| Publication |
2013.
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| Summary/Abstract |
U.N. Secretary General U. Thant (1961-1971), a vocal and persistent critic of the American war effort in Vietnam, attempted, with little success, to initiate negotiations to end the war. His efforts included public calls for negotiating formats that would include all the parties to the conflict, such as a reconvening of the Geneva Conference, and behind-the-scenes diplomacy to produce direct negotiations between the United States and North Vietnam. This article argues that Thant's failure to serve as a mediator had less to do with his own skills as a diplomat than they had to do with the Johnson administration's determination to achieve a military solution to the war. In this regard, the results of Thant's efforts were little different from those of other would-be mediators who also tried and failed to initiate negotiations.
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