Evening star., 1954-01-01
A Bnefinq On the War IN Indo Chino
RY Gornett D. Homer

- WIFI the SlEuablON III 1uQ0-CQluN
have been least excited about scare
stories emanating in recent days from
that Southeast Asian tinderbox.
American experts attach much more
Importance to prospects Of major
battle between Communist and French
led forces in Northern Indo-C China
than they do to the current Com
munist penetration Of Central Laos to
the Thailand border.
But. at that. the apparent Communist
drive toward the French fortress OF
Dien Bien Phu in Northwest Wet Nam
Is sort OF second best" offensive for
the Communist Wet Mini troops, In
the view Of officials here.
The major political-military OBJ
jectiye in the long and bitter Indo-
Chinese war is Hanoi and its Red River
Delta in Northeastern Wet Nam. That
area Is strongly held by French and
loyal VietnameSe forces whose opera
tons In recent months have thrown
completely of balance Communist di-
visions believed to have been preparing
to attack there.
AS q result, Wet Mimi Leader Ho
Chi Mini is believed moving his forces
into the "Thai country" of Northwest
Wet Nam in an effort to try to win
some spectacular-but less decisive
battles as part of military and
psychological warfare pattern designed
to soften the French will to continue
the long war.
Diem Bien Phu was retaken by the
French from the Wet Mimi only last
November. It has been built up since
as an anchor position from which the
French forces hope to meet enemy
moves in the north.
A Communist victory there would
open major invasion route into North
ern Laos and throw into more jeopardy
the defenses Of the royal Laotian capi-
tai Of Luang Prabang.
But American officials believe the
greatest significance of fighting around
Dien Bien Phu will lie in the extent to
which forces Of one side or the other
are destroyed, rather than in the gain
or loss of territory.
Territorial gains and losses have less
significance in the present state Of
fighting In Indo- China than they did
in war like that in Korea. for example.
Outside of the major centers like those
around Hanoi and Saigon, it often is
hard to tell who controls what in the
Indo-C Chinese seesaw fighting.
Each side controls about half the
population and half the territory Of
Wet Nam. the largest of the three AS
sociated States Of Indo- China in which
the major struggle has been concen-
to1 fVN rayoA NC fef
guerrillaS.
The French control the heavily popu-
lated areas. the major cities. the best
rice lands. and most Of the industrial
and port facilities. But there are Wet
Mimi pockets spotted throughout the
country. It Is largely fluid war, with
no fixed battle lines.
Since Gen. Henri Navarro assumed
command Of the French forces in Indo-
China several months ago, he has
adopted a long-range plan for aggres-
sive action designed to wipe out, any
organized Wet Mini opposition over
the next year or two. But his plan will
take time for training Of more Wet
nameSe forces.
And one of Gen. Navaree's big prob
lens Is to get the Wet Mini troops to
join in any decisive battles Thus the
French, in a sense, welcome the signs
of a battle around Diem Bien Phu in
which they hope to inflict heavy dam
age on the Communist troops.
There was little fighting involved in
the Christmas-week march of other
Wet Mini forces across the jungles Of
Laos to Thakhek on the Thailand
border But the French hope to en-
gage those forces from their base to
the south at Seno.
Secretary of State Dulles attempted
to put in perspective the Wet Mini
penetration Of this part of Laos. at q
news conference Tuesday when he said
his judgment of the total situation in
Indo-China was not appreciably af-
fected by the Communist offensive
there
He did not go into much detail, but
must have had in mind many factors
making that Communist move a COM
paratively insignificant part of the
whole picture-which, he emphasized,
does involve "a difficult struggle"
In assessing the significance of any
offensives in the Indo- China war. offl-
cials point out that among the things
that should be kept in mind are these:
Cd Wet Nam has by far the largest
population and wealth Of the three
associated states-some "a million
people.
(O Laos. while having perhaps three
fourths as much area as Wet Nam, is
very sparsely populated, with between
one million and two million people.
CD The major objectives in all Of
Indo-C China are the Hanoi Delta area.
with about seven million population.
and Saigon and the surrounding Me-
kong Delta region, with around nine
million population.
American experts say that French
offensives during recent months have
made tremendous improvement In
the whole situation over that which
existed at the end of the last fighting
season last spring (the fighting season
in 1ndo-C China runs roughly between
October and May, with heavy rain
~ ~