Evening star., 1953-10-25
Grave Peril Posed
By Political Crisis
In nIndo-China War
By John M. Hiehtower
Associoted Press St1H Writer

The war in IndoAChina has
led to a political crisis which.
in the opinion Of United States
officials, holds very dangerous
possibilities.
Ultimate stakes are the secur-
ity of all Southeast Asia against
communism and the prestige OF
France as a world power.
The crisis focuses at present in
two places, Paris and Saigon.
American military and diplomatic
leaders are apprehenSively watch
ing a chain reaction Of events
which they are trying to keep
under control with calming ad-
vice and the exercise OF re-
Straints wherever possible.
In Paris the French National
Assembly opened a debate Friday
on the eight-year-old war against
the Communists in Indo-China.
Behind the debate is the dis
satisfaction of French public
opinion with the long sacrifices
demanded by the fight. Costs in
money and manpower are not
the only consideration. 1t is
pointed out that the struggle has
led to a relative weakening OF
Frances security in Europe at
a time when there is strong
allied pressure to begin armlng
West Germans.
Reject Link to Union.
In Saigon, where the current
crisis started, the argument has
also centered in an assembly.
the Vietnamese National Con-
greSs. Last week it reached de-
cision, subsequently modified,
that it wanted not only inde-
pendence from France but also
no participation in the French
Union. The union is somewhat
like the British Commonwealth
of Nations 1t has been projected
as a voluntary association of
France and the Indo-Chinese
states.
What has bothered United
States and French officials is the
effect of the Saigon stand on
French public opinion. The In
do-China war is essentially an
unpopular war in France. But
one of the emotional justif1ca-
tions for going on with it, in
terms of French interest, has
been the feeling that the area
which France ruled prior to
World War II and which has
been gaining it's freedom since
that war, would still be associated
with France even though not
possessed by it.
The Vietnamese chief of state,
Bao Dai, who conferred with the
French Secretary of State for
Indo-China at Cannes, France,
yesterday, will return to Saigon
this week. He will carry French
note asking for a firm statement
of his country's position on the
French Union. There Is some
hope that the reply may tend to
offset the effects of his assembly's
action this week.
Fear French Will Quit.
Meanwhile, the National
Assembly at Paris is expected to
take a vote of confidence on the
government of Premier Joseph
Laniel by mid-week. This may
give a sharp indication Of the
extent of French feeling about
the Indo-China war; But there
is concern here that even if the
present crisis is resolved the
basic forces of dissa tiSfaction
and unrest may lead more and
more Frenchmen to believe the
Communist argument that the
Indo-China war is not Frances
war but Americas.
Oficials here have been con-
cerned lest the French people
might get so fed up that some
one of Frances successive gov
ernments would suddenly come
to the United States and say
Were getting out; you can
carry on if you wish"
There are those who feel,
moreover, that even if the
United States then decided it
could pick up the load, Red
China would almost certainly
come in on the Communist side
as it did in Korea and the war
would become a different kind OF
war.
Whatever happens. one Of the
fundamental points on which
all United States policy on Indo-
China rests is that the area is
vital to the security of the whole
rich Southeast Asia area. This
includes Burma. Siam. Malaga
and beyond that the islands of
IndOOeSia.