751G.00/2–2654: Telegram
The Ambassador at Saigon (Heath) to the Department of State
1546. Repeated Paris 470, Hanoi 242. I called yesterday on Prime Minister Buu Loc, who leaves presently for Paris where negotiations with French Government to perfect Vietnamese independence open March 8.
Buu Loc said that, following four-power communiqué from Berlin on Geneva conference which opens April 26, his government had not yet made up its mind which course of action to take. He was fully conscious of possibility that, should Vietnam negotiate its complete independence before Geneva meeting, opposition sentiment in France for getting out of Indochina war quickly might crystallize with result that Vietnam might find itself fighting alone against not only Viet Minh, but, covertly, Communist China.
Buu Loc said it was at least illustrative of this problem, if not significant, that French Parliament was scheduled on March 5, only three days before his negotiations would commence, to debate Nehru’s offer of good offices to arrange armistice talks with Ho Chi-Minh.
As for Geneva conference itself, Prime Minister said that everything depended on what in fact would be agenda and who would deal with it. He said, for example, “if they are going to request Communist China to stop aiding Viet Minh, that is fine; but if they are going to negotiate an armistice with Ho Chi-Minh, that is something quite different”.
General impression which Prime Minister left with me was that as an experienced diplomat, he will not put his cards on table in Paris without definite assurances from French Government as to its intention to continue military aid to Vietnam and to treat as equal partners in preparing position for an eventual Geneva conference.
On local picture Prime Minister was optimistic. He said his trip to Tonkin had been heartening. He had visited practically every principal town in delta, had conversed with powerful Bishops of Bui Chu [Page 1078] and Phat Diem, had met with undergraduates of University of Hanoi as an old alumnus, had addressed 4,500 trainees at their camp and could, on the basis of these personal contacts, avow that spirit in north was excellent.
Prime Minister said he had been much impressed by morale of militia in Tonkin, but that this was not in any way matched by equipment. I assured him that Embassy had recommended that Pentagon approve Navarre’s request for rifles for militia use (Embtel 1402 repeated Paris 424, Hanoi 299).1 During Prime Minister’s absence in Paris, government would be left in hands of Quat, able Defense Minister.
- Telegram 1402 from Saigon, Feb. 8, concerning arms for Vietnamese militia units, is not printed. (751G.5/2–854)↩