Office of the Historian

196. Situation Report by the Executive Secretary of the Department of State (Read)1

Washington, November 5, 1968.

Cy Vance called on the secure phone at 8:40 a.m.

1.
Vance had a two hour meeting with Lau on procedures this morning in Paris.
2.
Lau said that Thuy and Mrs. Binh were prepared to go forward with the new wider discussions tomorrow, whether or not the GVN was represented.
3.
Vance replied that the GVN would not be represented in Paris tomorrow and that we would let the DRV know when our side was prepared for the first meeting with wider participation. We could not agree to meet in the new format until there were agreed procedures for going forward. Vance proposed a bilateral meeting with the DRV tomorrow for further procedural discussions, and he further proposed that the fact of today’s meeting and subsequent meetings be made known publicly without disclosure of content.
4.
Lau rejected a proposal for a US/DRV meeting tomorrow and repeated his view that there should be a three delegation meeting on the 6th. There was a prolonged argument about the different views of the US and the DRV on the “our side/your side” approach and the DRV “four delegation” approach. Lau said no matter what we called it there would be representatives of four different parties present in the new phase of the talks and their side would be organized as two separate delegations. On specific points of procedure the following points emerged.
(a)
There was agreement that the first meeting with wider participation would discuss rules of procedure.
(b)
On the order of speaking the two sides will alternate and neither side placed importance on who speaks first.
(c)
The present language translation procedures will continue in the next stage.
(d)
On physical arrangements the US proposed continuation of the talks in the same room with the same number (9 or 10) on each side and the actual arrangements to be worked out through the French. The DRV agreed to work through the French but preferred a larger room and 12 on their side “because there would be two delegations”.
(e)
There was sharp disagreement on press coverage at the first broader meeting.
5.
At the conclusion of the meeting Vance again suggested meeting tomorrow on a bilateral basis to discuss procedures for the first wider meeting. Lau would not agree but took note of Vance’s proposal and it was left that if either side had something new to discuss it would get in touch with the other.
6.

Comment

Vance and Harriman intend to make public the fact of today’s meeting. They do not expect the DRV to agree to a bilateral meeting tomorrow, but Harriman and Vance are thinking of proposing procedural points to the DRV, such as agreeing ad referendum on 12 to a side, which might permit the holding of a bilateral meeting on November 6.

Benjamin H. Read 2
  1. Source: Johnson Library, National Security File, Vietnam, HARVAN/Double Plus, Vol. V [1 of 2]. Secret; Nodis/HARVAN Double Plus. In telegram CAP 82696 to the President, November 5, transmitting a copy of this report to the LBJ Ranch in Texas, Rostow described Vance’s meeting that morning as “frustrating.” (Ibid., Memos to the President/Bombing Halt Decision, Vol. IV [1 of 3]) Vance’s full report of this meeting was transmitted in telegram 23419/Delto 934 from Paris, November 5. (National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, A/IM Files: Lot 93 D 82, HARVAN-(Incoming)-November 1968)↩
  2. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.↩