CABLE TO ELLSWORTH BUNKER FROM HENRY KISSINGER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-490-6-23-6
• Release Decision: RIFLIM
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: October 3, 2012
• Sequence Number: 23
• Publication Date: August 19, 1972
• Content Type: CABLE

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.L._,.., .., .No Objection to Declassification in Full 2012/10/03 : LOC--HA-K-490-6-23-6 j-TAWCa
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00. 1770Z AUG 72 , y. w.;.,-.,1.0%1/4 ,IV
EINSTRUCTIONS APPLY ,
FM RENRY A. KISSINGER , EY'.3 mill
TO WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM j
PLEASE TRANSMIT FOLLOWING MESSAGE TO AMBASSADOR
CHANEEL.
TOP SECRET/SENSITIVE/EXCLUSIVELY EYES Oi ,IN2AUG 19
TO: AMBASSADOR BUNKER VIA SPECIAL CHANNEL
FROM: HENRY . KISSINGER
IMMEDIATE: DELIVERY OPENING OF BUSINESS
/9-76
BUNKER VIA SPECIAL
State Dept. Dept. review
P.M 7 zin completed'
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MORI/CDF
C03353114
1. THERE FOLLOWS THE TEXT OF GVN MEMORANDUM ON OUR PEACE PROPOSAL
WHICH WAS HANDED TO ME BY PRESIDENT THIEU AT OUR AUGUST IS MEETING.
YOU WILL BE RECIVING SHORTLY BY SEPARATE MESSAGE OUR RESPONSE
nYED TO THE GVN DOCUMENT.
2. QUOTE MEMORADUM THE REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM'S ASSESSMENT ON THE US
PEACE COUNTER PROPOSAL AND VIEWS ON THE US COUNTER PROPOSAL DM THE
CONDUCT OF NEGOTIATIONS.
EE-
0"
FOR REASONS OF CLARITY WE WLL CONSIDER THE US 2 POINT COUNTER PROPOSAL
DATED AUGUST 17, 72 AS TWO SEPARATE PROPOSALS:
A. THE 10 POINT PEACE COUNTER PROPOSAL
B. - THE COUNTER PROPOSAL ON THE CONDUCT OF NEGOTIATIONS
A. - THE US 10 POINT PEACE COUNTER PROPOSAL
AFTER READING THIS PROPOSAL WE HAVE COME UP WITH THE FOLLOWING POINT-
BY-PCINT ASSESSMENT:
I. WITH REGARD TO POINT 1: WE WOULD CHANGE THIS POINT TO READ AS
FOLLOWS: " THE UNITED STATES RSPECTS THE INDEPENCENCE t SOVEREIGNTY,
AND TERRITORIA INTEGRITY OF NORTH AND SOUTH VIET NAM".
2. WITH REGARD TO POINT 2 : WE AGREE WITH YOU ON THIS POINT.
3. WITH REGARD TO POINT 3: WE AGREE WITH YOU ON THIS POINT.
4, WITH REGARD TO POINT 4: WE WILL GO BACK TO THIS POINT IN THE LAST
ASSESSMENT. ?
5. WITH REGARD TO POINT 5: WE WOULD ?CHANGE AS FOLLOWS: "THE QUESTION
OF THE NVA? IN SVN SHOULD BE SETTLED IN THE FRAMEWORK OF A GENERAL?
CEASE-FIRE.
THE QUESTION OF.VIETNAMESE ARMED FORCES IN SOUTH VIET NAM WILL BE
SETTLED BY THE VIETNAMESE PARTIES IN A SPIRIT OF NATIONAL RECON-
CILIATION, AND MUTUAL RESPECT, WITHOUT FOREIGN INTERFERENCE",
6. WITH REGARD TO POINT 6: WE WOULD ALSO CHANCE THE 2ND PARAGRAPH
TO READ AS FOLLOWS: "PENDING REUNIFICATION, NORTH AND SOUTH VIET NAM
WILL PROMPTLY START NEGOTIAIIONS TOWARDS THE REESTABLISHMENI OF
NovAl PPlATT(Mq IN VARIOUS FIELDS ON THE BASIS OF MUTUAL
___11E2g
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2012/10/03: LOC-HAK-490-6-23-6
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2012/10/03: LOC-HAK-490-6-23-6
FURTHERMORE, WE WOULD ADD IN THE LAST SENTENCE OF THE 3RD PARAGRAPH
AS FOLLOWS:
TROOPS, AND MILITARY PERSONNEL, ON THEIR RESPECTIVE TERRI-
TORIES EXCEPT FOR PURELY DEFENSIVE PURPOSES AND ON A TEMPORARY BASIS.
7. WITH REGARD TO POINT 7: WE WOULD CHANGE IT TO READ AS FOLLOWS:
"THE GENEVA AGREEMENTS OF 1954 ON INDOCHINA AND THOSE OF 1962 ON LAOS
WILL BE RESPECTED BY ALL THE PARTIES. ON THE BASIS OF THESE AGREEMENTS
THERE SHOULD BE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PRINCIPLES THAT ALL ARMED
FORCES OF THE FOUR COUNTRIES OF INDOCHINA MUST REMAIN WITHIN THEIR
NATIONAL FRONTIERS.
THE PEOPLE OF EACH INDOCHINESE COUNTRY WILL SETTLE THEIR OWN INTERNAL
AFFAIRS, WITHOUT FOREIGN INTERFERENCE.
