0 - The Black Vault

THE B0M CORPORATION
Neutrality Treaty of 1962 (or their complete disregard of the t.reaty)
allowed them to fight the "wider war" while the US found itself ½.niting
the coiflict to Vietnam.
SMisperceptions of the DRV's goals on the part of US
leadership eventually led to the belief that the only way to bring the DRV
to the negotiating table was to demonstrate US
resolve and counter force
with force. Ultimately, this attituae led to massive US dir and combat
4 troop involvement in the Vietnam war.
I .In
C. Negotiations and Bombing: "Bomb-Talk-Bomb"
or "Tit-For-Tat"
1964, shortly after assuming hWs responsibilities a.
President, Lyndon Johnson announced that the neutralization of RVN was
unacceptable to the US, that it just was another name for a communist
takeover., President Johnson, faced with a "Catch-22" dilemma, realized
that using force to compel the DRV to negotiate would encourage them to
continue fighting; yet, even if negotiations were started, the North Vietnamese
would use them only to win concessions,
and not to reach a compromise
settlement. Consequently, he aecided to talk to the North Vietnamese
only when he was sure they had something to say.
Late in 1964, U Thant, Secretary-Generl cf tthe United
Nations, made an abortive attempt at arrarging for secret talks. The DRV
supposedly agreed to the proposal in November, but the US showed no interest.,
Finally, some five months later American UN Ambassador Adlai
z Stevenson responded that the US had been assured that the North Vietnamese
were not interested in meeting.
Later, North Vietnamese leaders c'-nied
they had told U Thant that they were willing to have secret talks
US.
1it;i the
This was the first occasion where they used the "whipsaw technique" of
bargaining in which one DRV official would pass a message on to one :ntermediary
arid another DRV official would turn arounr and contraaict the
first. 43/
Subsequent US diplomacy duirinq this phase- wa: ;.-,ý_irt3lIy
linked to Lte bombing program. The graduated "tit-for-tat" response
coupled to thc targeting limirations set by LBJ
were supposed to elicit
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