Russ Leng (political science professor at Middlebury College) presents the second in his three-part online series. This week the class will focus on the Vietnam War and the “back-channel” negotiations between Henry Kissinger and North Vietnam’s Le Duc Tho from 1969 to 1973. Leng will talk about the dynamics of negotiation between a traditional statesman and a revolutionary leader, the intersection of war and diplomacy, and the fraught relationship between the U.S. and its South Vietnamese ally. The class will conclude by considering whether Nixon and Kissinger believed that they had obtained “peace with honor,” or merely a face-saving “decent interval” before a North Vietnamese victory. The class’s knowledge of the decision-making on the U.S. side is aided by President Nixon’s practice of taping all his Oval Office discussions.

Course information and registration is available at www.friendsofsnowlibrary.org/lifetime-learning-program. You must register at least 48 hours prior to the class.