751G.00/12–1954: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Department of State
Secto 24. Repeated information Saigon Polto 13, Vientiane Polto 11. Following tripartite meeting (U.S.-U.K.-French), representatives of Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia were invited to meet with MacArthur, [Page 2406] Roux and Allen at Quai d’Orsay last evening to be briefed on Indo-China discussions by three ministers. Cambodian representative is absent from Paris and will be briefed Monday1 but Kiem (Viet Namese High Commissioner)2 and Prince Kham Mao (Laos) were briefed along following lines:
NATO council meetings afford Foreign Ministers of U.S., U.K., and France opportunity to have general exchange views on wide range of problems. Three ministers, during this NATO meeting, met twice and, during course of today’s meeting, exchanged views on problems of three Associated States. Presence of General Ely, who has just arrived from Saigon, gave ministers opportunity to have first-hand account of problems of three Associated States, but particularly Vietnam. No decisions were taken with respect to the three Associated States, but General Ely was able to explain the nature of some of the reform projects (agrarian, etc.) which Viet Nam Government is considering. There was also brief reference to recent Viet Minh protest re violations of Geneva accord, which the three ministers agreed was primarily for propaganda purposes. Appreciation was also expressed for the helpful attitude the Canadians were taking in the I.C.C.
In conclusion it was stressed again that the purpose of tripartite discussion was general exchange of views on problems which governments of Associated States were facing and no decisions were taken and no communiqué was issued by the three ministers.
Kiem inquired whether ministers would meet again in Paris to discuss Indo-China matters and was told they would not. Both Kiem and Kham Mao expressed deep appreciation for being briefed and said that had they not been told what transpired, they would have imagined all kinds of things and would have been very much concerned. However, in view of what had happened at the meeting, they were well-satisfied.