Office of the Historian

312. Telegram From the Ambassador in India (Cooper) to the Embassy in Vietnam1

New Delhi, March 13, 1956—8 p.m.

48. Saigon for Secretary State.

Desai2 told me today that Nehru had referred to him issue of TERM, after Secretary State’s talk with Nehru this subject.3

Desai made following points:

1.
GOI on basis of information available did not consider operation inconsistent with Geneva Agreement, if its purpose was to reduce volume armament.
2.
Operations should take place under supervision or with cognizance of ICC, and not outside its jurisdiction. Within this principle, there was precedent for introduction of personnel for limited time and purpose, in that ChiCom group had entered North Vietnam for short time, after giving notice to ICC.
3.
United States Ambassador Saigon should ask French as recipients of armament to notify ICC of term, purposes, number of personnel, approximate dates entry and exit.
4.
ICC would perform following functions:
(a)

As to personnel.

Check on entry and exit.

(b)
As to equipment.

ICC should be notified as to exit dates and inventory of equipment. ICC would have no reason to inspect equipment in exit against inventories, except in case of equipment which was to be replaced.

Desai noted that Polish member would probably question operation but he repeated there was precedent. He also said Polish might want to check all equipment in exit, but he would be overruled except as to that to be replaced. He noted that United States might not want Polish to know of entry and exit personnel and exit equipment, but stated that recognition should be given to ICC responsibilities.

Cooper
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/3–1356. Secret; Priority. Repeated for information to the Department, London, Ottawa, and Paris. The source text is the copy sent to the Department of State.↩
  2. Manilal Jagdish Desai, Indian Secretary for Commonwealth Relations and former Chairman of the ICC.↩
  3. See supra.↩