In this conference call with the three presidential candidates, President Johnson reviews recent developments on Vietnam and his conditions for imposing a total bombing halt on the North. Hanoi had demanded a cessation of bombing for peace talks to move forward; for his part, Johnson needed to have assurance that the North would refrain from shelling civilians in South Vietnamese cities, respect the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Vietnam, and consent to Saigon’s participation in peace talks. With Hanoi moving toward acceptance of those conditions, the stage was set for a bombing halt—and the emergence of a new dynamic in the presidential race.

Date:  Oct 16, 1968
Participants:  Lyndon B. Johnson, Hubert H. Humphrey, Jr., Richard M. Nixon, George C. Wallace, Jr.
Conversation Number:  WH6810-04-13547