Paris Peace Accords
The Paris Peace Accords were a significant diplomatic agreement aimed at establishing peace in Vietnam and ending U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War. Initiated through secret negotiations in 1969 between U.S. National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger and North Vietnamese representative Le Duc Tho, the negotiations took several years and faced numerous challenges. A tentative agreement was nearly reached in October 1972 but was delayed due to objections from South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu. Ultimately, the accord was finalized in January 1973, comprising nine chapters, twenty-three articles, and provisions for a cease-fire and withdrawal of U.S. troops.
The agreement also established commissions to oversee compliance and to facilitate elections in South Vietnam. However, the implementation of the accords was marred by violations, particularly by North Vietnam, and the eventual U.S. withdrawal was influenced by domestic political factors, including the Watergate scandal. The accords' failure to secure lasting peace led to the eventual fall of South Vietnam in April 1975, resulting in the reunification of Vietnam under communist control. The Paris Peace Accords remain a pivotal moment in the history of Vietnam and U.S. foreign policy, illustrating the complexities of negotiations in conflict resolution.
Paris Peace Accords
Identification Peace treaty ending U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War
Date Signed on January 27, 1973
The treaty between the United States, the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Vietnam (the Viet Cong) provided for a cease-fire, withdrawal of the United States troops within sixty days, return of prisoners of war (POWs), an account of soldiers missing in action (MIAs), and legal recognition of the Republic of Vietnam. It allowed North Vietnamese troops to remain in South Vietnam and provided an end to the war on a compromise basis.
After Richard M. Nixon’s inauguration in January, 1969, secret negotiations between National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger for the United States and Le Duc Tho for North Vietnam began in Paris. They proceeded tortuously as the North Vietnamese hoped that American public opinion would force the Nixon administration to make concessions favorable to the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong.
An agreement very similar to the final one was almost finalized in October, 1972, but President Nguyen Van Thieu of South Vietnam raised objections, and Nixon sought to convince Thieu to accept it; the North Vietnamese initially wanted the agreement signed by October 31, 1972, in order to secure what they perceived as advantages. However, the North Vietnamese suggested proposed changes in language that referred to a “coalition” government in South Vietnam. Although Kissinger made his famous statement that “peace is at hand” on October 26, 1972, the agreement was not signed and additional talks in November and December, 1972, were unsuccessful as well. To bring the North Vietnamese back to the negotiations, Nixon ordered massive bombing of North Vietnam between December 18 and 29, 1972. When talks resumed on January 8, 1973, Kissinger and Le quickly reached agreement by January 13, 1973; Nixon assented two days later. Although Thieu had reservations, he acquiesced. The arrangement was ratified on January 23, 1973, and it was formally signed and took effect on four days later.
The Paris Peace Accords consisted of nine chapters, twenty-three articles, and three protocols signed subsequent to the main agreement. In addition to the aforementioned provisions, the treaty created the Joint Military Commission and the International Commission on Control and Supervision—formed by Poland, Hungary, Canada, and Indonesia—to supervise the cease-fire and troop withdrawal. In order to monitor elections in South Vietnam, a National Council of National Reconciliation and Concord was established; the 1954 Geneva Convention was reaffirmed with regard to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) as a provisional boundary between North and South Vietnam, which were to undertake talks on peaceful reunification.
Impact
Despite persistent violations of the treaty by North Vietnam, the United States did not intervene both because Congress had cut off funding to do so and because of the Watergate scandal. Tremendous controversy developed over whether North Vietnam had made a complete accounting of POWs and MIAs. The final drama played out on April 30, 1975, when the North Vietnamese completed their successful conquest of South Vietnam, reunifying the country as a communist dictatorship.
Bibliography
Davidson, Phillip B. Vietnam at War: The History, 1946-1975. New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.
Kimball, Jeffrey. Nixon’s Vietnam War. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1998.