Peace Proposals, Diplomacy, and War: Was an Opportunity Lost for an Early Settlement in Vietnam?

This forum includes essays by six leading experts on the Vietnam War discussing the recent book by James G. Hershberg, Marigold: The Lost Chance for Peace in Vietnam (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2012), which recounts the various secret efforts mediated by East European governments to foster peace talks between the United States and North Vietnam that would bring an end to the war. All of the commentators praise the book and the scope of Hershberg’s research, but most of them do not share Hershberg’s belief that a major chance for peace was genuinely “lost.” All the commentators agree that Hershberg provides a rich, nuanced analysis and has performed a valuable service in outlining future directions for research on the topic. The forum ends with a reply by Hershberg to the six contributors.