alternatehistory.com

May 10, 1968

Viet peace talks begin in Paris

Representatives from both the United States and North Vietnam arrived in Paris today to start peace talks that could end the war in Vietnam. Ambassador W. Averell Harriman and presidential adviser Cyrus Vance met with their North Vietnamese counterparts, foreign minister Xuan Thuy and Colonel Ha Van Lau. [1] The peace talks begin just five days after a major offensive was launched by the North Vietnam and the Viet Cong, which began with an attack on the southern capital of Saigon. [2]

The location of the peace talks is not without irony, as massive riots have struck the French capital. Over the past week, student protestors have clashed with police. Students have reportedly set up barricades in the Latin Quarter, where battles between the police and students led to hundreds of injuries. The unrest, which began one week ago as small demonstration at the Sorbonne, has grown into a nationwide movement, with a general strike planned for May 13. [3] Protests have erupted across the nation over a variety of grievances. In the south of France, thousands of protesters have gathered to oppose the construction of a nuclear power plant with a similar design to the Fermi plant that melted down in 1966 near Detroit. [4][5]