Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume VII, Vietnam, July 1970–January 1972

232. Memorandum From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig) to President Nixon¹

Washington, July 5, 1971.

SUBJECT

• Dr. Kissinger’s Meeting with Vietnamese Politicians

Attached is Dr. Kissinger’s report of his meetings with various Vietnamese politicians on July 5, 1971.² He makes the following significant observations:

• —Ky seems quite ready to run but is worried about getting the necessary signatures to qualify as a Presidential candidate and seems very bitter about Thieu. Ky is ready to have the Communist party function legally in South Vietnam.
• —Minh gave the impression of not having finally made up his mind to run. He feels that a “hands off” neutrality in the election by the U.S. is not enough. Minh’s program consists of the reconciliation of North and South Vietnam as separate entities, and the legalization of the Communist party without its admission into a coalition government.
• —In meetings with the President of the Senate Huyen, leader of the principal opposition party Bong, and the leading Buddhist Senator Mau, all of them showed great wariness of Madame Binh’s seven points although they thought there were some interesting new elements.

1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 155, Vietnam Country Files, Vietnam July 71. Secret; Nodis. A stamped notation on the memorandum reads, “The President has seen.”
2. Attached but not printed is a July 5 memorandum from Kissinger to Nixon.