In a nationally broadcast speech last night, President Nixon proposed an immediate standstill cease-fire in Indochina as a "major new initiative for peace."

Declaring that "an unconventional war may require an unconventional truce," Nixon announced that he was prepared to negotiate a timetable for the complete withdrawal of North Vietnamese and American troops from the war zone.

"The time has come for the government of North Vietnam to join its neighbors in a proposal to quit making war and to start making peace," he said.

Proudly citing "the remarkable success of the Vietnamization program," Nixon reiterated his previous pledge of removing more than 260,000 men by next spring.

Comprehensive

In what had been billed as the "most comprehensive statement ever made" by an American President on the Indochina war, Nixon called for:

an immediate standstill cease-fire in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, "effectively supervised by international observers";

a mutual withdrawal of military forces over a 12-month period;

"the immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners-of-war held by both sides";

an Indochina peace conference similar to the Geneva Conference of 1954 which would bring together all involved parties.

"The United States has never sought to widen the war," said Nixon. "What we seek is to widen the peace."

"It is always easier to make war than make a truce," he added.

Although the proposal came less than three weeks before major Congressional elections, a White House spokesman said that the Administration does not treat Vietnam as a political matter and that Nixon put forward his ideas at the earliest moment when, in his best judgment, he felt he could do so reasonably.

Many members of Congress, however, including Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott (R-Penn.) have said privately that the President would time any announcement on Vietnam to coincide with the November elections. Scott, like his colleagues, applauded the moves, calling it "a new chapter in the diplomatic history of the United States."

A fifth point of the Nixon plan calls on North Vietnam to recognize that there are two sides to the conflict in the South and that any meaningful settlement must satisfy both.

"We stand firm for the right of all the South Vietnamese people to determine for themselves the kind of government they want," said Nixon.

"We will abide by the outcome of the political process agreed upon," he added.

He said that his program has the "full support" of the governments of South Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

Although the Viet Cong have, in the past, opposed many of Nixon's proposals, American officials in both Washington and Paris were optimistic on the chances for the plan. The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese delegations in Paris said that they would have no comment until later today.