The Weak’s Game Against The Strongs:Vietnam Independent Diplomacy In The Vietnam-U.S. Paris Negotiation,1968-1973

The Vietnam-U.S. Paris negotiation from 1968 to 1973 is important for that it ultimately lead to U.S. withdraw from Vietnam and Vietnamese victory of the national liberation war. During the past years, some researches about the Paris negotiation were limited to "U.S.-centric", and some illustrations about the question totally restricted by historical materials. Particularly, these studies neglected the role that Vietnamese played in the processes. This paper, consisted of a preface, six chapters and a conclusion, is to discuss the Paris negotiation systematically, and to explore some neglected points mainly by a Vietnamese perspective.The preface of the paper looks back the situation of predecessors’researches, putting forward the reason and significance of the thesis, and the research methods of the paper and collection of materials.Chapter one studies the negotiation preparations making by Vietnamese Labor Party, which concretely is divided into three levels:firstly is ideas toward the preparations.Vietnamese Central Committee of Labor Party kept always awake how to resolve the Vietnam problem, that is negotiation is necessarily constitute part of anti-U.S. invasion war; sceond, North Vietnam tried to have a series of unoffical conversations with the United States and these contacts paved way for the formal negotiation; thirdly,Vietnamese decided the right opporunity for the negiotations according to it’s analysis of the situation.The second chapter mainly elaborates the serious split in the United States’ruling group about the question of fighting or talking. The negotiations between Vietnam and the United States in 1968 resulted from bankruptcy of America’s invasion policy. The United States’ ruling group’s policy consensus broke up gradually when facing Vietnamese armed forces and people’s stubborn will to fight and were compelled to start unilateral war degradation. At the same time, President Johnson offically invited North Vietnam to hold peace negotiations. The Vietnam war entered the stage so-called "fighting and talking"since 1968 May.The third chapter discusses the situations about talks during nine months. Except the problem of where to have talks, there were sharp differences concerned two important problems.North Vietnam asked the United States to stop boming in North Vietnam territory, the other is talks mode problem.Under Vietnamese’s resolute demands, the U.S. government declared stopping the plan named "the thunder " being implemented three years long. The talks mode problem in fact concerned the legitimacy of the southern National Liberation Front, then related to South Vietnam political problem. So, both parties’s disputes such details as the table shape, the name of the parties attending the meeting directly related to South Vietnam political problem.The forth chapter describes the second stage negiotations,which were secret negiotations between Le Duc Tho and Kissinger.,from Febuary in 1970 to May in 1972. The distance between their positions was very big. America’s strategy is named "double track", that is a policy separated the military and political issue. The United States discussed only the military problems with North Vietnam. The political issue was internal affairs of Vietnam and would be settled by Vietnamese themselves. On the contrary, North Vietnam insists both the problems to be discussed at the same time. Because of the reason, the negotiations suspended for two times. The key of problem is whether Nguyen Van Thieu would resign or not.The fifth chapter illustrates the third stage negotiations from 1972 May to October, which was critical and arduous period in the whole processes. During the period, North Vietnam offered the three solutions accoring to the principle from the high-level to the low-level. Based on the discussions centered on the three solutions, Vietnamese Labor Party made a decision about the negotiation target. Vietnam would strive for the agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam, giving up the demands of overthrowing the Saigon puppet regime and establishing coalition government. This change had an important meaning and marked a turning point in the negiotations. This change accelerated the negotiations and made the Vietnam problem settled rapidly.The six chapter studies the last negiotations between Vietnam and the U.S. The United States instigated Nguyen Van Thieu to put forward the modification, attempting to overthrow the agreement text. North Vietnam insisted on the bottom line and maintained Vietnamese proper rights. At last, the United States had to sign the peaceful pact. The Paris agreement not only symbolized the miserably end of United States’s invasion war, but also blew the horn of unifing the North and the South of Vietnam.In conclusion, the paper sums up the characters of Vietnamese independent diplomacy. In a word, the unique feature of Vietnam diplomacy is a game of the weaks against the strongs. The conclusion also speaks of some inspiration from Vietnamese diplomatic experiences.