Sixty Days to Peace

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Historical events are never identical, but the study of them does provide a context within which to formulate meaningful questions to order and guide decision making. And that is the purpose of our Military History Series -- not to provide blueprints for future action, but, rather, historical benchmarks to assist in forming creative responses to the ever-changing global challenges to US interests and security. An especially informative historical period took place during the last days of the US military withdrawal from Vietnam. On 23 January 1973, the President announced to the Nation that the United States and North Vietnam had reached agreement in Paris on "ending the war and restoring peace" in Vietnam. The accord provided for a Four-Party Joint Military Commission, composed of military representatives from North Vietnam, South Vietnam, the Viet Cong, and the United States, to implement certain provisions of the accord. This National Defense University military history records the experiences of the US soldiers on the US Delegation during the 60-day life of the Commission. The author, Lieutenant Colonel Walter S. Dillard, USA, was the official historian of the US Delegation and is thus uniquely qualified to write of the events marking the last days of our military presence in Vietnam. The author's analyses of these events should be instructive for those who would better understand the enigmas of US relations with the developing world, for our military who would better understand the functions of and constraints on such delegations, and for students of statecraft who would better understand the interplay between treaty-making and desired outcomes. John S. Pustay Lieutenant General, United States Army President, National Defense University