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Henry Kissinger (at left) conducted negotiations throughout 68 meetings with Le Duc Tho (at right), a member of North Vietnam’s politburo.[cret peace negotiations ©Bettmann // Getty Images]
South Vietnamese troops move into Laos during Operation Lam Son 719 [©Christopher Jensen // Getty Images]
Episode 3092 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will continue a look at the story that looks at 46 facts about the Vietnam War you may not know. The featured story appeared on the MSN website and was aptly titled: 46 facts about the Vietnam War you may not know. The story was submitted by Elias Sorich.
While the Vietnam War is often remembered for its bloody battles and divisive politics, there are a number of lesser-known events between 1970 and 1972 that reveal the deep complexities of the conflict both at home and abroad.
In February 1970, secret peace talks were underway between U.S. National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger and North Vietnamese politburo member Le Duc Tho. Over the course of 68 meetings, they negotiated what would become the Paris Peace Accords of 1973. Yet even as Kissinger spoke of peace, he was simultaneously involved in escalating the war. Both men were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, but Le Duc Tho famously declined the honor, and Kissinger later attempted to return his after South Vietnam collapsed in 1975.
Meanwhile, dissent exploded at home. On May 4, 1970, Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire on unarmed students protesting the U.S. invasion of Cambodia at Kent State University. Four students were killed and nine wounded, shocking the nation. Just a month later, in June 1970, Congress attempted to restrain presidential power by repealing the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, though Nixon insisted he needed no such authority to wage war.
The test of Nixon’s Vietnamization policy came in early 1971 with Operation Lam Son, a disastrous South Vietnamese invasion of Laos intended to sever the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Instead, thousands of casualties, the loss of armored vehicles, and hundreds of downed U.S. aircraft underscored the weakness of South Vietnam’s forces.
Domestic disillusionment deepened when The New York Times published the Pentagon Papers in June 1971, revealing decades of government deception about the war. Protests intensified, symbolized by the dramatic burning of draft cards in May 1972. Together, these events exposed both the military failures abroad and the crumbling trust in government at home, accelerating America’s path to withdrawal.
Listen to Episode 3092 and discover more about Vietnam War facts.
