Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-18
Mendes-Frunce Seen
In Tougher Role at
Geneva Purley

Under the stimulus Of French
Premier Pierre Mendes Frances
Tuesday deadline for obtaining q
cease-fire in Indo- China, the pace
of negotiations at Geneva quickened
sharply last week.
M. Mendes-F France was taking
hearteningly strong position against
the Communists. so strong IN fact
that the United States was able to
reverse its decision to disassociate
itself from the negotiations.
Gen. Walter Bedell Smith. Ameri-
cas- No. diplomat, returned to
Geneva late last week to head the
United States delegation. The IN
dersecretary Of State Is joining Brit
aims Anthony Eden. Soviet Russia,s
Vyacheslav Molotov. Red China's
Chou En-lai and M. Mendes-France,
all of whom returned to Geneva last
week for the final phase OF the
Indo-C China talks.
Portition Plan
Leaks from the secret meeting in
dicated that some form Of tempo
rary" partition OF Wet Nam, pos
sibly along the 18th parallel, to be
followed by nationwide elections,
would form the basis for q settle
ment IL one can be reached.
The French are said to be. pre-
pared to give up Hanoi, capital city
of northern Wet Nam, but intend
to hold out for an enclaye center
ing at the seaport OF Haiphong.
France also hopes to get the Reds
to relinquish their weak claims to
sections Of Laos and Cambodia.
The Communists are pressing for
q definite date for free elections in
Wet Nam, which they would be. al
most sure to win, but M. MendeS-
France has indicated he win not
agree to set one. The French need
lots of time to work with the naive
Wet Namese electorate.
There is little reason to expect
the Reds will swallow the stir
French conditions. Secretary Of
State John Foster Dulles indicated
last Thursday after a quick trip
to Paris that he did not expect
M. France to get his cease
fire by Tuesday. The French Pre-
mier has promised to resign 1t he
fails to get an arnnistice.
His last act before resigning, M.
Mendes-France has said, will be to
place before the French National
Assembly a bill to send conscripts to
Indo-China.
Even If NJ. Mendes-France submits
his resignation, however, there is no
assurance the National Assembly
will accept it. He has made a good
impression In the. month he has
held the premiership and may well
be allowed to continue in ONCE
beyond his self-imposed deadline.
II the war goes on, the United
States may be confronted again with
a request to intervene on the side
of the French and the Wet Namese.
Secretary Dulles is sticking by his
decision not to consider United
States intervention alone. He hopes
for some sort Of united action with
Britain an. active participant. The
first step probably would be warn
ing statement to the Communists.
Later military action might be re-
Quired.
Coins in Unity
Thus, after months of open dis
sension among Britain, France and
the United States, there appeared
signs last week that the Big Three
was moving closer together again.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill
had started the ball rolling last
Monday when he announced Britain
would not press for Red China's
admission to the United Nations
this year. Thus was abated the
storm he himself had precipitated
in this country by his campaign for
peaceful co-existence with the Com
munists.
Monday evening Secretary OF
State Dulles left suddenly for Paris
amidst French and British protests
against the American intention to
disassociate itself from the truce set
Element in Indo-C China. The result
of his two-day visit with M. Mendes-
France and Britain's Anthony Eden
was another show of unity. The
French satisfied Secretary Dulles