851G.00/4–2246: Telegram
The Vice Consul at Hanoi (O’Sullivan) to the Secretary of State
[Received April 23—5:19 p.m.]
Following the incident on Easter Sunday, on the night of 20–21, Hanoi was quiet as the city closed at an early hour and in the evening the streets were practically deserted.
Friction will continue between the Chinese and the French as long as the Chinese stay in Indo-China. There appears to be no valid [Page 37] reason for Chinese troops to stay here as the French have taken the responsibility for keeping peace.
The French Command used extreme restraint to stop the shooting and to contain the incident yesterday as well as on other occasions. It was reported yesterday by reliable eye witnesses that Chinese sentries fired at French guards or into French vehicles without drawing fire. It appears that the policy of the French is to avoid any possible friction with the Chinese without regard to the amount of “loss of face”. The fact that about 20,000 French civilians located in Hanoi would suffer considerably if large scale fighting broke out between the French and the Chinese explains the action of the French. It appears that the French have orders to shoot only in self defense.
Apparently the Chinese have conducted themselves as conquerors from the time that they arrived in September of last year. In some cases they have indulged in wanton destruction and widespread looting. It seems as if the Chinese have no desire to prevent incidents from occurring.
Sent State Dept, Chungking and Nanking.