CABLE TO ELLSWORTH BUNKER FROM HENRY A. KISSINGER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-490-8-39-7
• Release Decision: RIFLIM
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: December 16, 2010
• Sequence Number: 39
• Publication Date: October 27, 1972
• Content Type: CABLE

No -= ...~? - - i ,
Objection ~.y
to Declassification in
Full LOC-HAK-490-8-39-7
titP SECNff SENSITIVE
T 0 P S E ..,a R E' T ?X,325 t O CT 72 SENSITIVE E49288;1 V91. Y PMMM ' 8 ~0
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FROM:' HENRY ;A. KISSINGER
Tv : AMBASSADOR; BUNKER
CITE: WHS2Z02
OCTOBER, 27, 19;72
1 ? THANX. YUV. FOR YOUR SAICwN 0238. FOR YOUR PLANNING PURPOSES
ONLY, I TI0UG.HT..YOU.'SHOULD HAVE THE BENEFIT OF OUR BEST THINKING
ON HOW : WE` !INTE.N13 TO, PROCEED FROM HERE:-
FROM HENRY A.`-KISSINGER
TO: AMDASSADOR; BUNKER
TEXT, WOULDK,BE! CO ?SIDERED ABSOLUTELY. FINAL.
vrirl,:va_. ?,r Yl ~. Vi1.'J U_.J. :1 iV
THiE TEXT $ASED ON`GVN., CONK'?~ S TO, HELP iT YOUR END. WE WOULD KEEP
rr?~ . ^-.1r+.+ 1 LJ Jr1V
PRESSURE TACTICS...AT THAT. MEETING, WHICH WE ENVISAGE WOULD TAKE
All f1.1ft' :. Ir Y+re'. M xrlrr ..... _ ...__. - ..--_
r . r . .- . v ra 2'11 . Y i r 1 ~. J:. 1V AJ J l'
l'j 1 WEEK(WE,EK: OF. OCTOBER, 29TH). WE BELIEVE THAT HANOI WILL
TERM wNUMU(',*AND MILITARY SUPPORT WHICH IS ESSENTIAL TO THE FUTURE
VIABII ZT~,~.O, ?:TH ,'t3Vt3..IN THE INTERIM, WE' ARE PROC :i1:DINC TO MOVE
THE PRO KIM ? NEW I
EQUPMENT:.ON AN E.XP1,DITED DELIVERY'
ONLY I t~~THIS''WAY'"e,WILL .ME, BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THE KIND OF LONG
REQUIREf,, TS. T}T9 NEXT MEETING WITH THIEU WILL HAVE TO 3E
C0NDUCTE ':ITV AN`ATMOSPHERE OF RECONCILIATION AND TOTAL UNITY
THE WEEK O1 NOV MSER` 5TH, THIEU' SHOULD BE POSTURED TO ASSUME
A -HIGHLY4JPPORTIVEROLE, AND SPECIFICALLY PORTRAY THE MODIFIED
ACREEMEN AS BEING Tt7TALLY RESPONSIBLE, TO HIS TAILORING:: AND
BY T1 TIIME OF . MY RETURN'TQ' SAIGON. DURING THE LATTER PAT` OF
5TH, SAY 'AROUND` NOVEMBER 10) I.WOULD RETURN TO SAIGON FOR THREE
OR FOUR -DAYS Tt PAVE THE WAY FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AGREEMENT .
~-I .WOULD THEN PROCEED TO " HANOI FOR TWO ' DAYS TO DISCUSS
THE POST.WAR SITUATION.
. --l-WOULD RETURN AGAIN FOR TWO OR THREE DAYS IN JAICOW TO
MAKE FINAL PREPARAT IONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AGRTE"'MINT.
THE FOREGOING SCHEDULE 'COULD ORING US TO AN AN OUNC ,1. NT
Al EARLY AS. NOVEMBER 20, WITH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A C;.^SEFIRW?
Ot, NOVEMBER 21 AND SIGNING- AROUND NOVEMBER 25.
THIS. REVISED: SCHEDULE WOULD HAVE BOUGHT US AND THIEU A
MONTHS ADDI-TIONAL TIME BEYOND THE TIME. VISUALIZED IN THE. ORIGINAL
GAME PLA1.
THi;Rt~ ARE x Cot1RSE"9 RISKS.. ASSOCIATEDWITH THIS IS TERMS OF
No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/12/16: LOC-HAK-490-8-39-7 '"
 No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/12/16: LOC-HAK-490-8-39-7
Z. ..I WJANTE VU' TU.' E `FULLY' AWARE OF 'JUL' c~A iE' 3'I At$ AS Y U
FLAGRART ,S.AB 7AGi~Y CI4- THE , PART OF THX.EU WILL IRREVOCABLY TERMINATE US
.WHAT SO EVER THAT: -THE PRESIDENT WILL TURN FROM HIS PRESENT COURSE.
THIS ACT IVITY -HAS ;TO STOP. THIS TOPIC CAN SE. DISCUSSED IN S U;r 4r1HAT..
MCJRF FORCEFUL: :T ERM.S.".THIEU HAS TO UNDERSTAND THAT ACTIVITY O THIS
KIND DESIGNEDTO;'SABOTAGf OUR EFFORTS TO ARRIVE AT A SETTLEMENT WILL
NOT BE 'TOLERATED" AND WILL SURELY FORCE US TO PAINFULLY BUT IJNFIESITATIN
LY OPT FOR. OTHER: ALTERNATIVESI. AT THIS JUNCTURE., THERE. IS ND PQSSIBLIT
WOULD, C F CIUSER -BE'FFoLLOWED BY GRADUAL" CRYSTALLIZATION AND AFFIRMA-
TION OF THE,:GAME?~,,PL'A1 AS FINAL.
