Comrade Le Duc Tho is an outstanding and talented diplomat with a sharp, strategic mind in the diplomatic sector. In particular, he left a strong impression on the history of Vietnam as a “Special Advisor” to the delegation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in the “intellectual battle” during negotiations with Henry Kissinger – U.S. Secretary of State at the Paris Conferences in 1973. After more than 200 public meetings, 45 secret high-level meetings, 500 press conferences, 1000 interviews taking place over nearly 5 years in Paris, the negotiations ended successfully with an agreement on a ceasefire in the Vietnam war and restoring peace in Vietnam, leading to the signing of the Paris Peace Accords on January 21st, 1973.
Comrade Le Duc Tho’s diplomatic talent was praised by international newspapers and media in the US and the West. The Paris Peace Accords in 1973 is a significant milestone and a historic turning point in the history of Vietnamese diplomacy in particular, and the history of the struggle for national liberation and reunification in general.
In the same year, the Nobel Committee of the Norwegian Storting made a decision in selecting both Le Duc Tho and Henry Kissinger for the Nobel Peace Prize. However, only Kissinger stepped up to the podium to receive the award when both names were honored. The reason given by Le Duc Tho sent shockwaves around the world and international communications at that time as well as caused an internal controversy in the Nobel Committee.
“When the Paris Agreement on Vietnam is respected, guns are silenced and peace is really restored in South Vietnam, I will consider the acceptance of this prize”, Le Duc Tho expressed in a telegram to the Nobel Committee.
In contrast to Mr. Le Duc Tho, Henry Kissinger agreed to accept the Nobel Peace Prize with $510,000 at that time, which sparked a wave of criticism from both American and international media. The New York Times pointed out that while ceasefire negotiations were ongoing in Paris, Kissinger and other American leaders continued the B-52 bombing campaign in Hanoi, relenting only after the infamous “Ha Noi – Dien Bien Phu in the Air”, a glorious and globe-shaking victory of Vietnamese people.
After remaining secret for 50 years, documents of nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize 1973 were declassified and released on January 1st, 2023. Many comments were left about this prize announcement.
“A total fiasco. It’s the worst prize in the entire history of the Nobel Peace Prize,” the Norwegian Nobel historian, Asle Sveen said.
“I am even more surprised than I was at the time that the committee could come to such a bad decision,” Stein Toennesson, a professor at the Peace Research Institute Oslo told Reuters after reviewing those released documents.
Hoang Thi Thanh Truc
References:
VOV WORLD. (2023). Le Duc Tho, talented advisor of historical Paris Conference.
Việt Nam News. (2021). Lê Đức Thọ – outstanding diplomat with impressive role in Paris Peace Accords.
Reuters. (2023). Nobel Prize body knew Kissinger’s 1973 Vietnam deal unlikely to bring peace, documents show.
NDTV World. (2023). This Article is From Oct 02, 2023 How 1973 Nobel Peace Prize Sent Shockwaves Around The World.
