751G.00/3–1654: Telegram
The Ambassador at Saigon (Heath) to the Department of State
1708. Repeated information Paris 530, Hanoi 276. Last week end DCM had long conversation with former Prime Minister Tam who is rusticating in Dalat. Tam said, as had his own predecessor, Huu (cfEmbtel 1638 repeated Paris 506)1 that appeal to Bao Dai for elections and a national assembly, reported Embtel 1624, repeated Paris 502, Hanoi 258,2 must be taken seriously. He said Vietnamese people were growing increasingly restive at failure of Bao Dai to honor his promises and that Bao Dai must pay heed to this popular demand if he were to remain in control of the situation.
Tam conceded, however, that it would be difficult to start elective processes or hold national assembly prior to Geneva conference and that any attempt to hurry up an assembly would be met by Communist propaganda charges that this was but a maneuver to give a democratic gloss to a Vietnam which in reality was dominated by French and a puppet emperor. However, Tam said that if Ho Chi-Minh is to be represented at Geneva conference table he can point to fact of elections within Viet Minh zone and existence of Viet Minh popular assembly, while Buu Loc or Bao Dai at Geneva could point to no constitutional accomplishment at all. As a minimum, Tam felt that some benefit might be achieved if Bao Dai could at least announce a fixed [Page 1127] date for the holding of elections and if this announcement could be made before the Geneva conference opens.
Tam said significantly, “unless we hold elections soon, you will find that when they are eventually held, there will be more and more Viet Minh voting”.
- Dated Mar. 10, p. 1100.↩
- See footnote 1, p. 1102.↩