751G.00/6–1454: Telegram
The Secretary of State to the Embassy in France1
priority
4579. Eyes only for Ambassador and Under Secretary from Secretary. FYI. It is true that there is less disposition now than two months or one month ago to intervene in Indochina militarily. This is the inevitable result of the steady deterioration in Indochina which makes the problem of intervention and pacification more and more difficult. When united defense was first broached, the strength and morale of French and Vietnam forces were such that it seemed that the situation could be held without any great pouring-in of U.S. ground forces. Now all the evidence is that the morale of the Vietnamese Government, armed forces and civilians has deteriorated gravely; the French are forced to contemplate a fall-back which would leave virtually the entire Tonkin Delta population in hostile hands and the Saigon area is faced with political disintegration.
What has happened has been what was forecast, as for example by my Embassy Paris 4117 Tedul 78 of May 17.2 I there pointed out that probably the French did not really want intervention but wanted to [Page 1690] have the possibility as a card to play at Geneva. I pointed out that the Geneva game would doubtless be a long game and that it could not be assumed that at the end the present U.S. position regarding intervention would necessarily exist after the Communists had succeeded in dragging out Geneva by winning military successes in Indochina. This telegram of mine will bear rereading. That point of view has been frequently repeated in subsequent cables.
I deeply regret any sense of bitterness on Bidault’s part, but I do not see that he is justified in considering unreasonable the adaptation of U.S. views to events and the consequences of prolonged French and U.K. indecision.
I do not yet wholly exclude possibility U.S. intervention on terms outlined Paris [Deptel] 4023 Tedul 54.3 UK it seems is now more disposed to see movement in this direction but apparently the French are less than ever disposed to internationalizing the war.