Historical Documents - Office of the Historian

Breakthrough in Paris Blocked in Saigon, October 8–23, 1972

1. Memorandum of Conversation

Paris, October 8, 1972, 10:30 a.m.–7:38 p.m.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 856, For the President’s Files (Winston Lord)—China Trip/Vietnam, Sensitive Camp David, Vol. XX [1 of 3]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. Brackets are in the original, with the exception of those brackets indicating omitted material and those referenced in footnote 7 below. The meeting took place at 108 Avenue du General Leclerc in Gif sur Yvette, a Paris suburb. The residence, owned by the artist Fernand Leger, became a property of the French Communist Party on Leger’s death in 1955. The Party made it available to the North Vietnamese as one of the locations for the October round of negotiations. Tabs A–G (attached but not printed) are documents Kissinger gave to Le Duc Tho during the first part of the meeting. Tab A contained the U.S. “Proposal,” which Kissinger described in his memoirs as offering “only a slight cosmetic change” from the U.S. proposal made at the September 26–27 meetings (see footnote 2 below). Otherwise, according to Kissinger, the United States intended to stand fast on the proposal, and remain committed to maintaining the Saigon government and making no more significant political concessions to Hanoi. (White House Years, p. 1342) Tab B is the “United States Unilateral Statement on Reconstruction,” Tab C is the “United States Unilateral Statement on Replacement of Armaments,” Tab D is the “United States Unilateral Statement on Withdrawal of DRV Forces from Laos and Cambodia,” Tab E is the “DRV Unilateral Statement on Withdrawal from Laos and Cambodia,” Tab F is the “DRV Unilateral Statement on Prisoners,” and Tab G is a paper on “International Control and Supervision.”

2. Message From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig) to Richard Kennedy of the National Security Council Staff

Paris, October 8, 1972, 2133Z.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 856, For the President’s Files (Winston Lord)—China Trip/Vietnam, Sensitive Camp David, Vol. XIX. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. Sent via Guay.

3. Memorandum of Conversation

Paris, October 9, 1972, 3:58–6:08 p.m.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 856, For the President’s Files (Winston Lord)—China Trip/Vietnam, Sensitive Camp David, Vol. XX [1 of 3]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The meeting took place at 108 Avenue du General Leclerc in Gif sur Yvette. All brackets, except those that contain italicized corrections, are in the original. Tabs A–D are attached but not printed.

4. Memorandum From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to President Nixon

Paris, October 9, 1972.

5. Memorandum of Conversation

Paris, October 10, 1972, 4–9:55 p.m.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 856, For the President’s Files (Winston Lord)—China Trip/Vietnam, Sensitive Camp David, Vol. XX [1 of 3]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The meeting took place at 108 Avenue du General Leclerc in Gif sur Yvette. The tabs are attached but not printed. Brackets, with the exception of those indicating omitted material and italicized corrections to the text, are in the original.

6. Memorandum of Conversation

Paris, October 11–12, 1972, 9:50 a.m.–2 a.m.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 856, For the President’s Files (Winston Lord)—China Trip/Vietnam, Sensitive Camp David, Vol. XX [2 of 3]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The meeting took place at 108 Avenue du General Leclerc in Gif sur Yvette. Brackets, with the exception of those indicating omitted material, are in the original. Tabs A–C are attached but not printed. Tab C contains the agreed understanding between the parties on “Cease-Fire in Laos.”

7. Memorandum From the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Moorer) to Secretary of Defense Laird

Washington, October 12, 1972.

Source: National Archives, RG 218, Records of the Chairman, Records of Thomas Moorer, Box 29, Vietnam, October 1972. Top Secret; Sensitive. A handwritten notation at the top of the first page reads: “Hand carried 12 Oct 72 1235.”

8. Backchannel Message From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to the Ambassador to Vietnam (Bunker)

Washington, October 12, 1972, 0500Z.

9. Editorial Note

10. Memorandum of Conversation

Paris, October 13, 1972, 9:10–10:10 a.m.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 857, For the President’s Files (Winston Lord)—China Trip/Vietnam, Sensitive Camp David, Vol. XX [2 of 2]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The meeting took place at an unnamed North Vietnamese rendezvous location in Paris. All brackets are in the original.

11. Backchannel Message From the Ambassador to Vietnam (Bunker) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Saigon, October 13, 1972, 0905Z.

12. Message From the Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Weyand) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Moorer)

Saigon, October 13, 1972, 1050Z.

