Nixon Sabotages 1968 Paris Talks

In 1968, during the U.S. presidential campaign, Richard Nixon feared that a breakthrough at the Paris peace talks between North and South Vietnam might end the war and damage his chances of winning. According to later accounts, he sent an aide through back-channel contacts to urge the South Vietnamese government to stall and withdraw from the negotiations. South Vietnam then pulled back from the talks just before a possible breakthrough. This move helped prolong the Vietnam War while Nixon campaigned on the promise of achieving “peace with honor.”

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