Office of the Historian

396.1 GE/6–1754: Telegram

Fourteenth Restricted Session on Indochina, Geneva, June 16, 3 p.m.: The United States Delegation to the Department of State

confidential
Geneva, June 17, 1954—1 a.m.

Secto 459. Repeated information Paris 446, London 294, Tokyo 143, Saigon 172, Moscow 130, Phnom Penh, Vientiane unnumbered. Tokyo for CINCFE. Department pass Defense. Following is text of proposal submitted by Pham Van Dong at restricted Indochina meeting Wednesday, June 16:

“The participants of the Geneva Conference are agreed on the following:

1.
In the interests of establishing a stable peace in Indochina political questions must be settled on a basis of respect for the principle of complete and real sovereignty and national independence of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
2.

In order to restore the unity of Vietnam and to create a single government in Vietnam there must be carried out in the shortest possible time after the cessation of hostilities free general elections by secret ballot throughout the territory of Vietnam.

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In order to create appropriate conditions which will assure the organization of the above-mentioned elections, the following must be recognized as necessary:

a.
Withdrawal from the territory of Vietnam of all foreign troops before the organization of the elections;
b.
The international supervision of the organization of the free general elections in Vietnam by the international supervisory commission composed of …

3.
An undertaking by the belligerent parties not to prosecute the persons who collaborated with the opposing party during the war.
4.
Establishment of economic and cultural relations between France and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on a basis of equality and of mutual interests.
5.
Undertaking by each of the three states of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos to respect the independence, the unity and internal regime of the other states.
6.
Other political questions concerning Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia must be settled at a later time in the interests of consolidating peace and the guarantee of democratic rights and national interests of the peoples of Indochina.”

Smith