851G.00/11–2946: Telegram

The Ambassador in France (Caffery) to the Secretary of State65

5857. The French are very concerned over developments in Indochina. A high Foreign Ministry official said they are particularly worried because they have “positive proof that Ho Chi Minh is in direct contact with Moscow and is receiving advice and instructions from the Soviets.”66

Repeated London as 780, Moscow as 416.

Caffery
  1. Repeated by the Department to Hanoi as No. 15 and to Saigon as No. 299.
  2. Consul Reed, in telegram 463, December 2, 1946, 3 p.m., from Saigon, in response reported “Majority my contacts confirm generally development of Communist setup in FIC, chiefly in Tonkin, North Annam”, as previously telegraphed (851G.00/12–246). Hanoi had sent a number of telegrams and despatches in regard to fighting at Haiphong between French and Vietnamese forces since November 23, following various incidents earlier and a French ultimatum to Vietnam to evacuate certain areas.