Vietnam War: Peace Process – “Chennault Affair”

Description

Nixon’s 1968 Vietnam Peace Talks Interference

Timeline of Events: “Chennault Affair” / “Nixon’s October Surprise”

• October 16, 1968: President Lyndon B. Johnson holds a conference call with presidential candidates Richard Nixon, Hubert Humphrey, and George Wallace. He briefs them on his position regarding a potential bombing halt in Vietnam and asks them not to make speeches that could hinder negotiations. He promises to keep them informed of any breakthroughs.
• October 22, 1968: Nixon aide H.R. Haldeman makes handwritten notes during a phone conversation with Nixon. These notes include Nixon’s instructions to “Keep Anna Chennault working on” South Vietnam. Separately, under the heading “Bombing Halt,” Nixon is noted as saying: “Any other way to monkey wrench it? Anything RN [Richard Nixon] can do.”
• October 31, 1968: President Lyndon B. Johnson announces a halt to the bombing of North Vietnam, believing it will lead to peace talks to end the Vietnam War. At this time, Johnson is aware of secret communications between Nixon campaign supporters (chiefly Anna Chennault) and the South Vietnamese government aimed at influencing their approach to the peace process.
• November 2, 1968: FBI wiretaps record Anna Chennault phoning South Vietnam’s ambassador to the United States, Bui Diem, with the message: “hold on, we are gonna win.” She conveys a message from her “boss” (unidentified, but implied to be connected to the Nixon campaign) urging South Vietnam to delay engaging in peace talks, stating, “hold on, he understands all of it.” Chennault mentions her boss had just called from New Mexico (where Spiro Agnew had recently campaigned).
• November 2, 1968: President Johnson has a phone conversation with Republican Senator Everett Dirksen. Johnson informs Dirksen that South Vietnam had agreed to a bombing halt and peace talks but that Republican actions, specifically Anna Chennault’s contacts, are impacting negotiations. He shares the FBI report about Chennault’s call to Bui Diem, emphasizing the message to “hold out” until after the election. Dirksen agrees to speak with Nixon.
• November 3, 1968: President Johnson speaks with George Smathers, a conservative Democratic Senator from Florida and a friend of Nixon. They discuss reports that John Tower and Anna Chennault encouraged South Vietnam not to join peace talks. Johnson expresses concern about the Nixon campaign’s comments and reviews the negotiations and reports of Chennault’s contacts.
• November 3, 1968: President Johnson has a phone conversation with Richard Nixon. During this call, Johnson recounts the intelligence he has received concerning Anna Chennault’s contact with the South Vietnamese government.
• November 4, 1968: President Johnson holds a conference call with Secretary of Defense Clark Clifford, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, National Security Advisor Walt Rostow, and LBJ aide Jim Jones. They discuss intelligence reports of Anna Chennault’s activities. Rusk and Clifford advise Johnson against making the information public due to potential negative political repercussions for him.
• November 12, 1968: President Johnson speaks with Deputy Associate Director of the FBI Cartha “Deke” DeLoach. LBJ asks DeLoach to investigate calls between Spiro Agnew and Anna Chennault regarding efforts to dissuade South Vietnam from joining the Paris peace talks.
• January 20, 1969: The end date covered by the State Department document transcripts related to the Chennault Affair and the Johnson Administration’s peace plan efforts.
• 1973: After President Lyndon B. Johnson’s death, his former National Security Advisor Walt Rostow gives a sealed file on the Chennault matter (the “X-File”) to the director of the LBJ Presidential Library. The file is initially intended to remain secret for 50 years.
• 1994: The LBJ Presidential Library opens the “X-File.”
• 2008: The LBJ Presidential Library releases some related telephone conversations pertaining to the Chennault Affair.
• January 2, 2017: The New York Times reports that historian John A. Farrell discovered a memo written by H.R. Bob Haldeman of a conversation with Nixon, which some interpret as evidence that Nixon was aware of and potentially directed Anna Chennault’s actions.

Cast of Characters:

• Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ): The 36th President of the United States (1963-1969). During the final months of his presidency, he was actively involved in seeking a peaceful resolution to the Vietnam War and became aware of the Nixon campaign’s interference in the peace process.
• Richard Nixon (RN): The Republican nominee for President in 1968 and later the 37th President of the United States (1969-1974). The documents suggest his campaign, through Anna Chennault, actively sought to influence the South Vietnamese government’s participation in peace talks before the election. He denied involvement at the time.
• Anna Chennault: A Chinese-born Republican fundraiser and the widow of U.S. Major General Claire Chennault (commander of the Flying Tigers in WWII). She played a central role in the “Chennault Affair” by allegedly conveying messages from the Nixon campaign to the South Vietnamese government, urging them to delay peace talks until after the 1968 election.
• Bui Diem: The South Vietnamese Ambassador to the United States in 1968. Anna Chennault contacted him directly with the Nixon campaign’s message.
• H.R. Bob Haldeman: A key aide to Richard Nixon and White House Chief of Staff during his presidency. His handwritten notes from a phone conversation with Nixon in October 1968 are seen by some as evidence of Nixon’s knowledge and encouragement of Chennault’s efforts.
• Walt Rostow: President Johnson’s National Security Advisor. He maintained the White House file on the Chennault matter (the “X-File”) and later entrusted it to the LBJ Presidential Library.
• Hubert Humphrey: The Democratic nominee for President in 1968 and President Johnson’s Vice President. He was briefed by Johnson on the potential bombing halt and the importance of not undermining negotiations.
• George Wallace: The American Independent Party candidate for President in 1968. He was also briefed by Johnson on the Vietnam peace process.
• Everett Dirksen: A Republican Senator from Illinois and the Senate Minority Leader in 1968. President Johnson contacted him to discuss the intelligence regarding Anna Chennault’s activities and urged him to speak with Nixon.
• George Smathers: A conservative Democratic Senator from Florida and a friend of Richard Nixon. President Johnson discussed reports of Republican interference in peace talks with him.
• Clark Clifford: President Johnson’s Secretary of Defense. He advised Johnson against publicly revealing the information about the Nixon campaign’s actions due to potential negative political consequences for Johnson.
• Dean Rusk: President Johnson’s Secretary of State. He also advised against making the Chennault Affair public due to potential political fallout for the Johnson administration.
• Jim Jones: An aide to President Lyndon B. Johnson who participated in discussions regarding the intelligence on Anna Chennault.
• Cartha “Deke” DeLoach: Deputy Associate Director of the FBI. President Johnson requested him to investigate communications between Spiro Agnew and Anna Chennault.
• Spiro Agnew: The Republican nominee for Vice President in 1968. President Johnson requested an investigation into his potential communications with Anna Chennault regarding influencing South Vietnam.
• John Tower: A Republican Senator mentioned in connection with encouraging South Vietnam not to join peace talks.
• John A. Farrell: A historian and Nixon biographer who discovered a memo by H.R. Bob Haldeman that suggests Nixon’s awareness of Anna Chennault’s actions.
• William Safire, Cartha Deke DeLoach, Lawrence O’Brien Jr., Joseph Wright Alsop V, James H. Rowe Jr., Bryce Nathaniel Harlow: Individuals who were interviewed for oral history projects at the Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon Libraries, where the Chennault Affair was mentioned. Their specific roles in the events are not detailed in this source, but they likely had some connection to or knowledge of the political climate and events surrounding the 1968 election and Vietnam peace process.

Vietnam War: Peace Process – “Chennault Affair” – “Nixon’s October Surprise” Documents

1,606 pages of Johnson and Nixon White House, FBI, CIA, NSA, NSC and State Department files,  oral history transcripts and 2 hours and 22 minutes of audio recordings of President Johnson phone conversations, related the “Chennault Affair,” also sometimes referred to as “Nixon’s October Surprise.”

On October 31, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced a halt to the bombing of North Vietnam. Johnson believed this would result in peace talks to end the Vietnam War. At the time, Johnson knew that some supporters of the Nixon campaign, chiefly Anna Chennault, were secretly communicating with the South Vietnamese Government in an effort to affect their approach to a peace process.

Anna Chennault was a Chinese-born Republican fundraiser and widow of U.S. Major General Claire Chennault, who led the World War II Flying Tigers.  Records of FBI wiretaps show that Chennault phoned South Vietnam’s ambassador to the United States Bui Diem on November 2 with the message “hold on, we are gonna win.” When he learned of the back-channel communications, President Johnson called the effort “treason.” However, he never made the information public, fearing damaging the presidency as well as having to admit that he used government agencies to spy on Chennault and the South Vietnamese. In addition, Nixon denied involvement in the efforts.

On January 2, 2017, The New York Times reported that historian John A. Farrell, a biographer of Nixon, had found a memo written by H.R. Bob Haldeman of a conversation with Nixon, that some interpret as proof that he was cognizant of Chennault’s actions.

Highlights of this collection:

The X-File removed from the White House by Walt Rostow.

Handwritten notes dated Oct. 22, 1968,  by Nixon aide H.R. Haldeman – Notes taken during a phone conversation with Nixon. They include Nixon’s orders to “Keep Anna Chennault working on” South Vietnam, and also separately under the heading Bombing Halt, Nixon is noted as saying: “Any other way to monkey wrench it? Anything RN [Richard Nixon] can do.”

