Le Duc Tho: Meet the man who refused Nobel Peace Prize

In the long history of the Nobel Peace Prize, the only person who has ever refused to accept the Nobel Peace Prize was a Vietnamese diplomat. His name was Le Duc Tho. His decision in 1973 remains one of the most remarkable moments in the award’s history.The Nobel Committee gave the Peace Prize jointly to Le Duc Tho of North Vietnam and Henry Kissinger, the US Secretary of State. The two were known for their efforts in negotiating the Paris Peace Accords, a landmark agreement which aimed to end the Vietnam War.

The Vietnam War was fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam from 1955 and 1975. The war had claimed millions of lives, displaced countless civilians and triggered massive anti-war protests in the US and around the world.

In 1973, the Paris Peace Accords were signed in January 1973 between the US, North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and the Viet Congress, but within months of signing the accord, war resumed between North and South Vietnam, as both violated the ceasefire.While Henry Kissinger accepted the award, Le Duc Tho declined, stating, “When the Paris Agreement on Vietnam is respected, guns are silenced and peace is really restored in South Vietnam, I will consider the acceptance of this prize.”

He further said, “Kissinger’s realpolitik was ill-suited to an open and democratic society, where it is difficult to invoke distant ends to justify unpalatable means.”

Many critics argued that Kissinger was responsible for the US bombing campaigns in Vietnam and Cambodia, leading the New York Times to call it the ‘War Prize.’

Nearly a decade later, he spoke about his decision in an interview with UPI, “The Nobel Committee made a big mistake. This is a prize for peace. The thing here is, who is the one who has created peace? The ones who fought against the US and established peace for the country are us, not the US.”

When asked if he would now accept the prize, he said, “Yes, but only if the prize is awarded to me only.”

Who was Le Duc Tho?

Le Duc Tho was born in 1911 in Nam Dinh Province and became involved in Vietnamese nationalism as a teenager, and was nicknamed ‘The Hammer.’ In 1930, he helped found the Indochinese Communist Party.

He spent several years in French colonial prisons, including the notorious ‘tiger cage’ on Poulo Condore Island. After his release in 1945, Le Duc Tho helped lead the Viet Minh against the French until the Geneva Accords of 1954. He held key positions in South Vietnam and joined the Communist Party Politburo in 1955.

He was the first Asian to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, but refused to accept it.