795.00/1–3151
Memorandum of Conversation, by Mr. William M. Gibson of the Office, of Philippine and Southeast Asian Affairs
| Participants: | M. Parodi, Secretary General, French Foreign Office |
| M. Tezenas du Montcel, French Ministry of Associated States | |
| M. Millet, French Embassy | |
| Assistant Secretary Rusk—FE | |
| Mr. Lacy—PSA;1 Minister Heath—PSA; Mr. Godley—WE; Mr. Gibson—PSA |
Messrs. Parodi and Tezenas du Montcel came to the Department today at our request. Mr. Rusk opened the conversation by informing; Mr. Parodi that the Department was giving increasing attention to the question of how we would eventually get out of Korea and stated that we were more inclined at the moment to the thought that a ceasefire should be arranged at the 38th Parallel. Mr. Rusk developed background for this reasoning at some length and appeared to have the understanding and concurrence of the French in the matter.
He then stated that while we were forming plans for our eventual withdrawal from Korea we were curious to know what French official thinking was concerning an eventual withdrawal from Indochina.
In replying Parodi referred immediately to the third hypothesis in the French aide-mémoire presented in conjunction with the Pleven–Truman talks2 and explained that although the third hypothesis had been included as among possible developments in Vietnam, the French believed there was very little likelihood of a negotiated peace. He referred to Ho Chi Minh as “the lion” and the Associated States as “the lamb” in any such negotiation. He also made reference to that portion of the aide-mémoire in which France expressed her concern over the fate of the rest of Southeast Asia if Indochina were to be forsaken. In response to Mr. Rusk’s question whether the French thought any possible negotiation would be held with the Viet Minh or the Chinese Communists or both, Mr. Parodi replied that he believed any negotiation would be part of a general settlement for the whole of the Far East
Mr. Rusk inquired whether the French had any thoughts concerning the holding of general elections in Viet Nam. Parodi replied that they [Page 371] recognized the possibility of such a development but considered the probability very unlikely for the foreseeable future. He explained that Pandit Nehru3 had pressed the French actively on this score during the course of his recent visit in Paris. He had pursued his well-known line that the existing governments of the Associated States could not really be called free and independent until there had been general elections in the three States and some sort of parliamentary bodies had been set up.
(Note: Parodi did not infer that President Auriol’s letter to Bao Dai had been addressed solely at the instigation of Mr. Nehru. As a matter of fact the letter preceded Mr. Nehru’s visit, but the French might easily have sent it in anticipation of the views that Nehru would express. During the course of this portion of the interview no direct reference was made to the Auriol–Bao Dai correspondence.)4
Tezenas du Montcel observed in French to Parodi on the side that Bao Dai was unalterably opposed to holding elections at this time. Parodi elaborated on this statement to Mr. Rusk in English and both men agreed that any consideration of elections was highly impractical.
There was a general discussion of the improvement in the overall situation since the arrival of General de Lattre in Indochina. Mr. Heath agreed with this and made specific comment on the subject.
Mr. Rusk commented on the need for publicizing the new developments concerning the Associated States both within the Associated States and in other Asian countries. Mr. Heath was asked to comment on this subject and agreed with Mr. Rusk’s emphasis on the importance of propaganda work. The French had been weak in this regard in the past but the new information man in Saigon, M. Danou (?),5 appeared to be a great improvement over his predecessor. Mr. Parodi assured Mr. Rusk that the French were ever conscious of this problem and were endeavoring to improve the matter although he knew that the French were not particularly talented as propagandists.
The discussions terminated with Mr. Rusk’s announcement that he expected to go to the Far East in the near future and hoped to pass through Paris on his way home and have an opportunity to confer further with Messrs. Parodi and Tezenas du Montcel and their colleagues at that time.
- William S. B. Lacy, Director of the Office of Philippine and Southeast Asian Affairs.↩
- The aide-mémoire, not printed, is described in telegram 974 to Saigon, January 30, supra.↩
- Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India.↩
- For information on the correspondence under reference, see telegram 1291 from Saigon, January 21, p. 355.↩
- Jean Pierre Dannaud, Director of the French Information Service in Indochina.↩