★ Los Angeles Times

Thurs., April 4, 1968—Part I

THE SECRET SEARCH FOR PEACE

# Slow, Careful Effort
Opened Way to Hanoi

BY DAVID KRASLOW and STUART H. LOORY

Times Staff Writers

Copyright 1968 Los Angeles Times. World rights reserved.

WASHINGTON—Two unheralded Frenchmen—one a microbiologist, the other an old friend of Ho Chi Minh—arrived last July 21 in Hanoi in the unusual and secret role of emissaries of the U.S. government.

Their presence in the capital of North Vietnam was unknown to the world at that time, and has been unreported until this moment.

Yet it was their mission that initiated a new phase of diplomacy in the Johnson Administration's secret search for peace in Vietnam over the last three years. The culmination came in Hanoi's dramatic announcement Wednesday that it is willing to talk with American negotiators.

A month after their visit to Hanoi, the Frenchmen—working with Prof. Henry A. Kissinger of Harvard University — delivered to North Vietnam the first version of an American peace proposal more conciliatory than any made before.

## Johnson's Vague Allusion

President Johnson, announcing a partial halt in the bombing of North Vietnam Sunday, alluded vaguely to the proposal they carried when he said:

"Tonight, I renew the offer I made last August."

Behind that little noticed sentence was the secret work of Kissinger, a mystery man in Vietnam diplomacy; Dr. Herbert Marcovich, 47, a University of Paris microbiologist, and Raymond Aubrac, 53, a director of the Food and Agricultural Organization, a UN agency based in Rome.

Their channel, which involved a meeting with North Vietnam's President Ho, functioned in this fashion:

1. Kissinger, 44, a government consultant on national security matters for the last 17 years, was the Administration's link to the Frenchmen.

2. Marcovich linked Kissinger to Aubrac.

3. Aubrac, who had befriended Ho in Paris more than 20 years ago, completed the chain from the White House to the presidential palace in Hanoi.

It was more out of necessity than

Against the background of the dramatic news about Hanoi's willingness to talk to the United States, The Times herewith begins a series of articles on the secret search for peace in Vietnam over the last three years, which led to Wednesday's developments.

The authors, David Kraslow and Stuart H. Loory of The Times Washington Bureau, have been investigating the subject for more than seven months in the United States and abroad. Their inquiries took them to Rome, London, Paris, Florence, Prague, Warsaw, Ottawa, Vatican City and U.N. headquarters in New York. They interviewed scores of foreign diplomats and high-ranking U.S. officials in the White House, State Department, Department of Defense and other agencies.

choice that the United States resorted to these intermediaries to transmit a major peace offer.

The channel was used because, contrary to what Administration officials have often said, direct communication with Hanoi has been —more often than not—a problem.

In fact, the Kissinger-Frenchmen channel came into being because direct contact with Hanoi on the subject of peace negotiations was not then possible. Such contact between U.S. and North Vietnamese diplomats was ended in Moscow on Feb. 15, 1967, after a series of seven secret meetings in 36 days.

Le Trang, deputy chief of the North Vietnamese mission in Moscow told John C. Guthrie, his American counterpart, on that day that no more direct contacts would be permitted until the United States unconditionally halted the bombing of North Vietnam. American

SEARCH FOR PEACE

*Continued from 20th Page*

diaries. It is, at best, a
chancy undertaking.
There can be and have
been serious misunderstandings.

Washington and Hanoi
can communicate directly
—through speeches and
statements and press con-
ferences as they did Wed-
nesday. But peace is not
usually found in broad
daylight.

Intermediaries do have
one distinct advantage. As
a senior State Department
official put it: "Foreign
diplomats, newsmen, pri-
vate travelers can move
around without attracting
attention. And they can
say things that are deniab-
le later by either side if
problems arise."

Some Drawbacks

"Some intermediaries we
are quite happy with," he
continued. "Some we en-
courage and push along,
but some are a cross to
bear and we just have to
deal with them. The
people who are encou-
raged are given a good
briefing. You tell them
what to look for, but you
never know whether they
know enough to report
accurately."

Kissinger and his
Frenchmen were no cross
to bear. They reported
accurately.

The message to Hanoi
through Kissinger and the
Frenchmen, it now ap-
pears, was sent in the
hope that if an opportuni-
ty for peace talks had been

lost in London and Mos-
cow the previous Febru-
ry, it could be recovered.
It seemed for a long while
that it couldn't.

One informed critic of
the Administration's Viet-
nam policy said of the
August message: "It was
too late. Hanoi just didn't
believe us."

