Office of the Historian

228. Message From Richard T. Kennedy of the National Security Council Staff to the Air Attaché at the Embassy in France (Guay)1

Washington, December 27, 1972.

The following is the revised message you should deliver during your meeting at 2200 on Wednesday, December 27, 1972.

Begin text: The following message is in reply to the DRV messages of December 26 and December 27.2

1.
The U.S. side vigorously rejects the allegations in the DRV note. As the DRV side well knows the U.S. side has not introduced any additional military advisors into South Vietnam. On the contrary it has given repeated assurances that no functions exercised by military personnel would be transferred to civilians after a ceasefire agreement, and that the total number of civilians would be progressively reduced. Nor can anyone take seriously that the U.S. caused the Saigon government to reject the draft agreement. The DRV side knows the true state of affairs very well. The U.S. side is prepared to proceed once a satisfactory agreement is reached.
2.
A repetition of charges and countercharges will not advance the prospect of peace. The U.S. side agrees that the following matters remain to be settled:
A.
Two issues in the agreement, specifically the DMZ and the method of signing.
B.
A number of understandings.
C.
The protocols dealing with supervisory machinery.
3.
The U.S. side is prepared to make one final effort to seek a settlement based on the principles of the October draft embodying the textual changes agreed upon during the meetings in November and December, along the lines of the U.S. messages of December 18 and 22.3 In order to speed a solution the U.S. side proposes the following:
A.
The U.S. side agrees to meet on January 8 at a place to be selected by the DRV. Afterwards meetings should alternate between the DRV and the U.S. site. At these meetings the agreements and the understandings would be concluded. The U.S. side must point out that [Page 845] Dr. Kissinger can not spend such extended periods away from Washington as in November and December.
B.
Technical experts will resume meetings on January 2 with a view to completing preliminary drafts by January 8. The U.S. side will send Ambassador Sullivan and Mr. Aldrich back to Paris for this purpose. The U.S. side wishes to stress that the protocols should be confined to technical issues and should not raise matters adequately covered by the basic agreement.
C.
Upon completion of these discussions Special Adviser Le Duc Tho and Dr. Kissinger will agree on a schedule for completing the agreement which will then be followed without fail.
D.
Within thirty-six hours of receipt of confirmation in Washington of these procedures by the DRV side all bombing north of the 20th parallel will cease as outlined in the U.S. message of December 22. The resumption of negotiations will then be announced.
4.
The U.S. side wishes to reaffirm its readiness to reach a rapid settlement. But this requires an end by the DRV of the methods which prevented the conclusion of a settlement in December. If both sides now return to the attitude of good will shown in October, the remaining problems can be rapidly solved. This will be the spirit with which the U.S. side will approach this final effort to conclude the October negotiations. End text.

Warm regards.

  1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Box 865, For the President’s Files (Winston Lord)—China Trip/Vietnam, Camp David Memcons, December 1972 [1 of 3]. Top Secret; Sensitive; Exclusively Eyes Only.↩
  2. Documents 224 and 226.↩
  3. Documents 185 and 215.↩