Eisenhower Library, James C. Hagerty papers
Hagerty Diary, April 29, 1954
[Extracts]
In at 8:00—Presidential press conference at 9:00.1
In briefing with President went over in detail Geneva and Indo China, Oppenheimer, Stevens-McCarthy Hearings, and FHA. On Geneva President said, “How can I say much about it when Foster is having a hard enough job over there as it is.” On Indo China the President said that he would discuss the situation in general outline only but would admit that the French have requested additional assistance from us—he also wanted to make it clear that British refusal to go along on assistance had nothing to do with our plans—“The French have built up Dien Bien Phu as a symbol and are trying to hold it against impossible odds. They are losing seasoned troops and most of the green reinforcements they are trying to parachute in. Navarre wouldn’t take our advicer—why I don’t know—on ways to relieve Dien Bien Phu.” President told me later than Navarre had sent only a small column for relief of Dien Bien Phu and that this column had been ambushed and cut to pieces—The French are also losing a lot of planes and paratroopers to Red anti-aircraft by stupidly radioing their positions in French as they approach the place, instead of using code. All the Viet Minh have to do is listen to the radio to find out when a drop is coming over the fortress, stand by and wait for it, and then let the flight have it.
[Page 1430]Press conference went very well and the President was pleased at the end of it.
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Late in the afternoon went out on lawn with the President to hit some golf balls and we again renewed discussion of Indo China. He told me that NSC meeting2 in the morning had been quite controversial but that decision had been reached to hold up for the time being any military action on Indo China until we see how Geneva coming along.
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