Editorial Note
On September 17, 1953, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles made the following remarks on Indochina in the course of an address delivered during the general debate phase of the Eighth Session of the United Nations General Assembly at New York.
“Let me turn to Indochina. There the fighting continues. Communist forces are seeking to gain political power by military violence. Their military strength comes from a steady flow of military supplies from Communist China and Soviet Russia and from the Soviet-controlled Skoda munition works. The pretext, until now, has been that the Associated States of Indochina were mere colonies and that the Communist war was designed to promote ‘independence’ rather than to expand by violence the Soviet camp.
“It is no longer possible to support such a pretext. The French Government by its declaration of July 3, 1953, has announced its intention of completing the process of transferring to the Governments of the three Associated States all those remaining powers that are needed to perfect their independence to their own satisfaction.
“The Communist-dominated armies in Indochina have no shadow of a claim to be regarded as the champions of an independence movement. If Soviet-bloc countries outside of Indochina persist in promoting war in Indochina, they cannot now be surprised if their conduct is taken as proof that they adhere to the design to extend their rule by methods of violence.
“Southeast Asia affords the Soviet leaders a chance to give substance to their peaceful words. We anxiously await their verdict.”
For the full text of the speech, see United Nations, Official Records of the General Assembly, Eighth Session, Plenary Meetings, pages 1721, or Department of State Bulletin, September 28, 1953, pages 403–408.