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THE NEGOTIATIO? | CZZLE . } created something of a crisis of confidence in the government, a careful reading of the New York Times shows that the United States has rejected no fewer than seven efforts to negotiate an end to the war. . As early as the fall of 1963, at a press conference right after Diem’s assassination, Secretary Rusk turned down a French pro- posal for a neutral, independent South Vietnam.’ Hanoi, at this time, expressed willingness to discuss the establishment of a coali- tion, neutralist government in South Vietnam.‘ In July 3964, the United States rejected a suggestion by U Thant for reconvening the Geneva Conference® of the nine nations that had negotiated the original settlement of the Indochina War in 1954. In December 1964, Ho Chi Minh notified France of his desire to discuss an accommodation with the United States; and in early February . 1965, President de Gaulle, at the urging of North Vietnam, re- quested a reconvening of the Geneva Conference to discuss the future of Southeast Asia and the United Nations.© There were indications that the People’s Republic of China would have been willing to attend and that withdrawal of United States forces from South Vietnam would not have been a prerequisite, provided even- tual withdrawal could be expected as a result of a peace settIcment. The Administration’s reaction was to say that we had given France no mandate to act as a mediator and were not interested in a return to the conference table at that time. On February 24, the Sovict Union, angering some of the other Communist countries by doing so, joined France to press for reconvening the Geneva Conference to negotiate a settlement for South Vietnam.7 At this same time U Thant suggested possible preliminaries to a Geneva-type conference to discuss a possible peace settlement: interlinked dialogues* among the parties most directly involved, and an informal seven-power conference,® including all the Geneva * Marcus Raskin and Bernard Fall, Vietnam Reader (New York: Ran- dom House, 1965). ‘New York Times, March 9, 1965, and Manchester Guardian, August 9, 5 ee New York Times, March 9, 1965. * Drew Middleton, New York Times, February 23, 1965. 7 Drew Middleton, New York Times, February 25, 1965. - * Thomas Hamilion, New York Times, February 25, 1965. * Thomas Hamilton, New York Times, March 9, 1965,