Evening star., 1955-03-09
Secretary Dulles Reports to the Nation on His Trip the Far East

their Independence that comes
from subversion inspired by In
ternational communism.
I have already spoken Of the
task. In Laos. Of suppresSing sub
version in two provinces.
In Cambodia, the King-now
ex-King-is passionately patri-
otto. His recent abdication was.
I believe, due to q desire to find
better ways to help his people
to preserve the freedom he 30
ardently seeks for them.
Vietnamese Problems.
The greatest problems con-
front the free government of
Wet Nam. It has the task of de-
veloping an efficient government
Of its own In substitution for
French rule. This task, difficult
enough under any conditions, is
now complicated by three abnor-
NAL problems.
There is the problem Of abb
Sorbing and resettling the ref
ugees from the north. AS always.
when international communism
moves in, those who love liberty
move out. If they can. So far,
about 100000 persons have fled
from Northern Wet Nam, and
before the exodus is over, the
number Of refugees will probably
approach 1 million. It is not easy
for Southern Wet Nam to absorb
these new peoples. They are des-
titute and penni1ess persons with
only such possessions as they
could carry on their backs. They
need help.
One dramatic response is
Operation Brotherhood. That is
privately sponsored by the
Philippine Junior Chamber of
Commerce. It provides Philip
pine doctors and nurses who
work on a 24-hour-a-day basis
at the refugee centers. 1t is in
spring to see the Philippine
people, who only lately achieved
their own independence, now
turning to help the most recent
addition to the ranks Of free
nations.
A second problem faced by
the free government of Wet
Nam Is created by the fact that
various religious groups, known
as the "sects." have heretofore
had virtual autonomy, maintain
ing their own police forces, col
lecting their own taxes and act
ing largely independently of q
central government.
Unity Needed.
II Wet Nam is to maintain
its independence and the reli-
gious freedom desired by all, in
Guiding the sets. there needs to
be increasing allegiance to the
central government. Reports in
dicate this allegiance is still not
being granted by the sects to
the free government of Wet
Nam. I hope that motives of
patriotism will inspire all groups
in free Wet Nam to join to-
gether. Only as a united people
will they be able to meet the
threat of communism.
The third and greatest problem
is, of course, that presented by
the Communists in the north.
Under the armistice they should
have removed their forces from
the south. Instead, many of
their soldiers there merely put on
civilian clothes and faded into
the local community as a source
OF future trouble. Communist
propaganda is rife, and in addi-
ton the free people of the south
are subjected to the terrorizing
threat of armed aggression from
the north. AS against this, local
forces are being trained. But the
principal reliance is the Manila
pact and its deterrent power.
In July of this year, conversa- =
tions are scheduled to begin be-
tween south and north looking
toward elections in 1856 to unity
Wet Nam. Under the terms of
the armistice, these elections are
to be held under conditions of
freedom. There can be little
doubt but what most Of the peo-
pie Of Wet Nam will want to
unite under a genuinely inde-
pendent and democratic govern
ment. In the north there is great
discomfort with Communist des-
potism. For each one of the
many who have actually fed
south to flnd freedom, there are
many more who want freedom.
Also, economic conditions in the
north are deplorable and in
many localities there is near
starvation.
1t will. however, be hard to
create in the north conditions
which allow genuine freedom of
choice.
In Northern Korea and in
Eastern Germany the Commu-
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