The Kissinger-Dobrynin Channel And The End Of The Vietnam War (1969-1972)

Based on the Kissinger-Dobrynin Channel, this essay analyses the special role of the confidential channel in ending the Vietnam War. Unlike other channels, the confidential channel not only has impact on the adjustment of America's Vietnam policy, but also plays an important role in ending the Vietnam War.Chapter One reviews the basic situation in Vietnam and the Paris Peace Talk before Nixon comes into power, and further analyses how the new administration adjusted and changed its Vietnam policy. The situation in Vietnam was in a period of transition when Lyndon Johnson was in power. The Johnson administration had opened the Paris Peace Talk with the North Vietnam, but both sides didn't come to an agreement on key issues. While Nixon took office, the new administration carried out a parallel strategy, that is the peace talk coupled with the "Vietnamization" strategy. The Nixon administration also attempted to resort to Soviet Union. Then both sides agreed to establish the Kissinger-Dobrynin Channel.Chapter Two focuses on America's tentative activities of the Soviet's attitude on persuading the North Vietnam and helping to terminate the war. While those efforts turned out to be a failure, the Nixon administration made some change on its foreign policy. Though America exerted pressure on Soviet by linkage strategy, Soviet made no promises and adopted linkage versus linkage strategy. The peace talk made no progress either. After the failure of the probing, Nixon administration sent nuclear alert to Soviet and pretended to be indifferent on the Soviet's influence on ending the war.Chapter Three mainly discusses the transition of Soviet's attitude on Vietnam War and its influence on ending the war. Due to the help of Soviet, the Paris confidential talk between Kissinger and Le Du Tho made breakthrough.Chapter Four dissertates the escalation of the Vietnam War and the Soviet's mediation While the North Vietnam escalate the war, Soviet made great efforts to keep the peace talk, prompted the sign of the peace agreement. The epilogue finally summarizes the special role of the back channel on ending the Vietnam War, and points out that the channel had actually acted as lube and linkman in the war. Anyway, the back channel plays an indispensable role in the war.