CABLE TO ALEXANDER HAIG FROM HENRY A. KISSINGER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-490-8-22-5
• Release Decision: RIFLIM
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: May 2, 2011
• Sequence Number: 22
• Publication Date: October 30, 1972
• Content Type: CABLE

No Objection to Declassification in Full 2011/05/02: LOC-HAK-490-8-22-5
ON-FILE NSC RELEASE
INSTRUCTIONS APPLY
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DOS, ARMY, JCS
reviews completed.
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_ _ E ',?` I115Z OCT 72 VIA CAS CHANNELS (BUNKER)
H,qnK. PA73Y A, KISSINGER S I Ot? ?2 2 FLASH
T'". r TPE TIT ROUSE, EXCLUSIVELY EYES ONLY FOR GENERAL HAIG
Fc ='T ,, 4 OCTOBER 20, 1972
T. X: T nTTH THTEU A"'?) THE P'ATIOr?'AL SECURITY COUNCIL, AUGMENTED
3`f "00 YTF4, FOR T'-'REE AtD /! `:ALF HOURS. THERE 94,S CONSIDERABLE
IT 'ACTH SIDS OF THE Ti 2LF At'D SKEPTICISM, BUT IT WAS NOT
07^T'.?`GT " Co"FROt'TATIO"'. THEY RAISED A LONG SERIES OF PROL?LEMS
!4 r+n'r715 FCR CLI RIFICATTC"!. THESE WERE REPRESE!!TED AS INF OUITIES
Q? ?II 'FIC'.'LTIE3, BUT THE PL! ITSELF WAS NEVER REJECTED. NFITHTR WAS
IT ^!'&PTQ
11 "AS: CLEAR FROM THE SOBER, SOME1.-HAT SAD, MOOD OF THE SESSION
7"-? 77Y ARE 1~'AVINS GREAT PSYCHOLJ^.ICAL DIFFICULTY WITH CUTTING
T'-7 "wTRIral V13I' ICAL CORD. THEY PR03,ABLY REALIZE THAT THE DUAL IS
"rAO rvF BY At"'ERICAF' STgr'OARnw, PUT THEIR FOCUS IS ON RFMA.INING
^.?nP;'Y "IET! Erc FORCES AND THE LIKELIHOOD OF VIOLATIONS OF THE
A^Fi ,':E^T. WHILE THEY SH0TEO PRIDE IN TPE TALEP!TS OF THEIR GEr'ERALS9TFFY COPTI .TUED TO EXHI! IT A1'1E nF COMMUMIST CtUr1"?ING Ate!D A LACK OF
ft , _C1t TIaFnCF . THEY UNDOUBT'E'DLY FEEL THEY NEED MORE TIME, BUT
o'er `"T;~ ES TPFY WILL ALWAYS FEEL THAT WAY, THEY KNOW ':,WHAT THEY HAVE
Tn DQ AND IT IS VERY PAINFUL. TPEY ARE PROBABLY EVEN RIGHT. IF
':.'E 07L0 LAIT TWO MORE YEARS THEY WOULD HAVE IT MADE.
"AIr'S'T THIS MOOD I DID MY BEST TO UNDERLINE THEIR INHERENT
AQVr. ":TI^r r;, DRAW OUT THEIR SELF CONFIDENCE AND ASSURE THEM OF US
Brc' It'~, 2fTH DLRIMG AN AGREEMENT AND IN THE FACE OF VIOLATIONS.
I YAS P RT! Y, NOT TOTPLLY SUCCESSFUL.
T }AVE THE, SENSE THAT THEY ARE SLOWLY COMING ALONG AND ARE
+!CRY,IMP T! EPSELVES INTO THE MENTAL FRAME OF ACCEPTING THE PLAN,
BUT THEIR `'ELF-RESPECT REQUIRES A SENSE OF PARTICIPATION. I AM
VIETNAMESE WITH SOME MORE CHANGFS.
VEETI":G TOMORROW MORPIIr:G WITH A TASK FORCE FROM THE COUNCIL,
I CL''DING TYE FOREIGN MINISTER AND AMBASSADORS LAM AND PHUONG, TO
Go fVER THE PROVISIONS OF THE TEXT. I SHALL MEET THIEU AND THE
NATICNAL SECORITY COUNCIL TOMORROW AFTERNOON. THE PROSPECT IS THAT
WE WILL PROBABLY HAVE TO 00 BACK TO THE NORTH
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2011/05/02: LOC-HAK-490-8-22-5
 No Objection to Declassification in Full 2011/05/02: LOC-HAK-490-8-22-5
THEIR OBJEC!ONS AND QUESTIONS, NONE OF THEM CAPRICIOUS,
Cr",ITFRED ON NORTH VIETNAMESE FORCES REMAINING TN THE SOUTH;
CLARIFICATIONS ON THE INFILTRATION AND REPLACEMENT PROVISIONS;
O!, Tne?r;,G OF THE THREE EQUAL SEGMENTS FOR THE COUNCIL; AND PROBING
FOR !.{.S. R>*SPONSE IF THE AGREEMENTS WERE TO BREAK DOWN.