Source: Washington National Records Center, OSD Files: FRC 330–77–0094, 385, Viet (October–December 1972). Top Secret; Specat; Exclusive. Attached to this message is a cover memorandum from Laird faxing it to Kissinger at the White House. A note on the fax transmission sheet reads: “please deliver immediately.”

13. Backchannel Message From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to the Ambassador to Vietnam (Bunker)

Washington, October 13, 1972, 1650Z.

14. Editorial Note

15. Transcript of a Telephone Conversation Between the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) and the Assistant to the President (Haldeman)

Washington, October 15, 1972, 10:10 a.m.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, Kissinger Telephone Conversations, Box 16, Chronological File. No classification marking. This transcript is mistakenly dated October 16.

16. Telephone Conversation Between President Nixon and the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

October 15, 1972.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Tapes, Conversation 149–14. No classification marking. According to his Daily Diary, the President was at Camp David and he and Kissinger, who was in Washington, talked by telephone from noon to 12:14 p.m. (Ibid., White House Central Files) The editors transcribed the portions of the conversation printed here specifically for this volume.

17. Transcript of a Telephone Conversation Between the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) and the Soviet Ambassador (Dobrynin)

Washington, October 15, 1972, 8:35 p.m.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, Kissinger Telephone Conversations, Box 27, Dobrynin File. No classification marking.

18. Message From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) in Paris

Washington, October 16, 1972, 2058Z.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 25, HAK Trip Files, HAK Paris/Saigon Trip Tohak, October 16–23, 1972 (2 of 2). Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. Sent via Lord.

19. Message From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Washington, October 16, 1972.

20. Letter From President Nixon to South Vietnamese President Thieu

Washington, October 16, 1972.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 857, For the President’s Files (Winston Lord)—China Trip/Vietnam, Sensitive Camp David, Vol. XX [1 of 2]. No classification marking. Kissinger was to personally hand the letter to Thieu when he met with him in Saigon. See footnote 2, Document 27.

21. Memorandum From Philip A. Odeen of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger)

Washington, October 16, 1972.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 514, Country Files, Far East, Cambodia, Vol. 16, Sep–Dec 72. Secret; Sensitive; Completely Outside the System. Sent for information. Kissinger initialed the memorandum.

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

Washington, October 17, 1972.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 857, For the President’s Files (Winston Lord)—China Trip/Vietnam, Sensitive Camp David, Vol. XX [1 of 2]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Eyes Only. A stamped notation on the first page reads: “The President has seen.”

23. Message From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig)

Paris, October 18, 1972, 0005Z.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Kissinger Office Files, Box 25, HAK Trip Files, HAK Paris/Saigon Trip Hakto, October 16–23, 1972. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. In Hakto 10, October 18, 0623Z, Lord and Rodman sent the following message to the White House Situation Room: “Please insure that Hakto 7 has been seen by Haig and relayed to Guay ASAP. If already done, please tell us time of receipt by Guay.” (Ibid.)

24. Message From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig) to the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) in Paris

Washington, October 18, 1972, 0125Z.

25. Message From the President’s Assistant for National Security Affairs (Kissinger) to the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig)

Paris, October 18, 1972, 0708Z.

26. Message From the United States to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam

Washington, October 18, 1972.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 857, For the President’s Files (Winston Lord)—China Trip/Vietnam, Sensitive Camp David, Vol. XX [1 of 2]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The message was transmitted from Haig to Guay in WHP 71, 0951Z.

27. Memorandum of Conversation

Saigon, October 19, 1972, 9:10 a.m.–12:20 p.m.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 857, For the President’s Files (Winston Lord)—China Trip/Vietnam, Sensitive Camp David, Vol. XX [2 of 2]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The meeting took place at the Presidential Palace. Kissinger left Paris on the evening of October 18 and arrived in Saigon on October 19.

28. Memorandum of Conversation

Vientiane, October 19–20, 1972, 10:30 p.m.–12:15 a.m.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 857, For the President’s Files (Winston Lord)—China Trip/Vietnam, Sensitive Camp David, Vol. XX [1 of 2]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The meeting took place at Godley’s residence. All brackets are in the original.

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

Washington, October 19, 1972.

Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 857, For the President’s Files (Winston Lord)—China Trip/Vietnam, Sensitive Camp David, Vol. XX (1 of 2). Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only. The memorandum is incorrectly dated October 18; the meeting to which Haig refers took place on October 19 in the afternoon.

30. Message From the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig) to the Air Attaché at the Embassy in France (Guay)

Washington, October 20, 1972, 0825Z.

Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume IX, Vietnam, October 1972–January 1973

Breakthrough in Paris Blocked in Saigon, October 8–23, 1972