THE POLITICAL PROBLEMS EXISTING BETWEEN THE INDOCHINESE COUNTRY WILL
BE SETTLED BY THE INDOCHINESE PARTIES ON THE BASIS OF RESPECT OF
EACH OTHER'S INDEPENDENCE, SOVEREIGNTY, TERRITORIAL INTERGRITY AND
NON INTERFERENCE IN EACH OTHER'S INTERNAL AFFAIRS".
8. WITH REGARD TO POINT 8: WE AGREE WITH YOU ON THIS PINT.
9. WITH REGARD TO POINT 9: WE AGREE WIH YOU ON THIS POINT* WE
WOULD ADD HOWEVER IN THE 2ND SENTENCE OF THE 3RD PARAGRAPH TO READ'
AS FOLLOWS:
INTO ANY OF THE FOUR COUNTRIES OF INDOCHINA..."
10. WITH REGARD TO POINT 10: WE AGREE WITH YOU ON THIS POINT. WE -
WOULD HOWEVER CHANGE THE LAST SENTENCE OF PARAGRAPH (A) TO READ
AS FOLLOWS:
WILL BE AGREED UPON BY THE BELLIGERENT PARTIES PRIOR TO THE
CEASE-FIRE" .
WE WOULD ALSO CHANGE PARAGRAPH (B) TO READ AS FOLLOWS: "THERE
WILL BE AN ITERNATIONAL GUARANTEE FOR THE RESPECT OF THE CEASE-FIRE
THE RESPECT OF THE INDOCHINESE PEOPLE'S AND THE FORM
OF GUARANTEE WILL BE AGREED UPON BY THE BELLIGERENT PARTIES".
,1. WITH REGARD TO POINT 4: THIS POINT RAISES VERY DELICATE CONSTI-
TUTIONAL ISSUES RELATING TO THE FOUNDATION OF THE RVN.
WE VIEW THAT THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT POINT WHICH
CONCERNS NOT ONLY THE LEGAL REGIME OF OUT NATIONAL BUT ALSO DETERMINES
THE LIFE AND DEATH OF ALL THE PEOPLE OF SVN. IT IS FOR THOSE REASONS
WE NEED MORE TIME TO STUDY IT WITH THE SPIRIT OF SINCERE GOODWILL
TO END THE WAR AND WITHIN THE SPIRIT OF NATIONAL RECONCILIATION.
WE WILL MAKE OUR' ASSESSMENT AND FORMULATE OUR VIEWS ON THIS POINT
IN THE FORTHCOMING PERIOD.
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2012/10/03: LOC-HAK-490-6-23-6
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2012/10/03: LOC-HAK-490-6723-6
B- THE US COUNTER PROPOSAL ON THE
CONDUCT OF NEGOTIATIONS
OUR VIEWS ON THE CONDUCT OF NEGOTIATIONS ARE ,OUTLINED IN OUR MEMORANDUM
DATED AUGUST 17 , 72 (PAGES 7 AND 5).
HOWEVER, WE HAVE SOME SPECIFIC OBJECTIONS TO MAKE:
I. WE OBJECT TO THE USE OF THE WORDS PRG TO DESCRIBE THE NLF, AND WE
ALSO OBJECT TO THE WORDS " PRG OF RSVN" AND "SAIGON ADMINISTRATION"
AS USED BY THE COMMUNISTS IN THEIR PROPOSAL.
WE EMPHASIZE THAT WE SHOULD BE DESIGNATED AS THE GOVERNMENT OF THE
REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM (GRVN) AND THAT THE NLF SHOULD BE DESIGNATED
AS SUCH.
2. ON THE BASIS ,OF THE PRINCIPLE OF NATIONAL SOVEREIGNITY OF THE RVN
WE OBJECT TO THE FACT THAT THE FORUM OF PRIVATE MEETINGS BETWEEN THE
US AND HANOI CAN RESOLVE THE PRINCIPLES AND GENERAL CONTENT
OF THE POLITICAL ? QUESTIONS AFFECTING THE SETTLEMENT OF THE
VIETNAMESE PROBLEM.
?3. WE DO NOT ACCEPT A TRIPARTITE FORUM BETWEEN GRVN/HANOI/NLF
TO DISCUSS THE INTERNAL POLITICAL PROBLEMS OF SVN AND THE PROBLEMS
BETWEEN NORTH AND SOUTH VIET NAM, BECAUSE LOGICALLY IT IS
UNCONCEIVABLE TO THAE HANOI IN THE INTERNAL. POLITICAL PROBLEMS OF. SVN
(THIS WOULD BE AN ?INTERFERENCE ON THE PART OF HANOI) AND THE
PRESENCE OF THE NLF IN THE DISCUSSION OF THE PROBLEMS BETWEEN NORTH
AND SOUTH VIET NAM (THIS WOULD BE INTERPRETED AS A DUAL GOVERNMENT
IN SVN).
TN BRIEF: - ON THE PROBLEMS BETWEEN NVN AND SVN THERE SHOULD ONLY
BE A FORUM BETWEEN SAIGON AND HANOI
- ON THE INTERNAL POLITICAL PROBLEMS OF SVN THERE SHOULD
ONLY BE A FORUM BETWEEN GVW AND NLF. UNQUOTE rvreit dit rk
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EX C L U SI V E - "
3. WARM REGARDS..n.2e1.,_A-ii:.i",3 tA?Wrii/E
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? No Objection to Declassification in Full 2012/10/03: LOC-HAK-490-6-23-6