Reference: Our Teletype No. WA-1822 of October 20, 1954.?

In the course of a recent interview with Everett Drumright, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Far Eastern Affairs, on the future of the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission in Korea, ²⁵ the activities of the Supervisory Commissions in Indo-China were discussed. We have already reported (our telegram under reference) Drumright's view that action in Korea to force stricter Communist adherence to the terms of the Armistice Agreement would have a salutary effect in Indo-China.

2. Drumright went on to say that the State Department was "disturbed" by some of the reports which it had received from Indo-China concerning the inability of the Commissions to oversee effectively the implementation of the cease-fire agreements. ²⁶ He mentioned a few matters which were of particular concern to the State Department in this respect; the flow of arms and equipment into northern Viet Nam, the impressment of Laotians into the Viet Minh forces, the situation in the two northern Laotian provinces of Phong Saly and Sam Neua ²⁷ and the question of possible Commission activity with respect to elections in Cambodia. ²⁸ He said in addition that he had just seen a report that an escaped prisoner of war who had appeared before the Commission had been given back into the hands of the Viet Minh authorities. ²⁹ No opportunity was given us at this meeting to follow up the discussion of the work of the Commissions in Indo-China to any great length.

3. We ourselves, however, were sufficiently disturbed by these comments from a senior State Department officer to take up the matter again with other responsible officers in the State Department. The transmission to the State Department of the summary of Commission activity contained in your telegram EX-1927 of October 20? gave us an ideal opportunity to raise the question again with Paul Sturm, former United States Consul in Hanoi, who is temporarily at the Indo-China Desk in the State Department. The summary report under reference was devoted in part to a description of the Commission's handling of the case of an escaped prisoner of war.

4. Sturm said that he felt certain that Drumright had not intended his remarks to be taken as criticism of the Commission's activities in Indo-China. He was certain in particular that Drumright did not wish to imply any criticism whatsoever of the Canadian members of the Commissions. The State Department fully appreciated the difficulties under which the Commissions were operating, and realized that the Commissions might not be able to deal satisfactorily with some of the problems which would arise. The State Department was disturbed rather by the situation in Indo-China than by anything which the Commissions were or were not doing. Sturm hoped that, on this occasion and on other occasions which might arise, the Canadian Government would not object if the State Department "shared its concern" informally with us. Sturm then went on to speak in a slightly more detailed fashion of some of the matters which Drumright had raised.

5. He said that the State Department had received more or less regular reports from reliable sources that arms and munitions were being moved into Viet Nam from the north in contravention of the cease-fire agreement. Much of the material was of Czech origin. He said that most recent reports indicated that a considerable volume of this contraband was being moved through two points in northeastern Viet Nam, Dong Dang and Caobang. At neither of these points had provision been made for the stationing of a Commission team. Sturm was not certain whether these violations of the cease-fire agreement had been brought formally to the attention of the Commission although he assumed that some mention of them had been made to Commission members by the French. Sturm expressed the hope that, as soon as the Commission was in a position to investigate in this area, its representatives would make every effort to stop the shipments or at least to publicize the violations of the cease-fire agreement as widely as possible in the hope of bringing pressure on the Communists to abide by the agreement. Sturm's comments contradicted the report carried in the New York Times of October 20 of the remarks of Mr. Desai, the Indian Chairman of the Viet Nam Commission. Mr. Desai, according to the New York Times story, indicated on October 19 that no significant amounts of war material were crossing the border between Viet Nam and China. This press report appeared after our interview with Sturm and we will take the next opportunity which presents itself to discuss it with him.

6. With respect to the Commission's handling of the case of the escaped prisoner of war which is outlined in your telegram EX-1927,? Sturm expressed satisfaction at the efforts of the Canadian representative to protect the individual as much as possible by requiring that he be available to the Commission at all times. He was puzzled, however, as to why such an individual would be turned back to the Viet Minh authorities. If the individual was a bona fide prisoner of war who had escaped from the control of one or other of the parties to the agreement, Sturm thought that he should be covered by Article 21(a) of the cease-fire agreement for Viet Nam. Under the term of this Article all prisoners of war should have been liberated within thirty days after the date of the effective cease-fire, i.e. by the middle of August. It would be useful, I think, to have the comments of our representatives in the field on this point so that we might discuss it further with the State Department. It is quite clear from what Sturm said that, in the United States view, individuals should not be returned to Communist control if that can be avoided. He expressed the view that it might even be possible for the Commission to make some arrangements to hold such individuals in custody until their cases were disposed of.

7. The third point to which Sturm devoted some attention concerned elections in Cambodia. According to reports received by the State Department, the Indian Chairman of the Cambodian Commission had made clear publicly his belief that one of the Commission's tasks in Cambodia will be to oversee the next elections there. The Cambodian Government holds the view strongly that elections in Cambodia are of no concern to the Commission and that there is nothing in the cease-fire agreement which gives the Commission the right to intervene. The United States Government fully shares the Cambodian view. From the reports which have been received, United States authorities believe that if the Commission attempts to press this point the reaction of Cambodian authorities will be violent and immediate.

8. I assume that you would wish us to continue to sound out United States authorities on matters such as those dealt with above. We believe, as we are sure you do, that, in spite of the legal detachment of the United States from the Indo-China settlement and despite its lack of enthusiasm for the agreements reached at Geneva, it is important that United States views on the developing situation in Indo-China be given due weight. It may be that there will be criticism of the activities of the Commissions from American sources both official and unofficial which will involve implied criticism at least of the Canadian components of the Commissions. We feel certain, however, that interested United States officials at all levels in the State Department are fully appreciative of the task which Canada has taken on and have confidence that the Canadian representatives on the Commissions will do all that is humanly possible to make the Commissions effective in their supervision of the cease-fire agreements.

G.P. DE T. GLAZEBROOK
for Ambassador