Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955–1957, Vietnam, Volume I

119. Telegram From the Secretary of State to the Embassy in Vietnam¹

Washington, April 13, 1955—7:57 p.m.

4516. For Collins from Secretary.

1. I was much struck by paragraph 3 your 4502² indicating that Diem himself was considering formation of interim government to govern pending general elections for constituent assembly to be held in possibly two months and that Diem indicated he did not wish to perpetuate a personal government.

2. I want you to know my profound personal conviction that a solution acceptable to Diem and which came out of Vietnamese action is infinitely to be preferred to decision imposed from without.

3. I cannot get away from the feeling that Diem may not accept removal lying down but might at least try to become a national hero by attacking French-U.S. “imperialism”. This could become sensational at the Bandung Conference.

4. Even if this is no danger, certainly a locally selected successor government would be infinitely preferable to one hand-picked by France and U.S. and rubberstamped by Bao Dai.

5. Cannot the situation be held if need be for several weeks so as to permit of this orderly evolution? Might it not in the long run gain time? I would assume that de facto truce could be continued and that internal reforms could proceed.

6. This again is a matter where your local knowledge is so indispensable that I would not put my judgment against yourself, but I do want you to know that from here the risks incident to moving along the lines which Diem suggests might be acceptable to him do not seem any greater than the risks of proceeding abruptly to making a change which is imposed and not evolutionary in character.

7. I have suggested it might be worth exploring some sort of intermediate solution (my 4438 and 4466³). I suggest you might tell him of official U.S. denial of Paris press story today (Deptel 4515⁴) and at same time explore with him how his idea reported in paragraph 3 of your 4502 might be carried out.

Dulles

1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/4–1355. Top Secret; Priority. Drafted by Dulles and cleared with Murphy, Bowie, Robertson, and Tyler.
2. Paragraph 3 of this telegram, which is dated April 13 and reports a conversation Collins held with Diem that day, reads in part as follows: “[Diem] said certain people with whom he had consulted recommend formation of an interim govt to govern pending general elections for a constituent assembly which would be held in possibly two months. Diem gave some indication that he is tempted by this proposal. He said advantage of such a scheme would be to indicate that he did not wish to remain in power forever or to perpetuate a personal govt. Latter statement may have been intended as hint that Diem might be willing to withdraw from govt if constitutional [constituent?] assembly could be quickly formed. For reasons given in earlier embtels, I do not think this is feasible. I suggested to Diem he proceed with plans for election provisional assembly May 15.” (Ibid., 751G.00/4–1255) A very full account of this conversation, drafted by Sturm, is in Collins Papers, Vietnam File, Series VIII, Cooley (April 1955).
3. Documents 109 and 115.
4. In this telegram, April 13, the Department instructed Collins to inform Diem personally that an International News Service story, datelined Paris, April 13, was false. The story reported reliable diplomatic sources to the effect that the United States had agreed to a French request to replace Diem and that Ely and Collins were looking for a man with greater ability and a larger popular and political following. (Department of State, Central Files, 751G.00/4–1355)