedagaininloadedNorthVietnamesedraftsof

eithertheunderstandingsortheprotocols.LeDucThowouldthenyieldonmost