Going for broke: Richard Nixon's search for 'peace with honor,' October 1972-January 1973

Richard Nixon insisted that he sought "peace with honor" in Vietnam, a goal that appeared within reach during October 1972. The war was stalemated on the battlefield, the North Vietnamese wanted to settle, and the possibility of ending America's longest war was so attractive that Nixon was poised to sign an agreement. But just as quickly the opportunity passed and, despite Henry Kissinger's now infamous claim that "peace was at hand," the war in Southeast Asia entered a new paroxysm of violence which saw the United States conduct the largest aerial bombing of the conflict. Not until January was there a return to the bargaining table where on January 27, 1973 the Paris Peace Accords, ending direct U.S. involvement in Vietnam, were finally signed.; This is a study of the secret diplomacy conducted by the Nixon administration between October 1972 and January 1973 to arrive at the signing of the Paris Accords. The focus is on the efforts of National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, as chief U.S. negotiator, and his struggle to reach an acceptable settlement. It seeks to explain how that October version of the agreement, which met Nixon's demands, failed to end the war. Emphasis is placed on assessing decisionmaking with ultimate responsibility for the collapse of the talks and the resumption of bombing placed squarely on the shoulders of Richard Nixon. The administration's shabby treatment of its ally in South Vietnam and its obsession with keeping the peace process secret from Congress and top cabinet officials is revealed as are the real consequences of the bombing campaign known as Linebacker II.; By using previously classified diplomatic traffic between the key players in Paris, Washington, and Saigon as well as recently published material from the Vietnamese, this work analyzes the final act of America's Vietnam tragedy to reveal how the settlement was achieved, and at what cost. Nixon's phrase "peace with honor" was, to say the least, not supported by the evidence.