I BELIEVE I MADE SOME HEADWAY IN MY ANSWERS TO THESE AND THE
OT!:R ^"ESTIONS. MY GENERAL POINT WAS THAT UNITY BETWEEN OUR
CnIir_T'?IEs, VIGILANCE CONCERNING THE AGREEMENT, AND THE SELF-
'F'TT R~'T`1'ATT0t' AND ASSURANCE OF THE SOUTH VIETNAMESE WOULD PROVE
TO of THE CRUCIAL INGREDIENTS. THE REMAINING NVA FORCES WERE
CERTAIN' TO BE RE? UCED TN STREN T,:'. IN THE ABSENCE OF RFIC!rORCE-
i:I'' TE, I RCTiTED OUT THAT THE UVA FORCES WERE GREATLY WEAKENED AND
COULD C'S`T REINFORCED, AND THAT REDUCTIONS UNDER THE DwMOBILIZA-
TIO PROVISION tiOIJLD t'tORK TO THE GV_NI'S ADVANTAGE BECAUSE OF ITS
L.PR?ER F3tST. I EXPLAINED THAT WITH THEIR MUCH LARGER ARMY AND THE
L''''IP'`:I I'T .4UGr?E"'TAT ION' THAT WE HAVE PLANNED BEFORE THE AGREEMENT THE
RE r- L ^C7, F .'T PROVISIONS WOULD ALSO 0R1' TO THEIR ADVANTAGE. ON THE
POLITICAL IS`=''!ES I STRESSED THE CO "M(.1NISTS' COMPLETE COLLAPSE
nrI; POW r, E .LF-CCC'FIDEN.T, DETERMINED POLITICAL EFFORT BY THE GVN
'GAIN' THEM, PREDOMINANCE IN TIME COMING POLITICAL STRUGGLE.
TI-77 SO!'; i'ER; COMMUNIST CADRES SHOULD RE TOTALLY DEMORALIZED SY THIS
AST. "r.ND I EMP` 6SITED TP t T IF THE AGREEMENTS WERE VIOLATED
THE Tr7T'D,E,'T WOULD TAKE STRONG RETALIATORY ACTION, CITING HIS
PACT RECORD 1N ,A MUCH MORE DIFFICULT ELECTION! YEAR. I EXPLAINED
TI-"E' COULD FOLLOW TWO ROADS. IF THEY TRIED ANOTHER
nrFE 3I 'T R"~XT SPRI"?G WE WOULD CERTAINLY REACT STRONGLY. IF ON
THE OTHER H^ h'D THEY WERE GENUINELY OPTING FOR RECONSTRUCTION IN THE
n'^RTH,. THI" .FACT PLUS THE N!ON-REINFORCEMENT PROVISIONS T.110ULD
PRODUCE UNILATERAL `VA '_WITHDRAWALS FROM THE SOUTH.
CV~?ALL I THTI,K WE MADE SOME PROGRESS. ;'JE NOW FACE THE DELICATE
TASK n7~r7IMG THE GVN A SENSE OF PARTICIPATION WITHOUT AT THE
I ' ^ I.: E T T UFEETT I NG THE APPLE CART I N HANOI.
A R ^,'"S W PO WAS SILENT THE FIRST DAY, MADE A VERY USEFUL
Ii'TER,V?"NTION TODAY AND HAS GENERALLY BEEN VERY HFLHFU!L.
2. LTHCV EH THTEU HAS NOT YET AGREED TO THE SETTLEMENT, I BELIEVE
TT IS SEErTTAL THAT WE START MOVING EQUIPMENT IMMEDIATELY SINCE I
THI` Y -E ' UST WAVE IT ALL HERE SY NOVEMBER 1 LOCAL TIME. IF THE DEAL
SHOULTD CONE APART AT THE LAST MOMENT WE COULD STILL STOP THE SHIP-
r,_YC?T~ AND ALL '~1E WOULD HAVE DONE IS TO STRENGTHEN THE SOUTH VIETNAM-
E7E: LITTLE PREI: ATURELY. ACCORDI P, aLY I RECOMMEND PUTTING THE
0.=ERtTIflN IN'TO? HIGH GEAR WITH DAN MURPHY.
1 TALKED TO WW1EYAND AND ABRAMS ABOUT MOVING OUR EQUIPMENT OUT OF
H RE Y.:!ITHI" 6O DAYS SAND R .LOCATING ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT IN THAILAND
a ":'7 ELF :HERE . I AM TOTALLY PERSUADED THAT ONE MAN HAS
TO PE IN CHARGE Q THIS OPERATION AND THAT IT SHOULD BE ABRAMS.
WEVA, ^'D GREES. IF WE PERMIT THE JCS TO STUDY THE PROBLEM,''-1E WILL
t{AVE THE SAME FIASCO AS WITH THE BOMBING, ALL THE MORE SO SINCE
ADii'IRi L. rc,YLOR IS HOPELESS. PLEASE TALK TO THE PRESIDENT AND GET
AN ORDER ISSUED'T.HICH WILL GIVE ABRAMS COMPLETE CHARGE OF THIS
OPERATION. I BELIEVE WE CAN RELOCATE ESSENTIAL INSTALLATIONS AND
HE-ADO11ARTERS SO AS TO GIVE OURSELVES A SUBSTANTIAL CAPABILITY IF
WE 'HAVE TO REACT TO COMMUNIST VIOLATIONS OF THE AGREEMENT.
W RM REGARDS.
lop SHE, am
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2011/05/02 : LOC-HAK-490-8-22-5