That source felt Hanoi
didn't believe the Johnson
Administration because of
what occurred behind the
scenes in London and
Moscow the previous Fe-
bruary.

Friday: What happened
in London and Moscow?

This series for the Los Angeles Times
will be expanded into a book, "The
Secret Search for Peace in Vietnam,"
to be published this spring by Random
House.

Thursday, April 4, 1968

THE SAN DIEGO UNION

EXPERT TALKS HERE

# New U.S.-Russia
Crisis Foreseen

Another confrontation between the United States and Russia is in the making over Berlin, a foreign policy expert said here last night.

Dr. Henry A. Kissinger, professor of government at Harvard University and consultant to the State Department, foresees such a crisis in about four years.

Speaking under UCSD auspices at Sherwood Hall in La Jolla, Kissinger said during a question-and-answer period that the crisis will arise because West Germany is "building bridges" to Eastern Europe. It has established relations with Romania and Yugoslavia, and is seeking to renew ties with other Eastern European countries.

## Russians Seen As 'Quite Unhappy'

"If this succeeds," said Kissinger, "Moscow will be quite unhappy. So will East Germany. The Russians will then try to demonstrate the impotence of West Germany."

Kissinger didn't say what form the crisis will take. In 1948-49, the Russians cut off supplies to the Allied sectors of Berlin by blockading the land routes to the city, forcing the Allies to resort to a gigantic airlift. And in 1961, the East Germans built a wall dividing Berlin.

The new crisis, if it comes, will be "worse" than the previous ones, Kissinger said, because Russia has now almost caught up with the U.S. in nuclear weaponry.

## Nightmare On Europe's Attitude

Kissinger wants Europe to play a greater role in its own foreign policy and defense-"but my nightmare is that Europe will let us do it all while we have problems elsewhere in the world."

This "physical overexertion," he said, is not as serious "as our psychological overexertion-you can't imagine what goes on in Washington when there is a crisis." Kissinger's talk was the 13th in the Mandeville lecture series.

EVENING TRIBUNE

San Diego, Friday, March 1, 1968

EVENING TRIBUNE
San Diego
AREA NEWS

NEIL
MORGAN

**BON MOT:** Bob Burdick put in a call this week — forgetting that it was Mardi Gras — to John Mecom Jr., of New Orleans, whose Saints will be training again this summer at the California Western University campus. Burdick and the long distance operator couldn't get anybody to answer any phones anywhere. Finally the operator drawled: "Well, sir, the city is closed."

**THE SILLIES:** Mortgage banker Braun Collins was very proud of the tall new steel fence around his patio in the hills above La Jolla. So his pals Bob Casey and Dick Tuthill cut through it long enough to roll an old 1934 wreck inside his yard, then welded the fence back together so Collins couldn't get it out. Big prank, still very much there. . . . Bob Lebo was stopped by a traffic officer who pointed out that the car he'd bought two years ago had been owned before that by another police officer. He knew by the license number, which was 502 — the old code number for drunk driving.

**SAN DIEGO BEAT:** Assessor Chuck Williams thinks accord is finally near among assessors of eight Southern California counties. It would lead — for the first time — to cooperation and standard policies of assessment. It would be an especial boon to businesses that operate in several counties under diverse rulings. . . . John Kenneth Galbraith, the establishment critic, comes to lecture at UCSD on April Fool's Day. . . . A secretary in City Atty. Ed Butler's office, asked by a writer to supply a photograph and biographical sketch of Butler, turned crimson after asking him for a "biological sketch". . . . Affectionate former pupils — and there are thousands — have named a new purple dahlia "Miss D.O.T." That would be for Miss Daisy O. Tompkins, who taught English for many years at Hoover High and tutored private students. Some of the "Miss D.O.T.s" are being planted at Hotel del Coronado and The Bishop's School.

**SHORT THINGS:** Nothing stuffy about Ed Schwartz, the new federal judge; he drives a sporty

APR 8 1969

# General Optimistic On War

By Frank Cormier

Associated Press

Gen. William C. Westmoreland, with President Johnson at his side, said yesterday after two days of policy talks here that "militarily we have never been in better relative position in South Vietnam."

Mr. Johnson escorted the U.S. commander for Vietnam before live television and radio microphones in the White House driveway and made two announcements of his own:

* Westmoreland, leaving at once to return to his command, will stop in California to brief former President Dwight D. Eisenhower on the Vietnam talks that began at the White House at breakfast time Saturday.