An audio recording of a phone conversation between LBJ and Richard Nixon, LBJ recounts the intelligence he has received concerning  Chennault’s contact with the South Vietnamese.

Chennault Affair –  X-File

The 185-page White House file on the Chennault matter was maintained by National Security Advisor Walt Rostow, and he kept it after leaving the White House. It contains White House, FBI, CIA, NSA, NSC and State Department files.

In 1973, after Johnson’s death, Rostow gave the sealed package to the director of the LBJ Presidential Library. Under the plain outer wrapping a letter size envelope was taped to the large inner envelope. Written on the small envelope was “the ‘X’ envelope,” so it became known as the X-File or X-envelope. At the time the file was to be kept secret, with instructions that it was to be opened 50 years later. However, the LBJ Library opened it in 1994, and released some related telephone conversations in 2008. Some of the documents remain classified.

The file contains a November 2, 1968 FBI cable reporting that a source has reported that Chennault contacted Ambassador Bui Diem to convey “a message from her boss (not further identified),” according to an FBI cable. Further it reports that Chennault said “her boss wanted her to give [the message] personally to the ambassador. She said the message was that the ambassador is to ‘hold on, we are going to win’ and that her boss also said, ‘hold on, he understands all of it.’ She repeated that this is the only message ‘he said please tell your boss to hold on.’ She advised that her boss had just called from New Mexico.” At the time Republican vice-presidential nominee Spiro Agnew had recently campaigned in New Mexico.

President Lyndon B. Johnson Phone Conversations Audio Recordings

2 hours and 22 minutes of audio recordings of LBJ phone calls related to the Chennault Affair.

Highlights include:

An October 16, 1968  conference call between LBJ, Richard Nixon, Hubert Humphrey, and George Wallace. LBJ briefed the presidential candidates on his position on a Vietnam bombing halt, asks them not to make speeches that will impair negotiations, says he will advise all of them of any break through.

A November 2, 1968 conversation with U.S. Republican Senator Everett Dirksen. LBJ says South Vietnam had agreed to a bombing halt and to participate in peace talks, discusses investigative reports of Anna Chennault’s contacts with South Vietnam government, warns Dirksen of consequences of such contacts; Dirksen says he will talk to Nixon.

LBJ emphasized that several times during mid and late October Thieu had agreed to the bombing halt but he pointed out to Dirksen that actions on the Republican side had impacted the negotiations: “Then we got some of our friends involved, some of it your old China crowd, and here’s the latest information we got. The [FBI] agent says that she’s—they’ve just talked to the ‘boss’ in New Mexico, and he says that ‘you must hold out’—just hold on until after the election. Now, we know what Thieu is saying to them out there. We’re pretty well-informed on both ends. Nixon’s man traveling with him today said quote ‘that he did not understand that Thieu was not aboard.’”

A November 3, 1968 conversion with Nixon friend George Smathers, a conservative Democrat Senator from Florida. They discussed Smathers’ Talk with an unnamed person (Richard Nixon) on reports that John Tower and Anna Chennault encouraged South Vietnam not to join peace talks; LBJ expresses concern about Nixon campaign’s comments, LBJ reviews negotiations and reports of Chennault’s contacts  .

A November 3, 1968 phone conversation between LBJ and Richard Nixon. During the conversation during LBJ recounts the intelligence he has received concerning  Chennault’s contact with the South Vietnamese.

A November 4, 1968 conference call with Secretary of Defense Clark Clifford, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, National Security Advisor Walt Rostow, and LBJ aide Jim Jones. They discuss intelligence reports of Anna Chennault’s activities. Rusk and Clifford urge that LBJ not make the information public. They cited negative political implications of the story for LBJ.

A November 12, 1968 conversation with Deputy Associate Director of the FBI Cartha “Deke” DeLoach. LBJ asks DeLoach to investigate calls between Spiro Agnew and Anna Chennault concerning efforts to influence South Vietnam not to join Paris peace talks.

State Department Document Transcripts

450 pages of State Department transcripts of telegrams, telephone conversations, memos,  and reports dating from November 1, 1968 to January 20, 1969, concerning the Chennault  Affair, and the Johnson Administration efforts for a Vietnam War peace plan.

Nixon White House Papers

351 pages of Nixon White House documents related to the Chennault  Affair and President Johnson’s Vietnam War negotiations for a bombing cessation.

President Richard Nixon Recordings Transcripts

77 pages of transcripts of two Nixon tapes containing content related to the Chennault Affair.

Oral Histories

500 pages of Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Richard M. Nixon Library oral histories. Interviews in which the Chennault Affair is mentioned. Interviewees include William Safire, Cartha Deke DeLoach, Lawrence  O’Brien Jr., Joseph Wright Alsop V, James H. Rowe Jr. and Bryce Nathaniel Harlow.