Ceasefire Negotiations

[Dr. Hendrei Gromsinger]

Sidenote: the phase will have to be extended by a week, so that we can have the first week of negotiations without sudden offensives. The second week of negotiations, if there is no ceasefire by then, is fair game.

Neuchâtel, Switzerland:

The representatives meet in this lovely Swiss town, mediated by the fiercely neutral (and immune to influence rolls) Swiss. Most representatives have come in by train from Zurich or Geneva, strategically separated by hours and housed in different hotels. 

At a heavily secured room in a lakeside hotel, they are all ushered in to sit down and talk it out. Perhaps they may attain a ceasefire at least, if not a peace accord.

[Frederick the Great]

The South Vietnamese delegation is headed Ngo Dinh Diem. Also present is Ngo Dinh Nhu, Diem's younger brother and Chief Advisor. Apart from these two General Cao Van Vien, Chief of SV's Armed Forces as well as other prominent government and military members are here as well.

After the usual meeting and greeting, the South Vietnamese delegation goes first, letting everyone know that their Government had established some informal contacts with the Northern Government (Santa Anna) which had proposed a two-week-long ceasefire, which the South hasn't agreed to, the South wishes to have a whole month for ceasefire, however is open to further negotiation on this.
The delegation is also willing to work for a peace settlement as well, if the need arises.

[Santa Anna]

The North Vietnamese delegation is headed by  Le Duan and Le Duc Tho, Politburo member, along with an assortment of lesser figures. 

The North Vietnamese respond that they are open to a month-long ceasefire, but any peace resulting from it shall not be a mockery against the North.

[Frederick the Great]

SV accepts that they will not target the Communists or in any case mock or belittle them for accepting the ceasefire.

The Chinese (Carlos III) are then offered the same deal, one-month-long ceasefire without any political targeting/mockery of the other side

[Carlos III]

The Chinese delegation is headed by Vice-Chairman Zhu De, and alongside him are Defense Minister Peng Dehuai, Vice-Premier Lin Biao and none other than the Foreign Minister Zhou Enlai.
Zhu De responds that the PRC agrees to a one month ceasefire.

[Frederick the Great]

With the ceasefire negotiation over, Ngo Dinh Diem passes a paper to his American
(Tolbethessar) allies asking if they should go ahead with starting the peace negotiations as the Southern Vietnamese have no idea how to start that conversation.

[Tolbethessar]

Apparently, the negotiations for a ceasefire has been rushed and completed so quickly. The Americans, led by the Secretary of State, John Dulles himself, explains that while USA has formally made a declaration of war, it shall comply with a ceasefire between the Vietnamese and the Chinese (and the VC terrorists as well) long as it remains in effect.

Americans will not fire upon anyone except in cases of self-defense. All nationalities (and organizations) should pay heed to this very much so.

Oct 27, 2019 12:43:13 GMT Frederick the Great said:

With the ceasefire negotiation over, Ngo Dinh Diem passes a paper to his American
(Tolbethessar) allies asking if they should go ahead with starting the peace negotiations as the Southern Vietnamese have no idea how to start that conversation.

Dulles recommend that an inquiry is made to examine where the goalposts of peace should began at.

"Perhaps ultimately... A peaceful integration of between the Vietnamese people (the legal government) and the illegal adversaries is suggested. Those who has been participating in uprisings, riots and attacks, etc.. would have to be placed into temporary custody. The higherups would be preferably held to a public trial for their treason, but may be waived in favor of promoting peace instead. However, trust would be still an issue, so a long-term solution might have to incorporate some form of probation and protection for a while, a long while I may add.

On top of that, reparations and a formal apology from the Communist Chinese for their wrongful involvement in the Vietnamese struggle of politics would be necessary to prevent a return to full-footing war."

[Frederick the Great]

Capitalising on the situation Diem after Dulles has spoken gives his on viewpoint of the situation, but also expands on the American idea.

"We agree with the stance of our American allies. In order for an eventual reunification of Vietnam we demand that the Communist Party of Vietnam and it's associated agencies be dissolved and it's leadership arrested and then made to present it's case in a court of law.

Apart from this the Government, the Military and the Paramilitary would be disbanded as well and the members that had committed the most serious crimes too shall be presented in court".

"And one more thing" says Cao Van Vien. "The State of Vietnam is not going to withdraw even an inch of territory it has reclaimed from the Communists. It will stay the way it is, as it is being progressively rebuilt".

[Carlos III]

Zhu De would have raised an eyebrow at Dulles' suggestion of an apology, if he wasn't the Vice-Chairman. He simply responds,
"North Vietnam had agreed to the deployment of the PVA, and the PVA had remained passive until South Vietnam attacked our positions, which were well away from the initial frontline. We have lost more than 50,000, up to 100,000, men prior to now. Hence, we reject all requests for reparations or apologies."

[Frederick the Great]

Ngo Dinh Nhu quickly replies to Zhu De with "And why will you NOT repay Vietnam in reparations? Everything you have done had contributed only negatively and towards death and destruction in Vietnam. Even though we have managed to save Earth by killing 80000 of your men while you're planning on sending half a million more! Not to mention that you're illegally occupying OUR CITIES of Phu Ly, An Khai, Hai Duong and parts of Hanoi? It must take a lot of courage to deny us, a nation being colonised by YOU war reparations, wouldn't it?"

