Beginning of Paris Peace talks

when did preliminary peace talks begin?

May 1968

why did talks stall after May 1968

there were questions about the USA committing itself to stop the bombing of NV

why was Nixon concerned by in mid 1968

Nixon was concerned that the North was not fully committed to negotiations and that it was using the break in bombing to stall and prepare for a further offensive in the South

why did talks stall in October 1968?

SV were opposed to negotiations with NV if the NLF were represented at the negotiations

why were talks undermined in March 1968?

the North were on the defensive after Tet & would not commit themselves to any decision that would appear weak - such as de-escalation. 1968 was also an election year & NV saw no point in negotiating with Johnson if he wasn’t going to be in charge for much longer

how did the US use their bombing of NV as a tactic?

refusing to end their bombing of NV until NV de-escalated their efforts in the war

why was it useful for the US to use bombing NV as a tactic?

the north weren’t bothered

what did Kissinger do in Feb 1970

met secretly with Le Duc Tho a communist politician who served as special advisor to NV duing the negotiations

when did Kissinger’s secret talks start?

Feb 1970

why were Kissinger’s talks unsuccessful?

due to Le Duc Tho’s demands: he insisted for a military & political settlement where a coalition gov with Vietcong representatives would replace the current Saigon regime - for Kissinger & Nixon this was unrealistic - they could not abandon Thieu.

when was there a turning point in NV attitudes towards Thieu?

October 1972

why was there a turning point in NV attitudes by October 1972

due to the growth of a Sino-American relationship (Sino-American summit + Nixon visited China early 1972)