751G.00/5–2453: Telegram
The Chargé at Saigon (McClintock) to the Department of State
2298. Repeated Paris 412, Hanoi, Vientiane, Phnom Penh unnumbered. Tam gave banquet last night for Letourneau who departs on Tuesday.1 Atmosphere was one of gloom on French side and of overt vindictive elation on Vietnamese side. Tam delivered brief two-edged speech in which expressions of gratitude and friendship for France were heavily laced by conditional clauses. Letourneau responded like a beaten man. His first words were, “you confront a Minister who has [Page 583] resigned”. He expressed regret at leaving Indochina with his goals not reached and with battle half won.
In an earlier conversation with MacDonald,2 latter told me that Letourneau had voiced great relief that downfall of Mayer government would postpone debate on Indochina, he hoped to a sufficiently remote date so that US Congress would already have voted credits for aid before French Parliament turned critical gaze on situation here.
In general MacDonald expressed pessimism as result his tour Indochina. He voiced certitude that Viet Minh would resume offensive against Laos at end of Monsoon, his disquiet over seeming incapacity of French Commanders to gain military initiative.
General Trapnell and I have been wondering if it is part of conscious French policy so to hamstring commanders in this theatre that war will go from bad to worse on desperate hypothesis that US will thus be forced to come to rescue and eventually to replace French in this conflict. Trapnell tells me that he can cite at least six occasions in recent months where from point of view of sound military tactics French Command could have taken effective action, but in his phrase “dragged their feet”. US correspondents have also expressed their concern that French possibly are following a deliberate plan to lure us into Indochina war. Trapnell and I feel that test of French sincerity will be whether or not Navarre adopts a more positive attitude toward the war. If new French leadership continues lethargy of old we shall be forced to take a very close look at motivation in Paris.
Dilemma is, of course, that war can only be won by effective use of Vietnam forces and Vietnam forces will not win war unless they are fighting for complete freedom which French will not underwrite. It is therefore a good time for mission cited Department telegram 5681 to Paris3 to arrive in this theatre.
- May 26.↩
- Malcolm MacDonald, Commissioner-General for the United Kingdom in Southeast Asia, visited Indochina and Thailand from May 21 to 28. His impressions of the situation in the Associated States as conveyed to Consul General Baldwin were reported in despatch 927 from Singapore, May 29, 1953, not printed. (751G.00/5–2953)↩
- Dated May 20, p. 575.↩