LBJ Suspends Bombings of North Vietnam — For Now

May 14, 1965 - The Johnson Administration has ordered a temporary suspension of bombings of North Vietnam. 

All officials in Washington insisted that the reasons were “operational” — that is, for military reconnaissance and assessment. However, there were some indications that the Administration was also testing the political value of a suspension.

There have been no bombings of North Vietnam for two days. Officials said they did not know when the air strikes would be resumed. Sources in Washington, even in citing the “military” reasons, did not discourage speculation that they were using the suspension to see whether North Vietnam would respond either through diplomatic channels or through some signals in Vietnam itself.

One possible reason for the suspension was the desire to lend weight to Johnson’s appeal to North Vietnam yesterday that its interests were in negotiations “now” to end the fighting.

When the President first offered “unconditional discussions” to North Vietnam last month, there had been some regret in Washington that his words were followed immediately by a particularly severe series of air raids against that country. Those raids were cited by the Soviet Union and North Vietnam as evidence of Washington’s “insincerity.”

Another possible reason for a temporary suspension was some kind of indication through diplomatic channels that North Vietnam might be preparing to consider some negotiations.

There has been no public indication of this, but there have been some signs that North Vietnam is less firmly opposed to discussions than is Communist China and that the Hanoi regime of Ho Chi Minh has been more responsive in recent weeks to counsel of the Soviet Union, which favors an international conference.

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