Declassified per Executive Order 13526, Section 3.3
NND Project Number: NND 63316. By: NWD Date: 2011
1054 GEN. J. LAWTON COLLINS WAS DESIGNATED SPECIAL U.S. REPRESENTATIVE IN VIETNAM WITH THE PERSONAL RANK OF AMBASSADOR TO COORDINATE U.S. AID PROGRAMS.
1054 AS VIETMINH WITHDREW FROM THE DELTA AREA, THEY WERE REPLACED BY TROOPS OF THE CAO DAI AND THE HOA DAO ARMIES. /JCS HIST.
1054 SVN GOVERNMENT WAS UNABLE TO ESTABLISH CONTROL IN RURAL AREAS. VIETMINH TOOK OVER LARGE AREAS OF ANNAM AND HOA HAO AND CAO DAIWERE FIGHTING FOR PROVINCES IN THE DELTA. /JSC HIST.
1054 CONTENTION DEVELOPED BETWEEN SOUTH VIETNAMESE GENERAL HINH AND PRES. DIEM.
1054 HINH WAS WARNED BY ELY AND HEATH NOT TO PLOT AGAINST DIEM. /JCS HIST.
100254 GENERAL ELY CONFERRED WITH BAO DAI CONCERNING THE WASHINGTON TALKS AND WARNED BAO DAI AGAINST ANTAGONIZING THE AMERICANS. BECAUSE OF THIS, DAI DISCONTINUED GIVING SUPPORT TO GENERAL HINH AGAINST DIEM. /J.B.
100854 JEAN SAINTENY WAS INSTALLED IN HANOI AS THE POLITICAL CONTACT OF THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT WITH THE HANOI REGIME, TO SAFEGUARD PRIVATE FRENCH BUSINESS INTERESTS AND TO MAINTAIN A MAXIMUM OF ECONOMIC COOPERATION BETWEEN FRANCE AND THE DRV. FRENCH ENTERPRISES WERE NATIONALIZED BEGINNING THE END OF 1955 WHEN COMMUNISTS DECIDED TO ESTABLISH SOCIALISM. /J.B. DRAGON.
THE U.S. WAS TRYING TO SEAL OFF NORTH VIETNAM FROM THE SOUTH TO BOYCOTT THE ECONOMY OF THE NORTH AND WAS THREATENING TO BLACKLIST FRENCH BUSINESSES PURSUING A CONTRARY POLICY. FRENCH POLICY, WAS DIRECTLY OPPOSITE. PARIS HAD SECRETLY CONCLUDED AND AGREEMENT WITH HO'S GOVT. GRANTING THE EQUIVALENT OF RECOGNITION. JEAN SAINTENY, IN HANOI, WAS WORKING FOR GOOD POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC RELATIONS WITH THE COMMUNIST REGIME, WHICH WOULD SEND A PERMANENT DELEGATION TO PARIS. THE FRENCH WISHED TO KEEP A BIG FOOT IN THE DOOR WHICH WE SOUGHT TO SLAM. THEY BELIEVED THAT THE SOUTH WOULD BE TAKEN OVER BY THE COMMUNISTS IN 1956 BUT THAT THE RUSSIANS AND THE CHINESE COULD NOT SUPPLY MUCH ECONOMIC AID AND A GOOD MARKET FOR FRANCE COULD BE PRESERVED. /OFLEM-CWO NOTE 1.
100954 THE VIETMINH OCCUPIED HANOI. THE FRENCH AND SMM TEAM EVACUATED HANOI. /SMM REFT.
101154 IN MEMO TO SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WILSON, DULLES EXPRESSED IDEA THAT SECRETARY SHOULD CUT DOWN ON THE SIZE OF FORCES REQUIRED IN THE COUNTRIES OF S.E.ASIA SINCE NONE NEED ACT ALONE TO DEFEND THEMSELVES. THE FRENCH REQUEST FOR FUNDS TO SUPPORT THE FEC PLUS A 150,000 MAN ARMY WAS UNFEASIBLE FOR U.S. AT THAT TIME. /JCS HIST.
101154 THE COMMUNIST VIETMINH REGIME FORMALLY TOOK OVER CONTROL OF HANOI AND NORTH VIETNAM.
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