Office of the Historian

751G.00/2–2754: Telegram

The Chargé in France (Achilles) to the Department of State

confidential
Paris, February 27, 1954—2 p.m.

3100. Repeated information Saigon 342. We are beginning to hear in political and parliamentary circles speculation that Ho Chi-Minh [Page 1085] might become Asiatic Tito.1 Factors cited are Viet hatred of Chinese, Ho’s alleged refusal to accept more Chinese supplies than he could pay for and allegations that, like Tito, his strength depends upon indigenous rather than Russian forces. We are not in position to evaluate such thinking but it obviously contains strong element of wishfulness. Same applies to renewed speculation about Mao2 as possible Tito.3

Achilles
  1. Marshal Tito (Josip Broz), Premier of Yugoslavia; Secretary General of the Yugoslav Communist Party.↩
  2. Mao Tse-tung, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party.↩

  3. Telegram 1578 from Saigon, Mar. 2, read as follows: “Report set out Paris telegram 3100, repeated information Saigon 342, is completely ‘made in France.’ We have not discerned any evidence here that Ho Chi-Minh might become an Asiatic Tito, nor have recent rallies from Viet Minh Zone indicated that any such prospect is in store.

    “Probable origin of this speculation is desire of French to rationalize appearance of Ho Chi-Minh, or his representative at Geneva Conference and to endow conversations with them with an ersatz aura of respectability.” (751G.00/3–254)

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