* After the General reaches Saigon Tuesday, Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker will fly to Washington for meetings with Mr. Johnson and other top officials in the latter part of the week.

After their brief joint appearance, Mr. Johnson and Gen. Westmoreland flew together by helicopter to nearby Andrews Air Force Base, Md., so the Chief Executive could continue their conversations and give his battlefield commander a personal sendoff. Secretary of Defense Clark M. Clifford went with them.

Westmoreland, reading from a prepared statement, said that "the spirit of the offensive is now prevalent throughout Vietnam" on the allied side. He said that advantage is being taken of what he termed 'the enemy's weakened military position.'

The General's optimistic words included praise for lifting of the seige of Khesanh near the demilitarized zone. Westmoreland said the initiative has been wrested from the enemy in that sector.

The White House also made

See TALKS, A18, Col. 1

The Harris Survey

APR 8 1968

GAW

# Johnson Rating Rises to 57%

Respect for President Johnson rose sharply on the heels of his announcement of withdrawal from the race for President. The public's approval of the job he is doing as Chief Executive soared to 57 per cent—his highest rating since the time of the Glassboro meeting—compared with a low of 38 per cent just before his dramatic TV declaration on the war in Vietnam and his personal plans for the future.

By 57 to 24 per cent, the American people also expressed immediate support of a partial halt in the bombings in order to try to bring the Communists to the negotiating table in Vietnam. By 40 to 31 per cent, however, the public was initially skeptical that the U.S. effort to get negotiations started would succeed.

Nonetheless, the President's rating on handling the war in Vietnam also rose from 30 per cent in March to 43 per cent at the time of last week's survey, which was taken before Hanoi responded to Mr. Johnson's peace bid.

When asked if they thought more or less of Mr. Johnson as a result of his decision not to seek re-election, 54 per cent said they thought “more” of him, compared with only 6 per cent who thought “less.” It is apparent that the public reacted with a magnanimity toward their President, whom they have had no reluctance to criticize in the past.

Rising sharply from previous Johnson ratings were the categories that “he really wants to work for peace” and “he has had such a long, hard go with the war.” A substantial 22 per cent volunteered that they had won a new found regard for Mr. Johnson as the

result of what they termed his “selfless decision to take himself out.”

Here is the trend in President Johnson's overall job rating over the past several months:

## LBJ JOB RATING

<table><thead><tr><th></th><th>Positive Per Cent</th><th>Negative Per Cent</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>April, 1968</td><td>57</td><td>43</td></tr><tr><td>March</td><td>38</td><td>62</td></tr><tr><td>February</td><td>42</td><td>58</td></tr><tr><td>January</td><td>46</td><td>54</td></tr><tr><td>December, 1967</td><td>48</td><td>52</td></tr><tr><td>November</td><td>43</td><td>57</td></tr><tr><td>October</td><td>41</td><td>59</td></tr><tr><td>September</td><td>42</td><td>58</td></tr><tr><td>August</td><td>39</td><td>61</td></tr><tr><td>July</td><td>53</td><td>42</td></tr><tr><td>March</td><td>42</td><td>58</td></tr><tr><td>November, 1966</td><td>54</td><td>46</td></tr></tbody></table>

While subject to rather sharp ups and downs, the President has been consistently short of the 50 per cent mark in his job rating since 1966, with one exception. His rise to 58 per cent last July came on the heels of his summit talk with Chairman Alexei Kosygin of the Soviet Union at Glassboro. Then, as now, Mr. Johnson's popularity rose on the strength of growing hopes for peace.

In fact, easily the highest ratings accorded the President over the past two years have been on the heels of any gestures which have aroused the public's hopes for peace. For example, after Glassboro, a high 67 per cent of the people gave Mr. Johnson high marks for “working for peace” then. President Kennedy received similar good marks from the public following his negotiation of the nuclear test ban treaty with the Russians in 1963.

On the bombing pause issue, a cross section of the public was asked before there had been any response from Hanoi:

> “Do you approve or disapprove of the President's decision to halt bombings of North Vietnam to get the Com-

munists to start peace negotiations?”

## BOMBING PAUSE

<table><thead><tr><th></th><th>Total Public<br>Per Cent</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Approve</td><td>57</td></tr><tr><td>Disapprove</td><td>24</td></tr><tr><td>Not sure</td><td>19</td></tr></tbody></table>

However, having been led to previous points of optimism about a cessation of hostilities, such as during the 37-day pause in early 1966, the public was skeptical about the impact of the pause in actually getting the Communists to the negotiating table. The public is asked:

> “Do you think the halt of the bombings will get peace talks started?”

