On 27 January 1973 The United States, South Vietnam, Viet Cong, and North Vietnam formally sign "An Agreement Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam" in Paris. The peace negotiations began in 1968. The main negotiators were United States National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger and Vietnamese politburo member Le Duc Tho. Both were jointly awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts but Le Duc Tho refused to accept it.
The agreement was signed by Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. (US), William P. Rogers (US), Tran Van Lam (Republic of Vietnam), Nguyen Duy Trinh (The Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and Nguyen Thi Binh (The Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam) at the Majestic Hotel in Paris.
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| Paris Peace Accords at the Majestic Hotel in Paris |
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North Vietnam Foreign Minister Nguyen Duy
Trinh (right)
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Mrs. Nguyen Thi Binh, Foreign Minister
in the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Vietnam (PRG)
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Left to right: Bill Sullivan (US Ambassador), Henry
Cabot Lodge, Jr. (former US Ambassador to South Vietnam), William P.
Rogers (US Secretary of State)
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The main agreements were:
Ceasefire
Beginning on 27 January 1973 at midnight, GMT, Saigon time, 08:00 on 28 January, there would be a ceasefire. North and South Vietnamese forces were to hold their locations. They were permitted to resupply military materials to the extent necessary to replace items consumed in the course of the truce.
Withdrawal
Once the ceasefire is in effect, U.S. troops and all non-Vietnamese soldiers would begin to withdraw, with withdrawal to be complete within sixty days.
Prisoners of War
U.S. prisoners of war would be released and allowed to return home. The parties to the agreement agreed to assist in repatriating the remains of the dead.
Political settlement
There would be negotiations between the two South Vietnamese parties (Saigon and Vietcong) towards a political settlement that would allow the South Vietnamese people to "decide themselves the political future of South Vietnam through free and democratic elections.
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Le Duc Tho and Henry Kissinger in Paris, 1973
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Paris Peace Accords (Dutch)
Paris Peace Accords (English)
January 27, 1973. Thanks for sharing the story.
ReplyDeleteThe Cold War in Asia literally shaped my life's journey. In my analysis, on January 27, 1973, America surrendered to the People's Republic of China which never took part in the Paris Peace Accords.
Indeed, Korea and Vietnam are not the Enemy. The United States is concerned about the spread of Communism to Asia. The United States spent billions of dollars and lost the lives of thousands of its members of its Armed Forces to avert the spread of Communism to mainland China. But,the US could not succeed in preventing the emergence of the People's Republic of China.
I coined the phrase 'The Unfinished Korea-Vietnam War' to clearly indicate that Korea and Vietnam are not the adversaries that we faced. We were fighting against the threat posed by Communist China in Asia. The Chinese troops took part in the War in Korea and Vietnam. But, the United States has yet to fight against Communist China, the Enemy who provoked the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam.