Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-12-18

Ihi MINI, long fne TOP Sommunist IN
lndo- Chinof
important statements of Wet Mimi
policy have been issued by Dong
rather than Ho. Then last month
came surprise cabinet shuttle in
which Dong. the foreign minister,
succeeded Ho as prime minister.
Dong kept his old portfolio OF
strangers affairs" as one Of his
English speaking lieutenants
quantity describes the foreign min
istership. and Ho was left with the
single job of being president of the
so-called Democratic Republic OF
Wet Nam.
Whether this adds up to Hos
custer, or whether 1t Is just a
political gambit is not clear. Even
an interview I had with Dong failed
to cast any light on it. The ques-
ton. delicately put. was one Dong
chose to duck.
There are interesting theories
that it is all Red hanky- panky that
the venerable Ho hasn't slipped, but
has merely turned the wheel over
to his loyal old comrade tsince 1925
Pham Van Dong as matter OF
expediency in the present political
situation.
Ho is believed to be basically a
nationalist: Dong basically a Com
munist. With North Wet Nam re-
curing great technical and capital
aid from China and Russia to re-
build Its war-ravaged economy.
Dong might be able to make better
deals with Picking and Moscow than
Ho. What that could mean in part
is that Dong may be expected to &C
cept the inevitable Chinese and
Russian strings on aid with better
grace than Ho.
This explanation is supported by
the apparently continuing respect,
admiration and loyalty which Hos
ministers have for the president.
and also to some extent by the fact
that another thoroughly dyed Com
munist, Gen. Vo Nguyen Clap, de-
Tense minister, commander in-chief
and creator Of the Wet Mimi army.
was advanced to deputy prime
ministership in the shuttle.
Eye on Tomorrow
Observers here also read second
possible purpose in Hos voluntary
retirement-if such it beLfrom
active participation in the day-to-
day problems Of government. Ho
already is the national hero and
leader of a large section OF the
= Wet Namese people. He may now
be trying to set up shop as the
leader of all Wet Namese in antici-,
patton OF the national election en-
visaged in the Geneva Agreement.
When and If that election is held
and right now it's not even IN
sight-Ho would be the north's can
didate for the position Of chief OF
state of the united country. His
record as a fighter for Wet Mans
independence from France might be
expected to have some appeal to
non Communist nationalist in
South Wet Nam.
Hos ascendant star may have
suffered a setback, however, with
the firing of South Wet Mans play
boy chief OF state. Bao Dai, and
Bao's replacement by President Ngo
Dinh Diem.
But whether or not Dong now
actually surpasses Ho in authority
and personal power. he Is the efiec-
tive boss of the government in
Hanoi so far as westerners can see.
Aside from Ho, the only man who
rivals him in political stature Is
Truong Chinh, secretary general
of the Lao Dong (Communist)
Party.
Dong Is q slim little brown man
who has devoted 80 Of his 40 years
to furthering the cause of COM
munism in Indo-China. For Is
years he fought In the jungles and
contracted incurable malaria which
incapacitates him periodically. For
another six years the French con-
fined him at hard labor in Poulo
Condore prison.
Mandarin Renegade
Although he comes from a family
Of mandarins-his father was chief
minister Of Emperor Dui Tan
Dong was working for Ho In le26.