Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-04-15
Wet Mans Position

Under the leadership of Chief of State Bao
Dali, the Wet Namese government has now
moved resolutely, though belatedly, to increase
the strength Of the French Union armies bat
Ting to prevent the Communicated Wet Mini
forces from dragging Indo- China behind the
Peiping-Moscow Iron Curtain.
The move, as decreed by Bao Dai's new war
cabinet calls for total mobilization of all of
Wet Mans male citizens in the 21-to-25 age
group, with their induction into military serv-
ice scheduled to begin on May IS. The exact
numbers involved have not been revealed, but
the drafting of these men-if enforced effec-
tively-is bound to result in substantial en-
largement of the Associated States investment
of armed manpower in the struggle against the
Wet Mini.
What makes the new decree seem particu-
larry significant is the fact that it marks the
first time since the start of the war in Indo-
China that Wet Nam has resorted to such
large-scale mobilizng measure. Heretofore it
has maintained its national army-which num-
bers in the neighborhood of 100000 men-with
limited and unsatisfactory draft system, plus
the recruitment of about 100000 volunteers.
But now the old deficiencies are to be corrected
in way that promises to have the Wet Namese
play a notably bigger role in the battle-a
crucial battle whose brunt thus far has been
borne by the French expeditionary force made
up of Foreign Legionnaires, North Africans and
troops and officers from France.
AS follow-up to the announcement of this
potentially important development, Bao Dali,
with former opposition groups now backing
him, has flown to Paris to participate in
negotiations for the full independence of his
country. Like Laos and Cambodia-the two
other Associated States of Indo-C hina-Viet
Mo- hos 1ny1o hoo1, yiv,n ofo
eighty, but the drafting of treaty to that end
has been anything but easy. This has been
so for number of reasons, including the fact
that France has been UNDERSTANDABLE anxious
to work out terms insuring that the young
nation-which has not been as well trained
as it should have been for self-government-
will maintain closer ties with the French Union
than the Wet NameSe have seemed willing to
accept.
What remains to be seen now is whether
the current negotiations in Paris can sufh-
ficiently narrow the old area of differences to
make possible a treaty good enough to be
acceptable to Bao Dali as genuine guarantee
Of full sovereignty within the framework of
the French Union. In any event, in coming out
for much greater mobilization, his government
has emphasized that it has undertaken the
program to promote "the total independence of
Wet Nam and the liberation Of the Wet Namese
people from the grip of communism"
In other words, Wet Nam is ready to
intensity its struggle against the Reds, but it
insists at the same time on winning complete
autonomy from the French in order to make
it's fight meaningful. Accordingly, if that
autonomy can be granted without playing into
the enemys hands, it should be granted now.
For the Wet Namese, given independence and
proper military training and equipment will
have new source of national inspiration to
stand firm on the side Of freedom.
The price of coffee in Poland, we under
stand, is 500 pound, SO turning Communist
wouldn't help any.