## BOMBING PAUSE AND PEACE TALKS
Total Public Per Cent

Will get talks started
Will not get talks started
Not sure

After months and years of abortive hopes that peace gestures and feelers might produce a halt to the war in Vietnam, it is notable that before a response came from Hanoi the American public had grown pessimistic that such moves would ever succeed. Unquestionably, the people of this country are leery of having their hopes dashed once again.

© 1968, The Washington Post Co.

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THE SECRET SEARCH FOR PEACE

# Unheralded Emissaries
## Opened Way to Hanoi

Times Staff Writers

### Johnson's Vague Allusion

Behind that little noticed sentence was the secret work of Kissinger, a mystery man in Vietnam diplomacy; Dr. Herbert Marcovich, 47, a University of Paris microbiologist, and Raymond Aubrac, 53, a director of the Food and Agriculture Organization, a U.N. agency based in Rome.

Le Trang, deputy chief of the North Vietnamese mission in Moscow, told John C. Guthrie, his American counterpart, on that day that no more direct contacts would be permitted until the United States unconditionally halted the bombing of North Vietnam. American

Please Turn to Page 20, Col. 1

the smoke and flames and saved
perts and called priceless by others.

(J) Wirephoto

THE STATE

Legislative action to dump the
Rumford open housing law ground
to a halt in the wake of a warning by
Gov. Reagan that he will veto any
bill repealing the act. (See Page 3,
Part 1.)

U.S. Dist. Judge Stanley A. Weigel set June 10 for the trial in San Francisco of millionaire gun enthusiast William E. Thoresen, 30, and his wife, Louise, 31. The Thoresens were arrested last April 21 on charges of illegal possession of guns after federal agents seized 77 tons of weapons and ammunition. But the charges were later dropped because of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling declaring a gun registration law unconstitutional. The Thoresens were reindicted March 6.

About 1,200 students, hippies,
clergymen and mothers gathered on
the steps of the Federal Building in
San Francisco for a three-hour
antidraft demonstration. A proces-
sion of 143 youths stood before a
microphone to announce each was
turning in his draft card.

SOUTHLAND

County budget requests *have
soared to a record $1.2 billion—and
the budget is by no means complete.
(See Page 3, Part 1.)

The city's proposals for Model
Cities funds this year ran into
trouble when shortcomings were
uncovered in the citizen participa-
tion and administrative phases of
the neighborhood rebuilding pro-
gram. (See Page 1, Part 2.)

Black Panther Party chairman Bobby Seale said here that the "racist police who occupy our community must be withdrawn" or there will be retaliation. "We want our own police department, consisting of people who live in our community," he said, adding that political candidates who do not act in a racist fashion will be supported by the Panthers. Seale is from Oakland.

Firemen who extinguished a smoldering blaze in a trash bin at the rear of 801 W. 12th St. found the body of Laurence Lee Dean, 55, a transient. An autopsy showed he died of asphyxiation but had suffered a broken rib. Homicide police investigated after finding a half dozen eggs, a pack of cigarets, a bottle of wine and a $1 bill on the ground 50 feet from the bin.

Mayor Sam Yorty said he was glad to hear that Gov. Reagan "has heeded my request and will not oppose any outright repeal of the Rumford Housing Act." Yorty said he had urged Reagan on several occasions since his election to oppose repeal of the act. He recalled that he had told the governor to, "let sleeping dogs lie" in recent references to the statute. He said he had consistently "opposed" repeal of the open housing legislation because it would create tension among minority groups and had not had sufficient time and opportunity to be properly tested.

Advertised "free trips" to Las Vegas turned out to be something less than free, according to the Los Angeles police fraud detail which obtained complaints from the city attorney's office against two firms. Phillips-Marlboro Studios, 927 N. Alvarado St. and Kennedy Enterprises, 707 S. Broadway, were charged with three counts of false advertising. First the traveler had to buy a photo for $5.99 and then there were additional charges, the complaints stated.

Five students at Los Angeles Val-
ley College filed suit in Superior
Court against college president Wil-
liam J. McNelis. The suit asked the
court to set aside suspensions the

SEARCH FOR PEACE

Continued from 20th Page

Washington and Hanoi
can communicate directly
—through speeches and
statements and press con-
ferences as they did Wed-
nesday. But peace is not
usually found in broad
d daylight.

The message to Hanoi
through Kissinger and the
Frenchmen, it now ap-
pears, was sent in the
hope that if an opportuni-
ty for peace talks had been
lost in London and Mos-
cow the previous Februa-