751G.00/6–3054: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in France1
priority
51. In addition specific concerns set forth Deptels 5 and 82 we are increasingly disturbed by lack information re Indochina negotiations as a whole and lack of adequate consultation re French military plans. For example current military withdrawal from Southern Delta, whether based on some understanding with Viet Minh (as circumstantial evidence indicates) or not (as French maintain), being carried out by French without our being notified prior July 1 (Saigon 9).3 Much more involved here than mere military deployment for timing and manner such operations have extensive political implications.4
With French perhaps using some six channels of negotiation (Mendes direct, Chauvel, open military Geneva, underground military Geneva, open military Indochina, and underground Indochina), we fear that in spite French claim that negotiations currently stalled, secret discussions are in fact going on which may result in understandings and agreements which French consider meet our criteria but we could not respect.
- Drafted by Tyler and Fisher of WE. Repeated for information to Saigon as telegram 39, to Geneva as telegram Tosec 517, and to Hanoi as telegram 16.↩
- Both dated July 1, p. 1772 and vol. xvi, p. 1270, respectively.↩
- Telegram 9 from Saigon, July 1, not printed, described a briefing of Embassy officials by French military authorities regarding the evacuation of areas of northern Vietnam which had already occurred. (251G.1122/7–154)↩
- In telegram 40 from Paris, July 4, Ambassador Dillon contended that Premier Mendès-France was doing everything in his power to keep the United States informed. (751G.00/7–454) He further reported in telegrams 73 and 81 of July 7 that the French had notified U.S. military officials at Paris in advance of the withdrawals in Tonkin. Indeed, said Dillon, the State Department had been informed in telegram 4605 of May 30 (p. 1636). (751G.00/7–754)↩