Paris Peace Accords
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
The Paris Peace Accords of 1973
On January 27, 1973 the Paris Peace Accords, an agreement intended to end the Vietnam War, was signed at the Hotel Majestic in Paris, France. The agreement was signed by representatives of the four governments involved in the conflict at the time: the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam); the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam); the Provisional Revolutionary Government (Vietcong); and the United States.
The main points of the Agreement were as follows:
- Immediate ceasefire between North and South Vietnamese forces;
- Withdrawal of US and other non-Vietnamese troops to be completed within sixty days;
- Release of US prisoners of war and repatriation of the remains of deceased troops;
- Negotiations between the Saigon government and the Vietcong to allow South Vietnamese people to discern their political future through democratic elections;
- Reunification of Vietnam to be achieved “step by step through peaceful means”.
The Agreement was signed for the United States by Henry Kissinger. The United States paid a high human cost for the defense of South Vietnam: throughout the nation, more than 58,000 men and women are known to have lost their lives in the war; Michigan is known to have lost 2,657.
Sadly, the Paris Peace Accords did not spell the end of the Vietnam War. The agreement was frequently broken by both North and South. Gradually, North Vietnamese forces occupied more and more southern provinces, capturing Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, on April 30, 1975. This total defeat marked the end of the thirty-year Vietnam War and led to the reunification of Vietnam and the formation of a socialist republic, governed by the Communist Party of Vietnam.
To commemorate the City of Troy’s 60th Anniversary in 2015, we will publish a different story each day that highlights a person, discovery, or event that occurred locally, regionally, nationally, or even globally between 1955 and 2015 and that helped shape our lives and our community. We will try to post stories on important anniversary dates, but we also realize that dates are less critical than content and context. We will include the facts related to controversial stories, allowing our readers to form their own opinions. We invite you to read and comment on the stories. Your suggestions for topics are also welcome and can be posted on our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/TroyHistoricVillage. You can also email stories or ideas to the 365 Story Editor at ed@thvmail.org.
