◆ SpookStack

Saat On In July 1965, it was brought to public notice,’ and subsequent admitted by the United States Department of State, that in Sey tember 1964 the North Vietnamese government offered throug U Thant to send a representative to Rangoon to meet with United States representative and discuss the ending of hostilitic in Vietnam. The United States did not reply to this offer for tw months, presumably because of the presidential election, and the rejecied it. At that time the war was going badly for the United State and Secretary of Defense McNamara is reported to have felt thi the shaky Saigon government could not survive the prospect ¢ peace talks. The reason now officially given for the rejection that Secretary of State Rusk’s “antennae” did not indicate to hi that the North Vietnamese seriously wanted to negotiate.* H apparently did not think it important to verify this by arrangir the requested quiet discussions. Later U Thant tried for an ou right cease-fire, offering to forward to the other side any tern the United States wished to propose even including the drawir of a truce line through Laos as well as Vietpam. Again he wi rebuffed by the United States. Though these facts came as a shock to most Americans an + Eric Sevareid, CBS Radio, London, July 28, 1965, and Leok, Novemb 26, 1965. * Robert McCloskey, New York Times, November 17, 1965. 30