LBJ REACTED CAUTIOUSLY TO HANOI MOVE FOR PEACE TALKS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-01601R000300360052-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 17, 2000
• Sequence Number: 52
• Publication Date: October 29, 1971
• Content Type: NSPR

STATINTL
STATINTL 2 9 OCT IE'11
STATI1sJi5proved For Release 2001/03/04: CIA-RDP80-016
:''`{'his is. the 12th of 15 excerpts
jro>n former President Johnson's
book, "The Vantage Point," an
account of ltis presidency, to be
published shortly. '
"IT'S THE RIC#H'.C'TlllNCx 3.'0..D0"
[VIETNAM 19634969]
(part OI)e)
' E,13NESDA.Y, APRIL 3, 1768, be
gall like most days in the White
1-louse. I was up early and read through
the morning papers over breakfast.
Senator Henry ("Scoop") Jackson of
Washington came into my office with
his wife and their two children, Anna
and Peter. Peter was celebrating :his
second birthday. I gave the children
gifts and the White House photogra-
pher took a birthday picture. At that
moment, Tom Johnson rushed in from
the Press Room with a piece of ticker
copy in his hand. He handed it to
George Christian, who passed it to me,
It was a bulletin from Singapore re-
porting a Hanel broadcast. It said, in
effect: "Hanoi. is ready to talk."
in minutes the Situation Room sent
me the full text of Hanoi's statement.
After a long preamble criticizing us
bitterly, the Ilanoi statement said:
. It is clear that the U.S. govern-
ment had not correctly and fully re-
sponded to the just demand of the
Dlil' government, of U.S. progres-
sive opinion, and of world opinion.
However, on its part, the DRV gov-
ernmcnt declares its readiness to
send its representatives to male con-
taut with U.S. representatives t le
to C
O
tional cessation of bombing and all what we are thinking; the other is t
other. war acts against the DRV so get ottt a positive statement now. 1.
that talks could begin. want to move, but I don't want to
Secretary Rusk was in Now Zealand rush."
attendiing a.meeting of the Southeast On the evening of April 3 1 met in
Asia Treaty Organization, so I asked the Cabinet Room with congressional
George Christian to call Actin; Secre. leaders from both parties to discuss
tart' Of State Katzcnbach cucl Defense the tax bill.During the meeting I re-
Secretary Clifford for 'their reactions. ceived the draft of a message my ad-
"The first three-quarters of Hanoi's viscrs thought we should send innnecli-
statelnent is the standard Communist ately to Hanoi. The message said that
attack on us," Katzenbach said. "I,ut we had read the North Vietnamese
there is a more interesting and crucial statement and would accept their pro.
part that follows." He believed that posal. Our representative, Aver'ell Ilan
this key pissa