Evening star., 1946-12-29
French Prepare
To Send Ships
To |ndo-China
Wet Nam Conveys
Reported Moving On
BeIeoguered Hanoi
BY the Associated Press

PARIS, Dec. %. France ap-
peared to be getting ready to
dispatch a strong naval squad
ron to the coasts of rebellious
Indo-C China today amid increas-
ing indications that she will use
her planes and guns along with
diplomacy to keep a 400-year -old
empire from falling apart.
Viet-Namese conveys were re-
ported moving toward beleaguered
Hanoi, former capital of the Wet
Nam Republic, where French efforts
to mop up the European quarter
were assuming the nature of a long
drawn and savage street battle.
From Saigon, capital of Cochin
China in Southern Indo- China,
came contradictory reports of the
activities of Viet-Namese adherents.
One report said Viet-Namese for
nations had completed military
preparations and were under orders
to hold themselves ready for immi-
nent action in South Indo-China
The French News Agency said, on
the contrary, that the Viet-Namese
had been ordered to refrain from
any overt act at present. Saigon
was reported under a state of siege
and tense.
Flyers Leaves Cancelled.
The leaves of all fighter pilots at
tached to the aircraft carriers
Bearn and Colossus at Toulon were
Cancelled, and similar urgent orders
were reported sent to personnel sta
toned on the destroyers Fantasque,
Triumphant and Dixmude.
These orders, given just before
the New Year celebrations, were
interpreted as presaging the dis
patch Of the five naval warships to
the Orient. The liner lie de France
already had been directed to Toulon
to pick up 5000 troops for Indo-
China.
French patrol planes riddle Wet
Namese conveys nearing Hanoi with
streams of machine gun fire, press
dispatches said, and the Wet
Namese replied with strong attacks
on French columns moving around
the city.
Violent clashes on the city's out
skirts were reported. The whole
section of the city controlled by the
French remained encircled by the
hostile natives who had cut it of
from the rest of Indo-C China ex-
cept for aerial transport. This
means of communications for the
beleaguered French was re-estab-
lished two days ago when the
French recaptured the airport.
Meeting Stin Resistance.
A French general staff commune
que released at Saigon in southern
Indo-C China, and a Viet-Namese
broadcast heard in neighboring
Bangkok, Siam, made it apparent
that the French were meeting stiff
resistance in their so-far futile ef-
forts to mop up the Hanoi area and
clear their communications.
The Viet-Namese launched two
strong attacks on the Hanoi bo-
tanical gardens which were finally
repulsed, the French communique
said.
A day-old Hanoi dispatch said
trapped Viet-Namese fought des-
perately at some strongpoints, such
as the presidential palace, the cen
trail Jail and the 'Indo-C Chinese
guard" barracks.
The French claimed there was a
high proportion of Japanese among
these suicide" garrisons entrenched
in well-built pillboxes and armed
with automatic weapons.
Viet-Namese snipers were still &C
tive, infiltrating cleared areas in the
dark and attacking lone pedestrians
and vehicles.
Buildings Set Afire.
Viet-Namese troops finally aban-
doned their Today attack on Phu-
langthuong. 80 miles north of Hanoi,
the communique said, and French
forces entered the town and relieved
the defenders but not until the Wet
Nemese had set fire to numerous
buildings.
Viet-Nam broadcast heard in
Bangkok declared French forces
were cut off at Namdinh, 40 miles
southeast of Hanoi, and that French
attempts to reach the district where
Ho Chin Mimi, president of the
(see INDO-CHINA, Page A-4J