Office of the Historian

751G.00/10–1653: Telegram

The Ambassador at Saigon (Heath) to the Department of State

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Saigon, October 16, 1953.

668. Repeated information Paris 197, Hanoi 100. Vietnamese National Congress this afternoon suddenly and unexpectedly passed following resolution1 by unanimous vote:

“The National Congress, considering that:

“In this historic circumstance, all free and independent countries have the tendency to cooperate closely with each other, in order to maintain their independence and liberty mutually and to promote world peace;

“Considering that alliance between peoples can be durable and useful only if the two countries can cooperate on an entirely free and equal basis and respect rights of each other;

“Considering that French Union, built on French Constitution of 1946, was quite contrary to sovereignty of an independent nation;

“Considering the first right of a people is its own interest;

“Decides:

  • “1. Not to join French Union;
  • “2. After having recovered all rights still held by France and after clarification of matters concerning old institute of emission, [Page 827] which is bank of Indochina, Vietnam will sign with France treaties of alliance on an equal basis, according to demands of France and Vietnam during any given period and under circumstances which will be clearly determined;
  • “3. All negotiations, all recommendations, all decisions of any international assemblies regarding Vietnam must be decided by Vietnamese people;
  • “4. All treaties above-mentioned must be ratified by General Assembly of Vietnam, constituted by universal suffrage, in order for them to go into force.”

Heath
  1. The National Congress, which met from Oct. 15 to Oct. 17, adopted four resolutions: 1) a statement on the independence of Vietnam, 2) a statement on the association of Vietnam with France, 3) a request to Bao Dai to choose delegates for future negotiations with France, 4) an expression of confidence in Bao Dai. This telegram contains an informal translation of resolution 2. For texts of the four resolutions, see L’Année Politique, 1953, pp. 581–582. For English language translation, see Cameron, Viet-Nam Crisis, vol. I, pp. 207–209.↩