Conference files, lot 59 D 95, CF 141
Communiqué on United States–France Talks1
[Extract]
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3. It was recognized that Communist aggressive moves in the Far East obviously are parts of the same pattern. Therefore, while the full burden of the fighting in Indochina falls on the forces of the French Union including those of the Associated States, and similarly the United States bears the heaviest burden in Korea, the prosecution of these operations cannot be successfully carried out without full recognition of their interdependence. This in turn requires the continuation of frequent diplomatic and military consultation between the two Governments.
The French Government reasserted its resolve to do its utmost to increase the effectiveness of the French and Associated States forces in Indochina, with a view to destroying the organized Communist forces and to bringing peace and prosperity to her free associates within the French Union, Cambodia, Laos and Viet-Nam. The Ambassadors of Viet-Nam and Cambodia were present and participated in this phase of the discussions.
Advantage was taken of this meeting to continue discussion of plans prepared by the High Command in Indochina for military action [Page 437] there. These plans are being developed with a view to achieving success in Indochina and are being given intensive study so as to determine how and to what extent the United States may be able to contribute matériel and financial support to their achievement.
Obviously any armistice which might be concluded in Korea by the United Nations would be entered into in the hope that it would be a step toward peace. It was the view of both Governments, however, that should the Chinese Communist regime take advantage of such an armistice to pursue aggressive war elsewhere in the Far East, such action would have the most serious consequences for the efforts to bring about peace in the world and would conflict directly with the understanding on which any armistice in Korea would rest.
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- For the full text of the final communiqué of the conversations between U.S. and French officials in Washington, Mar. 26–28, Department of State Press Release No. 160 of Mar. 28, see Department of State Bulletin, Apr. 6, 1953, pp. 491–492.↩