WITH RESPECT.:,* TO THIEU'S' ACTIVITY :WHICH RUNS DIRECTLY COUNTER TO
THIS GAME PLAN ;SUCH AS THE DISPATCH OF-HIS EMISSARIES T'.: ASIAN CAPITAL
WITH THE VIEW TOWARDS GENERATING OPPOSITION, HE MUST, U'?O R TAND THAT
~, AY ,I, -LAUNCHING.HTSr PRE AARATION MAY .BE THE BEST
DELAY IN AN
URSE'1'O; ,PU t~ ~ Kl_
;:BUT.`WE LEAVE THIS TO YO [1. THIS INITIAL APPROACH
0
YOU TO TREAD~:~ THE Flt1E I..INE BETWEEN, GENERATING ' AN OPEN BREAK ON THE
li_ , -TO t4AXE' ESSENT IAL'PREPARAT IONS UN THE OT HER
ONE HAND" AN~F T~ AILUR
' HAND. PRESENT . G I.T .:INITIALLY iAS:?A.CONT.INGENCY SO 'THAT HE DOES NOT'
'
I1. AS XQh.p pISCUSS THIS GAME' PLAN .WITH T,H..IEU, I. At'L AGAIN ASKING
REITERATE. THAT. THE.:.PRES. ..-,NT' IS ' COM 1ITTED TO t 'ET.TN;;3 HIT A WEEK OR
TWA.., AFTER =THE FINAL SETTLEMENT. IS-,SIGN ED FOR THE. PURPOSE OF STRONGLY
GP ';i2LINII~G`:HIS: CO"MIT' ZNT'TO THIEU.:AND HIS FUTURE.
TO THE Dk:4'CATk .J~J1~Cak:N1 S OF WHEN AND NOW FAR INT 1 ~t1,
scHEt~UL :: rll~ .G~- DF .BRUI~DNT. PERHAPS INITIALLY YOU WILL ;JANT
TO DISCU s- ST. WITH H,IM AS A CONTINGENCY, THE PLANNING FUR WHICH
Hsi CANNOT AFFdR,D., TQ ..OVERLQUK. YOU SHOULD MAKE THE FOLLOWING
POINTS TO 'THIEU WH5N' YOU DISCUSS THE GAME PLAN:
Nt IS BEING PROVIDED PLANNING INFORMATION SO THAT HE CAN USE
THIS, TIME TO PLACE,. H1 NSELF IN THE BEST POSST"5LU. POSITION FOR TH~~,'
I PL': M E N O "t A CF~AS --FIRE A` EARLY AS NOVE:N1:3IR 21ST. HE SHOULD
USE THIS T:IM-E YQ,;S.EIZE AS MUCH TERRITORY AS. POSSIBLE AND TO MAKE ALL .
OTHER ES'SawNT-IAL. PREPARATIONS.
YOU CANtii..A&S LUk~ `THIEU THAT WE WILL WORK PERSISTENTLY WITH HANOI
TO, C lT AS =MANY :OF.THE,CHAN':Gi S HE HAS ASKED FOR AS ARE PUSSI3LL, BUT
;-Ix. `H()U1.D 'BE : UNDER NO , ILLUSIONS T)-0 T )E CAN GET THE r1 ALL.. THI';U SHOULD
ALCM. UNDERSTAND:?THAT..THE PRESIDENT IS- FULLY BEHIND THE AGREEMENT AND
SC}{ D.UL :. `HE I5"`F'IR~1L.Y DETERMINED TO PROCEED, TOWARD A SETTLEME'.ENT IN
ACCORDANCE WITH::THE SCHEDULE THAT I ,HAVE OUTLINED.. IT IS' ALSO ESSEENT XA
THAT THIEU' NOT ',BUILD UP THE NATIONAL COUNGIL OF NATIONAL RECONCILIAT IU
AND CONCORD AS..'A;; GOALItIC1N GOVERNMENT. IT PATENTLY. IS NOT, AS ALL
AMi::RICAR, AND FQREIGN :OBS"i RVT RS EASILY. SEE. SUCH THIOU TACTIC ONLY
EORVE TO CONF-:USE'lHE MEANING OF'.THE SETTLEMm:NT AND ERODE THE CuNF IDENC
OF 1113 OWN SUPPORTERS IN, WHAT SHOULD INSTEAD E PORTRAYED AS. IT IS--A
MAJOR POLITICAL: :VjCTORY OVER HANOI. IN DISCUSSING THE CONTINGENCY
PLAN SCHEDULE W ITH,`,T.HIEU, AT A T:IMG OF YOUR. CdOQSIt;G, YOU SHOULD ALSO
THP.iE YO RESSURZS U' THIEU, IN CUINFC.ORM \NCE WITH MY Willi
232 AND 2301n . !ESTERDAY. WITH RESPt CT TO THIEU, YOU '.'JILL ;tAV;,
511PF'URT F0w l .: ?,HIS A ` REALXTY : HE -NN]aT UNDERSTAND.'
-A RM 'H 1~i4.
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No Objection to Declassification in Full 2010/12/16: LOC-HAK-490-8-39-7