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laid out by the Republic of Vietnam durin 54 PEACE = JVIETNAN be barred from all negotiation, since it is “only an instrumery created by the Communist North Vietnamese.” The Ieafict alse declared that negotiations could take place only after “precondi tions (such as the withdrawal of Communist troops and cadres’ g eventual preliminary = me owt een eeoted and carried ott.” This withdraws talks will have been accepiea and Carried out. This wit! was further specified as meaning “previous withdrawal of the Vict cong armed units and political cadres” as well as those of ths North Vietnamese. This amounted to a denial of the President’ offer of “unconditional” discussions. A senior North Vietnamese diplomat announeed that, sinc major North Vietnamese objectives are reunification ard neutral ization of Vietnam, withdrawal of United States forces and : coalition government in South Vietnam were essential to am settlement, and therefore negotiations on President Johnsen’ terms would amount to surrender.?4 On April 8, 1965, Premie Pham Van Dong of the Democratic Republic (North Vietnam. stated the Four Points, to be discussed below, as the basis o1 which it would agree to a Geneva-type conference for negotiatin; a peace settlement. The National Liberation Front’s negotiating position, which ha hardened in March as soon as the first United States Marine landed in South Vietnam, was now matched by a hardening o North Vietnam’s position as indicated by Hanoi’s refusal to re ceive U Thant or, finally, even letters from him.*? North Vietnan also refused to receive British missions to explore the possibilit of negotiations. Even if the United States’ negotiating position were to become clear and reasonably satisfactory to North Viet nam, Hanoi was not likely to agree to negotiate while Unite: States bombings continued. In mid-May, hard-pressed by critics at home and abroad, th United States halted its bombing of North Vietnam. It was late revealed *4 that Secretary of State Rusk transmitted a sccret mes sage to Hanoi at this time through the North Vietnamese Embass in Moscow. The message stated that the bombing suspension cou), = New York Times, April 10, 1965. ™Drew Middleton, New York Times, December 3, 1965, ® Editorial, New York Times, December 30, 1965.