396.1 GE/5–654

The United States Delegation to the Department of State

secret

Secto 120. Repeated information Paris 211. Chauvel states Bidault encouraged by sequence of President’s clarification of April 29 press conference given in Secretary’s letter of May 1,1 Secretary’s statement on departure from Geneva2 and President’s press conference yesterday,3 which Bidault regards as beginning to re-establish Western position.

Smith
  1. Contained in telegram Tedul 26, May 1, p. 640.
  2. In his statement the Secretary of State made the following remarks concerning the Indochina phase of the Geneva Conference: “It is my hope and expectation that the Indochina phase of the Conference will quickly be organized. I hope that it may lead to peace which will be compatible with the independence and freedom of the peoples of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. In my opinion, the Southeast Asia area, of which Indochina is a part, is an area where the principle of collective security should be applied as it has been applied successfully in other areas of the world, notably Western Europe. I shall continue to seek to promote that result. I believe that peace in Indochina will be more readily obtained if it can be fitted into a framework of collective security.” (USDel/5, PR/4, May 3, 1954 (396.1 GE/5–354))
  3. Extracts in telegram Tosec 76, May 5, p. 691.