University of Virginia Library

Katzenbach Expresses Hope
Over Viet Nam Negotiations

Nicholas DeB. Katzenbach,
U.S. Undersecretary of State, said
Wednesday that Washington is
hopeful agreement will soon be
reached with Hanoi on a time
and place for preliminary Vietnam
negotiations. He said no
agreement had been reached yet.

Mr. Katzenbach specifically denied
a Paris press report saying
the talks would open in the
French capital Friday.

Mr. Katzenbach, here for a
two-day meeting of ministers of
the Central Treaty Organization
CENTO, told a news conference
he did not know the basis for
United Nations Secretary General
Thant's prediction Tuesday
that talks might begin this week.

"I have no information that
talks will be held in Paris nor
that they will begin this week,"
he said. "To the best of my
knowledge no agreement has
been reached with Hanoi on
either a time or a place for the
talks."

Mr. Katzenbach's denial came
soon after the French government
also said it had no information
the United States and
North Vietnam planned to open
negotiations in Paris this week.

French Information Minister
Georges Gorse told newsmen
after the French cabinet's weekly
meeting, there is no new element
beyond the information we
had last week."

Mr. Gorse also appeared to be
contradicting reports that Washington
and Hanoi have agreed in
principle to open the talks in
Paris.

Mr. Katzenbach confirmed the
Laotian capital of Vientiane
has been acting as a "post office"
in attempts by Washington to
arrange negotiations.

He said the U.S. Ambassador
and the North Vietnamese
Charge D'Affaires have met there
and "handed each other pieces of
paper."

But he said this was the limit
of their contacts. He said there
have been no verbal discussions
and refused to say whether they
met in a neutral place or in
either of their embassies.

He said some of the contacts
also have been conducted
through radio broadcasts.

Mr. Katzenbach declined to
predict when agreement might be
reached. But he said, "I believe
if Hanoi is as interested as we
are, then it will be possible to
agree fairly soon on a site."

Mr. Katzenbach conceded the
negotiations are likely to be "difficult."