Henry Kissinger's news conference on Vietnam peace negotiations, October 1972

Henry A. Kissinger, Transcript of Kissinger's News Conference on the Status of Vietnam Peace Negotiations, October 27, 1972

Transcript of Kissinger's News Conference on the Status of Vietnam Peace Negotiations, October 27, 1972

Henry Kissinger's new conference that addressed the status of peace in Vietnam said much more than what the words actually conveyed. The news conference came only a few days before the election for that year, and Nixon won easily, even though there were allegations of corruption that had been directed at him. Despite these concerns, everyone was so impressed that he was about to make peace in Vietnam that they easily voted him back in. The President of South Vietnam refused to sign the peace document, however, and the negotiations fell through, but the election was already over with and there was nothing to be done in that regard.

The main conclusions that can be drawn from the document are (1) it was designed to ensure that Nixon was re-elected, and (2) it should have been foreseen that South Vietnam might not sign the agreement because Kissinger appeared to be leaning very heavily on what was being done in North Vietnam, which was avoiding much of the real issue. The main factor that should be taken into account when looking at the conclusions that were drawn from the document is that having something like this taking place in an election year was almost 'too good to be true,' and it is somewhat surprising that the American people 'fell for' this peace negotiation in the face of the problems that Nixon was already having. However, the early 1970s were a much different time period than today, and people seemed in general to be more trusting and less suspicious of government, media, and other outlets for information on what was taking place in this country and others. These people also seemed as though they had more respect for the President and other world leaders, which is something that appears to be more lacking today.

The document was prepared to tell everyone what was taking place in Vietnam and how peace was soon to be made in that country, but it was also to ensure that Nixon was re-elected despite the corruptions allegations that were circulating. The audience for the document included the entirety of the American people, most of which were so grateful to hear that peace would be coming to Vietnam and their fathers/sons/brothers/etc. would be coming home soon that they overlooked some of the crucial flaws in the information that Kissinger was providing to them in the form of the document in question. Even though there are many peace issues that are discussed openly in the document, there are other background factors that are not mentioned, such as the true feelings of the Presidents of North and South Vietnam. The document does not actually address how these leaders really feel about the peace negotiations or whether their countries are receiving a 'good deal' when it comes to the signing of the treaty. All of the specifics of what the treaty will do for the American public or the American government are also not addressed in what the document actually says.