851G.01/6–2349: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Consulate General at Saigon 1
112. As soon as practicable you shld in your discretion see Pignon re his replies to press questions reported urtel 205 Jun 232 making abundantly clear Dept’s press statement June 21 expresses hope (1) of US Govt that Mar 8 agreement will be starting point for progressive realization legit aspirations Vietnamese and (2) that continuing statesmanship on part French will induce acceleration this development.
Foregoing clarification believed desirable as Pignon’s reply under (a) and last sentence (b) in reftel wld appear indicate he (and French in general) accepts Mar 8 agreement as end in itself whereas in US views that agreement, tho creating partial basis for future Vietnam independence, is but step toward solution Vietnam problem. In Dept’s thinking French in course of time will find it not only politically advantageous but also necessary and possible to move far beyond concessions contained in Mar 8 agreement to accommodate fundamental nationalist aspirations Vietnamese. Dept believes suspicions of French intentions, voiced in many quarters, may be removed by rapid and liberal implementation of that agreement and by generous attitude and speedy evolution in future negotiations envisaged under that agreement.
In ur discretion you may add that in above connection certain other interested govts (urinfo only India and Thailand) save Brit seem to regard Mar 8 agreement as cloak for continued French domination Indochina and consider Bao Dai as puppet without a present substantial following. Under such circumstances burden of proof rests mainly upon French to convince not only Vietnamese but also other govts of their good intentions.
For urinfo Dept is stressing same points in talking with French here and in Paris but has some doubt whether its views have been made available to Pignon.