751G.00/5–1551: Telegram
The Minister at Saigon (Heath) to the Secretary of State
1984. The Dept will note from mytel 1980 May 141 that I share Bao Dai’s optimism that De Lattre has now sincerely turned to a course of perfecting Viet independence of activating the formation of the Viet Natl Army, and realizes the necessity of keeping Fr intervention, command and control to a minimum. De Lattre’s apparent new policy of attention and respect for Viet aspirations and responsibilities is an intelligent one in the real interest of France and of our own policy aims.
Along with this desirable apparent trend in De Lattre’s policy there is, however, an evident increased determination on his part that the evolution of Fr Viet relations will be worked out exclusively between France and Vietnam with the least possible intervention of any fon—read American—influence. To paraphrase the sentiment which seems [Page 419] never entirely absent from Fr councils and which is apparently now exercising De Lattre, if Vietnam is to be preserved for the Fr Union, foreigners shld not be allowed to drive any wedge between the Fr and Viets by either reckless or a purely calculated generosity. Arms aid is one thing and necessary for a short term, but econ aid has disturbing long range implications and makes France look like a poor cousin in Viet eyes. It must therefore be closely controlled by the Fr and soft-pedalled as necessary. There is evident increased jealousy on his part of Amer prestige and publicity which have accompanied the Amer arms and econ aid programs and an evident determination to play down the Amer contribution and publicity. This jealousy and suspicion of Amer efforts on behalf of the IC states is known to leading Viets within and without the Govt, A case in point is the principal Fr language newspaper, Journal D’Extreme Orient, closely controlled by the High Commissariat, in which any mention of Amer Econ Aid IC now completely taboo. Bao Dai’s recent interview in which he asked for an increase in Amer econ aid was edited and censored by this paper to make it appear that Bao Dai was talking about Fr aid. Furthermore, De Lattre’s occasional post-prandial lashings-out against ECA, the Amer Protestant missionaries or less frequently the operations of USIS have certainly become fairly widely known in Saigon and Hanoi.
The latest incident of this sort was a rather public one at the airport yesterday where I went to see De Lattre off for his visit to Singapore. As he passed down the line of the Fr officers and officials and dipl corps and shook hands with me, he referred to a recent letter2 in which I had asked reconsideration of Fr refusal to provide further housing for the several new officers of MAAG. He called Gov. Gen. Gautier3 and Aurillac4 over and in their presence said it was impossible for the Fr to provide increased housing. I said smilingly that if it were impossible that was all there was to it but that I cld discuss the matter with Gautier. De Lattre went on to say that they Fr had been most generous in housing MAAG. I heartily agreed with this statement but referred to the necessary increase in the MAAG staff. Thereupon De Lattre said “Yours is a rich country, why don’t you build houses. Or get rid of some of your ECA men and your Amer missionaries, then we cld house MAAG.” This unexpected and frankly impertinent observation of De Lattre’s was, of course, overheard by various people and marked the first unpleasant public incident I have had in my relations with him. De Lattre had been unusually friendly and cordial in our last [Page 420] meetings. De Lattre’s tone in making these observations was one of heavy-footed bantering but there was an undertone of temper which certainly was audible to the various listeners.
When he returns from Singapore to capital at end of the week, I believe I shld have a frank talk with him. I will submit my views as to the line we shld take in a subsequent tel.
Sent Dept 1984 rptd info Paris 816 Hanoi unn.
- In telegram 1980 from Saigon, May 14, not printed, Minister Heath described a conversation which he had had with Bao Dai at Dalat the previous day (751G.00/5–1451).↩
- Not found in the Department of State files.↩
- Georges Gautier, Secretary General of the High Commissariat of France in Indochina.↩
- Jean Aurillac, Director of the Civil Cabinet of the High Commissariat of France in Indochina.↩