Evening star., 1949-03-17
Letters for publication must bear
the signature and address OF the
,oriter, although 1t IS permissible for
iDriter kno,un to The Star to use
a nom de plume. Please be brief.
bilious for power. Let us impress on the
members Of Congress that they are to
preserve our liberties. not to barter them
away. ANGELO j. COTTONE.
Wet Nam Movement Defended

Wet Nam Movement Defended
70 the Editor Of The Star:
Your editorial of March is on Indo-C China
appears to have come direct from the French
Embassy. Surely it could not have been
written by any one who looked at the situa-
ton with an unbiased eye There are two
glaring examples of typical French prop
aganda:. One, that President Ho is a Com
munist; and, two, that Ho declined French
offer for autonomy.
An editorial in the New York Times of
that same date portrayed the actual political
status of the Nationalists' leader Ho Chin
Mimi: ''The French charged that President
Ho was Communist. He himself has said,
Yes, was Communist but now I am a
Wet Namese.'"
l would like to remind you and your
readers of the events leading up to the
establishment of the republic
Although Jap troops landed in Haiphong
in September, 1910, the French officials in
1ndo-China continued to administer the
area until March, 1945. at which time the
Japs took over and established direct con-
troll through Annamese officials. BY giving
up without a struggle, and by not forming
any underground movement, the French in
March, 1945, lost the esteem of the An
namese.
But rule under the Japs was not what the
Annamese wanted. Their nationalist spirits
had been stirred ever since the Russo
Japanese War of 1904-19O5.
elf-Determnation an Ideal.
The returned soldiers of World War I
brought back ideas of self determination.
In the 20s Ho Chih Mimi was leader of q
Communist cell. He had to flee after the
uprising in 1880; but since that time the
bonds of communism have worn off, If
Louis Budenz can shed the ties of commu-
nism, why can't Ho?
During l944-45 he was leader of the Allies
resistance movement, movement that the
French did not join. He helped bailed-out
pilots and gave the Allies valuable informa-
ton.
Yes. Ho expected a pay-off after the war.
He hoped for an independent Indo-China
and that the Annamese would be rulers He
organized government and declared inde-
pendence on September 2, 1945
The goth Indian Division. under Major
General Gracey. began to arrive in Saigon
IN early September, 1945, to accept the
Japanese surrender and to restore law and
order" Normally this would mean to police
the city if necessary and to round up the
Japs. Gracey, however, under instructions
from London, evicted Wet Nam officials from
their offices. by coup-de-force on September
lI, 4SfO. Lie 1UCdl FRENCH forces were re.
armed and by January. 1946. the British
forces had withdrawn, leaving the French
in control of Saigon
In March, 1916. draft French -Annamese
accord was initiated: Wet Nam would be
free in the French Federation, but it would
be free state with its own government.
parliament and finances: there would
be no more than $4,000 French troops in
Indo-China; a referendum would be held
regarding Cochin China; and further con-
ferences would be held.
Proposed Accord Failed
Unfortunately, French internal politics re-
suited in abrogation of this accord A second
conference at Delat proved useless. In the
summer of 1916, Ho went to Paris, but the
French refused to ratify the earlier agree
ment. Ho got no place, except for a signed
agreement that the French would observe
the status quo.
The French, however, failed to keep their
j., agreement During the last six months OF
1916. the French increased their troop
strength to $4,000.
The December, 1916. crisis over the con-
troll of incoming shipping resulted in
furtherance of hostilities and as q result
of this additional breach of faith by the
French, the Wet Mans declared that moth
ing less than complete independence would
be satisfactory.
THEODORE BuII OCKJS.