The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1954-05-10


oda1 aftee he fan Of Dien Bien
Pin.
In the kingdom Of Laos, south Of
the fallen fortress, there was un-
easy speculation that 2 new m
.asicn toward the Laotian royal
ipital Of Luang Prabang might be
Oh on the war plans Of the Com
inist-led Vietminh.
A French high command spokes-
IN In Hanoi said he doubted the
els would mount another gen
| offensive in northern Indo-
ma before the seasonal monsoon
.ins hit their peak at the end Of
me.
The Vietminh kept up their daily
small attacks on French commu-
Acations and scattered French
Union defense posts In the Red
River delta conferred On Hanoi.
"a Radio Vietminh broadcast,
heard In Hong Kong today, said
the captives taken IN the defeat
Of Disn Bien Phu last Friday ''in-
clnde. one general, the French
commAndee Of Diem Bien Phu."
This was a apparent reference
to Deie. Gen. Christian de Castries,
though ne broadcast did not use
his name. Previous rebel broad
casls had claimed only the capture
Of IT, Soex's French commander"
witl,put Mntifying him either by
rtnk q name. 4.
I(1Ae broadcast added that 1855
oahse efkieees, ranking from colo
MI . warrant officer, also had
FreneA Union troops. There was
no nenkton Of Genevieye de Galard
Tssraube, The 2s-year-old French
nurss who wac the only woman
m ~ fortress.
(ss1he peoples army has cap
tdre4 ID military officers and SOL
disse N lie Diem Bien Phu area"
to eebel radio said. II said Il
FreneA Unfcn companies had been
anaih1laAed IN The battle for the
tog4Wsss.)
gFrsncA planes ranging over
rebsly soldisrs lining up bands Of
n9slAwest Indochina yester.
day spotted scattered groups Of
rcd soldiers lining up bands Of
Tie eapsives for the long march
over NE jungled mountains to con-
cenGrakjnn camps IN the North.
M dry before TIE French fliers
hed spotted . long column Of men,
presumably prisoners, marching
nogtA from The valley site Of the
valiant last stand.
Frencl, authorities held hope
those captured ut Diem Bien Phu
Night Be exchanged. As = prece-
lent, they cited the swap Of
Wounded the Vietminh allowed aft
Z the rebel seizure In 1850 Of
A0bang, near the Chinese from
.ier. -
Tue French spokesman claimed
hat The vietminh's battle corps
; broken" He referred to heavy
sosses In the IS days Of fighting
which followed the first massive
rebel assault on the besieged for
trees.
Over-aN Vietminh losses In the
crest INFANTRY charges, intervening
days Il diminishing and constant
sair and artillery attack have been
estim4ed - high as 5000. Gen.
Henri Navarro, French Union COM
mander IN Indochina, put the fig.
ure, q abQut 1s,0o0, however.
Ibe FrencA have given, no indi.
caAioN of their own losses at Dien
Bisn Phu, except 10 say from time
10 time Trey had been heavy in
soane particular action.
Lying athwart q major route
- Laos, Diem Bien Phu had been
. DC deterrent to another Wet,
mini march ca that interior Indo.
china kingdpm.
N1itasy sources ct Vietiane, the
kingdDm's administrative capital,
feared The rebel commander, Gen,
We Nguyen Clap, might move on
them again. 5e
Only q few battalions Of French
and LaoGian troops are in northern
Laos. 10 bar another rebel march
On LGang Prabang. The Vietminf
have invaded the kingdom three
times already, twice from athe
moth ard once from the southeast
BIZ ;always have withdrawn with
out forcing . military decision.
Observers also. specialized thai
Clap, atter regrouping, resting ant
re-sQuipping his forces from ,Dier
Ben Phu, might turn part or al
Of them toward the rich Red Rivel
delta Tor q new drive on thu
FrencA Union forces entrenchet
there.
The rebel force which final,
evesrsn, Diem Bien Phu was unof
NciaNy estimated to number pos
sibly 10000 men. Observers believ,
the Vietminh also have perhaps
100, 600 regular, local and guerrill;
troops in the delta region.
In Saigon Gen. Navarro tolt
the. Trench News Agency he hat
not staged an attack to relieve til.
Diem Bien Phu garrison becaus,
an;effective operation would hav,
taken too many men and left othel
vital sections Of 1ndochina TN