Aktion Hanoi - Redskins, Swiss Secret Diplomacy and the War in Vietnam, 1966-1968
Open AccessIn the aftermath of World War Two, Switzerland redefined its foreign policy and pursued a more active form of neutrality. It was in the light of this new policy of neutrality that the Swiss Federal Political Department from early 1966 on slowly approached North Vietnam in the hopes of providing its good offices in the Vietnam War. Motivated by domestic and international consideration, it authorized its ambassadors in capitals where Hanoi also had representatives to no longer avoid the North Vietnamese. By the fall, contacts between the Swiss and North Vietnamese Ambassadors in Peking established themselves as the primary channel. Swiss Ambassadors Keller and Rossetti were the spearheads of Switzerland's undertaking, traveling to embattled Hanoi and putting their own lives at risk to win the North Vietnamese's trust and improve the lot of the American POWs. After Keller's first trip, the Federal Political Department worked at institutionalizing its relationship with Hanoi and simultaneously began approaching the National Liberation Front. Switzerland's policies during the Vietnam War therefore exemplified its more active form of neutrality. In the time period from 1966 to 1968, Switzerland was able to prove its usefulness by relaying a message from the North Vietnamese Ambassador to the U.S. Ambassador in Poland. The Swiss moreover stepped in for the International Committee of the Red Cross and continuously advocated for the American POWs' rights and provided a sense of international accountability for North Vietnam. This study therefore shows the continuous usefulness of neutral countries, particularly in times when international organizations were almost paralyzed. As Swiss officials expected, they did not solve the war in Vietnam, but they were able to make a modest contribution.
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