Countering the United States in Vietnam } 255
article did not identify the unprincipled country, but that was clear enough.
A few days later Nhan Dan characterized Nixon’s policy as:
dividing the socialist countries, winning over one section and pitting
it against another in order to oppose the national liberation movement
and carry out a counter-revolutionary peace evolution in socialist coun-
tries. Nixon’s policy also consists of trying to achieve a compromise be-
tween the big powers in an attempt to make smaller countries bow to
their arrangements.^46
While condemning China’s policy in elliptical terms, DRV media censored
until late 1971 all actual news of Kissinger’s July and October 1971 visits to
Beijing and Nixon’s upcoming visit. Beijing did what it could to assuage VWP
anger. Shortly after Kissinger’s July 1971 visit, Zhou sent a message to Hanoi
outlining the contents of talks with the American envoy. A PRC delegation
to Hanoi followed to continue explaining China’s move. When informed that
Vietnam would be on the agenda of the forthcoming talks with Nixon, VWP
leaders objected strongly. China had no right to negotiate for Vietnam or to
discuss matters regarding Vietnam with Nixon. PRC representatives tried to
persuade their VWP comrades that China still stood squarely behind the DRV.
Moscow was quick to exploit the new PRC-DRV tensions. President
Podgorny arrived in Hanoi in early October 1971 to preside over agreement
on new and substantial economic and military assistance programs to the
DRV. A high-level Soviet military mission arrived soon after Podgorny’s visit
to help plan the massive offensive against South Vietnam that would begin in
March 1972. That offensive would begin barely a month after Nixon’s China
visit and the signature of the Shanghai Communiqué with its anti-hegemony
provision. Hanoi’s 1972 offensive was Moscow and the DRV’s response to
Sino-American rapprochement.
Nixon responded to Hanoi’s 1972 offensive by ordering the mining of DRV
harbors, a move that effectively cut DRV sea communications for the rest of
the war. Nixon also unleashed on the DRV two waves of the most intense and
sustained bombing of the war. In spring and again at year’s end, the United
States for the first time in the entire war deployed heavy B-52 bombers against
DRV military targets even in previously restricted areas, and in an intense and
sustained fashion. Only the buffer zone with China was maintained. VWP
leaders noted that Washington dared take these moves only after improved
ties with China. Washington’s fear of Chinese intervention had evaporated
and with it earlier constraints on US military blows against North Vietnam.
China did what it could to help the DRV withstand the new US onslaught.
The number of Soviet and East European trains carrying goods across China
to the DRV was increased. Soviet and East European ships were allowed to
unload goods at ports in south China for overland shipment to the DRV.