Stories about the "talented peacemaker"

(On the occasion of the 100th birthday of comrade Le Duc Tho (October 10, 1911 - October 10, 2011)

(Baonghean) -After more than 5 years of negotiations in Paris, the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam was officially signed. Comrade Le Duc Tho was the person who made an important contribution to the early official signing of the Paris Agreement on Vietnam. People called him “The Outstanding Peacemaker”. There have been many anecdotes and touching stories about him.

* Unforgettable impression:The first time comrade Le Duc Tho and Kissinger met was on February 21, 1970. The meeting place was house number 11, Dathes street, Choisy Le Roi town (France). Right from the first meeting, he left Kissinger with unforgettable impressions. Kissinger's diary had a passage: "With gray hair and imposing appearance, Le Duc Tho always wore a gray suit or a maroon. He always appeared very calm, his attitude was always impeccable...".

In July 1972, the Politburo advocated shifting from a war strategy to a peace strategy in order to implement Uncle Ho's teaching "Fight to drive the Americans out, fight to topple the puppets". Following the Politburo's direction on October 8, 1972, advisor Le Duc Tho proactively proposed a draft Agreement to end the war and restore peace in Vietnam. After hearing advisor Le Duc Tho read the draft Agreement, Kissinger immediately wrote in his diary: "Most of my colleagues and I immediately understood the magnitude of what we had just heard...".

On October 20, 1972, the two governments of Vietnam and the United States agreed to sign the Agreement on October 31, 1972. However, the White House reneged. Despite the White House's reneging, but with a broad perspective, with a diplomatic method that was both flexible and persistent, yet firm and resolute, advisor Le Duc Tho still skillfully "steered" the Vietnam-US negotiations into the "right orbit".... Then, after many efforts and perseverance, the Paris Agreement on Vietnam was finally signed. After that event, comrade Le Duc Tho was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, but he refused to accept it. In 2002, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize (1902 - 2002), Nevis issued a stamp with a portrait of advisor Le Duc Tho and recalled the "event" of his not accepting the award. It is for these reasons that he is one of the figures honored as the world's outstanding "Peacemaker".

"...I could have done better if the person across the table negotiating the Paris Agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in South Vietnam had not been Mr. Le Duc Tho" - Secretary of State under President Richard Nixon, Henry Kissinger, recently admitted. Not stopping there, Mr. Kissinger also expressed his admiration for Mr. Tho by praising his talent and loyalty, which, according to Mr. Kissinger, was superior to that of the Americans. "Mr. Tho "dissected" us like a talented surgeon with skillful hands holding a scalpel", Mr. Kissinger recalled.

Advisor Le Duc Tho (left) and Mr. Henry Kissinger. Photo: Archive

One day, after the negotiation, Henry Kissinger told Mr. Le Duc Tho: "Although we only met for 45 minutes, you completely confused us." A year ago, in a speech at a conference on history related to Southeast Asia by the US at the US State Department, Mr. Henry Kissinger also admitted that the US underestimated the resilience of the leaders of North Vietnam at that time; that the people of the "S" shaped country were too resilient and did not flinch in the face of the enemy. "Washington wanted to compromise but Hanoi was determined to win," he admitted. During the conference, Mr. Kissinger also expressed disappointment and regret that the war had "buried" an entire generation of Americans.

*Special ring of advisor Le Duc Tho:In his memoirs, Mr. Henry Kissinger mentioned many times his opponent at the negotiating table, special advisor Le Duc Tho. He admitted that Le Duc Tho was a person with a flexible and sharp negotiating style. He clearly remembered the first moment he met the Vietnamese diplomat on February 21, 1970. He described Le Duc Tho as having gray hair, a majestic appearance, always wearing a cadre's suit, wide and bright eyes, rarely revealing his thoughts. But there was one detail that Kissinger never mentioned in his memoirs: the shiny ring that advisor Le Duc Tho always wore during each negotiation. Simply, it was a ring forged from a piece of the wreckage of an American plane shot down over North Vietnam!

*Special gift:After the Paris Agreement was signed, on February 8, 1973, Mr. Henry Kissinger visited Hanoi. The person who welcomed the American advisor was none other than his old acquaintance: special advisor Le Duc Tho. He took Kissinger to visit the History Museum. When he heard that the Vietnamese people had defeated the Yuan army three times, Mr. Kissinger exclaimed: "For us, fighting you once is more than enough!"

During the farewell meal, enjoying the yellow sticky rice wine distilled in the Nam Dinh countryside, American advisor Kissinger kept nodding and was delighted when advisor Le Duc Tho gave him two bottles of clear wine, corked with dried banana leaves.

Nguyen Viet Chinh