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The 1968 presidential campaign was one of the most volatile in U.S. history. The peace talks on the stalemated war in Vietnam, along with the issues of too rapid progress in civil rights and the lack of law and order in America's streets, became important factors in the campaign. Although the candidates put forth quite disparate positions on the major domestic issues affecting voters, on Vietnam they "took a roughly similar position in which they promised to bring about a satisfactory resolution of the war in a way that would minimize further American losses without humiliation"1Yet while they shared the objective of peace in Vietnam, the methods by which each would bring about this resolution differed considerably. While the prospect of peace in Vietnam was not the only issue in the campaign, in certain points, and especially on the eve of voting, it played a contributing role to the Republican victory in 1968.2
The Vietnam negotiations affected the campaign; in turn, domestic American politics affected the peace talks. Democratic squabbling over Vietnam caused the administration to take a tough stance which aborted important opportunites to move the negotiations past the stage of debating preconditions and onto talks focusing upon substantive issues. Only the Democratic nominee's separation of himself from the government's position on the course of negotiations actually led to a breakthrough in Paris. However, Republican actions delayed the opening of expanded talks during 1968, and helped to prevent a Democratic victory which would have led to a peace settlement in 1969.
In late March 1968, President Lyndon Johnson changed his mind regarding the war in Vietnam and decided to end his policy of escalation. In a dramatic address to the nation on March 31, Johnson unilaterally ordered a limited bombing halt for most of North Vietnam and designated W. Averell Harriman to lead an American delegation to any resulting peace conference "for the sake of peace in Vietnam and Southeast Asia" Then he stunned the nation by announcing that he would not seek the Democratic presidential nomination.3 Thus, LBJ seemed to be sacrificing his political career on the altar of peace by setting the stage for his long sought-after peace negotiations.4
On May 13, the first "official conversations" between American and North Vietnamese representatives...