Chapter Five. Striving for a Lasting Peace: The Paris Accords and Aftermath

Abstract

This chapter takes a look at the tumultuous relationship between President Thiệu and President Richard Nixon and his national security advisor Henry Kissinger from the perspective of Thiệu's personal secretary. The South Vietnamese government at that time was in a unique and challenging situation. On the one hand, it had to defend the Republic of Vietnam's territorial integrity and defeat the communist invasion, and on the other hand, it had to create transformational change for the betterment of the entire population. All this had to be done while cooperating with the Nixon administration to restore peace to the two parts of Vietnam. However, this chapter reveals that South Vietnam's negotiating position with the United States was being constantly frayed by secret exchanges and communications with Hanoi. Relations gradually took a turn for the worse when after it was revealed that President Nixon and Dr. Kissinger wanted to end the war their way, South Vietnamese opinions or objections be damned.