Office of the Historian

396.1 GE/7–1354: Telegram

The Secretary of State to the United States Delegation1

secret
Washington, July 16, 1954—5:33 p.m.

Tosec 549. Secto 600.2 With respect USDel comment that French outline agreement for Vietnam provides for cease-fire before international control mechanism is installed and ready to act, Department refers to numbered paragraph 17 French working paper (Secto 5753) which says “International Control Commission is to be on the spot from the moment of the cessation of hostilities in Indochina.” Similar provision made for Laos and Cambodia in working paper transmitted [Page 1393] Secto 605.4 This point should be clarified. Further comment on Sectos 600 and 6065 will have to await spelling out of conditions under the several headings.6

Dulles
  1. Drafted by Sturm of FE/PSA. Repeated to Paris as telegram 205 and to Saigon as telegram 203.↩
  2. Dated July 13, 1357.↩
  3. Dated July 8, p. 1305.↩
  4. Dated July 14, p. 1369.↩
  5. Dated July 14, p. 1372.↩
  6. The U.S. Delegation reported in telegram Secto 651, July 18, that “With regard to reftel [Tosec 549], USDel can only point out that if agreement for cease-fire in Indochina is reached in next couple of days and if date for cease-fire is set, as would appear inevitable, fairly soon, cease-fire will take place in absence of functioning international control commission on spot. This result seems to us as undesirable as it is inevitable. It reflects long standing conference deadlock on major principles of control arrangements.” (396.1 GE/7–1854)↩