[Carlos III]

Vice-Premier Lin Biao speaks out,"We have merely acted defensively. We had withdrawn well away from the frontline to only around Hanoi, safeguarding the people. Everything we have done to contain the war you started. Meanwhile, you have killed civilians by burning down forests. You have bombed cities and attacked unprovoked, causing the deaths of tens of thousands Vietnamese people. There is more blood on your hands than ours, yet you tell us we have contributed "towards death and destruction in Vietnam?"
Zhou Enlai nods in approval. Meanwhile, Zhu De writes a note and passes it to the North Vietnamese delegation (Santa Anna), telling them that the PRC is fully prepared to pay "reparations" to North Vietnam for "not containing the war sooner".

[Frederick the Great]

"Oh for the love of God, I haven't heard as many lies in quite a while as I am hearing right now!" Speaks up Cao Van Vien. "You're telling us that you acted in defense, however, the tanks you have amassed that are more than six hundred say something else! Right now you ARE defending, but of course it won't take you much longer to go on an offensive now would it?

You tried to contain the war we started? Really? Oh right by deploying troops to combat when we had captured Haiphong, right! Guess that's how they contain wars in China no?

Oh and lastly, no, about the age-old argument of "who started the fires?" It wasn't us, in fact we don't even have civilians living in Ha Tinh Province, and the Northern population on the "old border" was mainly concentrated in Vinh, which wasn't affected by the fires. And the bombing of cities though is unfortunate, there is nothing we can do about the people that live in those cities. Now, please get your facts right the next time you falsely accuse someone!"

[Santa Anna]

"You're one to talk about going on the offense, aren't you?" Le Duan finally chimes in to respond to the South. "All we wanted was to be left alone, but you saw fit to launch an attack against us completely unprovoked. The blood of thousands is on your hands, all because of your pride!"

"We fully agreed to host the Chinese troops on our soil. This should have been none of your concern. If you hadn't decided to bulldoze your way through North Vietnam, you would not have had to worry about them, I promise you. And it's funny how you all address our government as 'war criminals' when you lot were the ones who attacked us with no good reason. Your government deserves to be put on trial much more than ours!"

Meanwhile, Le Duc Tho passes a note back to the Chinese delegation (Carlos III) that although money from them would be gladly accepted, there is no need for "reparations."

[Frederick the Great]

Instead of rambling about the same thing over and over again like these people, Diem passes another note to the Americans (Tolbethessar) stating: "threaten them with nuclear weapons, they'll understand us that way".

[Tolbethessar]

Waving his hands just above the table's surface, Dulles tries to get the attention of the squabbling delegates. He sighed and held one hand up firmly.

Oct 29, 2019 0:47:25 GMT Frederick the Great said:

Instead of rambling about the same thing over and over again like these people, Diem passes another note to the Americans (Tolbethessar) stating: "threaten them with nuclear weapons, they'll understand us that way".

Quickly reading the note, he shook his head briefly, "No need for that in this particular moment yet."

Speaking directly to the PRC's delegation, "Your rationalizations, justifications..." Dulles spoke firmly, "They will be addressed. In legal terms, you clearly present a very poor case before the court, so to speak."

Now a little louder, to ensure that the US representative is heard, Dulles continued, "You're claiming that only one side of an internal strife within a sovereign nation is sufficient authority to permit you intervening, meddling into their private affairs. That is in fact your position that you've taken, let that be understood clearly and carefully. So while Ho Chi Minh doesn't speak for the legal government in Saigon, let alone all of Vietnam, nor not even just half, but much less than a half, he has extended a personal invitation to the PVA to engage in what could be termed as the Vietnamese Civil War here (that is, if the terrorists were ever considered more than quasi-legal, not tampering with election fraud, only if)."

Stepping up from the table, Dulles points out in arms outstretched, "Anybody recall that there's also an ongoing civil war just across the gulf between the subcontinent and the island? The two republics claims to the same nation? The Chinese Civil War does not have an official conclusion to it yet. I hope you understand the ramifications in your statement that it's perfectly legal for you to intervene on the behalf of your fellow Communists to turn around the tide of war. By the same token, America would be also entirely within its rights to enter the Chinese Civil War to reverse the gains the PRC had made on the mainland on the behalf of the exiled government of ROC."

"We're talking about full invasion fleets, amphibious landings, city sieges," Dulles recalled while listing on the fingers of a hand, "Aerial bombings, oh and yes, nuclear strikes (preferably limited to small scale if it comes to that)." A chuckle appears. "Well well, I don't think you would like Americans meddling in what would be only private affairs between Chinese to Chinese here, now. But if all is fair in war as you seems to think so, then it certainly would goes both ways,over there!"

"I wouldn't be surprised if you fall back to the old line of 'you have no right to intervene in our private affairs'," Dulles snorted, "How would you even justify that but whilst also meddling in Vietnam. No sir, your hand is caught in the cookie jar. You have been a bad child."

OOC: It's pretty par for the course for a 1950s American to be condescending toward Asians, so Dulles' behavior is not surprising.