Nixon did nothing to interfere with the 1968 Vietnam peace talks
| Nixon did nothing to interfere with the 1968 Vietnam peace talks | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "Nixon denied that his 1968 presidential campaign had sabotaged or interfered with President Johnson's Vietnam peace efforts." | |
| Domain | History |
| Tactic | Manipulation Conspiracy Theory |
| Era | Historical |
| First seen | 1968 |
| Origin | Nixon, in public campaign statements and in private calls with President Lyndon Johnson in late 1968. |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-31 |
| Further reading: books on History | |
In late October 1968, South Vietnam pulled out of the opening of Paris peace talks. President Johnson suspected a backchannel between the Nixon campaign and South Vietnam through Republican activist Anna Chennault. Nixon denied it. The Miller Center notes he had promised publicly to say nothing that might destroy a chance for peace.
Later records point the other way. Handwritten notes by Nixon's aide H.R. Haldeman, the National Archives and the Miller Center all say Nixon had Chennault pressing South Vietnam. Historians still debate how much this changed the course of the war, and some details of the popular account are disputed. The denial that he did nothing is false.
What the evidence shows
[edit]- Haldeman's notes. The National Archives displays Haldeman's notes of October 22, 1968. They record Nixon telling him to have John Mitchell "keep Anna Chennault working" on South Vietnam. They also record him asking whether there was "any other way to monkey wrench" Johnson's effort.
- A Chennault contact. The Archives also shows a November 2, 1968 cable to Johnson. It says Chennault contacted the South Vietnamese ambassador to encourage Saigon not to take part in the talks.
- Public promise versus private action. The Miller Center says Nixon publicly pledged not to interfere. It says he secretly urged South Vietnam to boycott the talks. It also says Johnson learned of this in the final week of the campaign.
- Details disputed. A Wilson Center article calls the affair a conspiracy theory with flaws in the popular version. It says Chennault did not pass a message from Mitchell to the ambassador for two days, and did not use the ambassador as a conduit.
- Effect unclear. One commentary on the Nixon notes cautions there is no guarantee the talks would have succeeded without Nixon's meddling. Defenders also argue the prospects for peace in 1968 were slim.
Why it matters
[edit]The episode matters because it concerns a presidential candidate and a war in progress. Nixon's denial to Johnson was recorded, and it was tested decades later against his own aide's notes and declassified cables. Much of the debate now is about the effect, not whether the contacts occurred.
Sources
[edit]- Miller Center, University of Virginia, "The Pentagon Papers: The view from the Oval Office" Link
- U.S. National Archives, "Episode 8: Nixon's Campaign Promise" Link
- Smithsonian Magazine, "Notes Indicate Nixon Interfered With 1968 Peace Talks" Link
- Wilson Center, "The Anna Chennault Affair: The South Vietnamese Side of the War's Greatest Conspiracy Theory" Link