THEY FIGHT IN VIETNAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00039R000100030086-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: R
• Document Page Count: 9
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 1, 2012
• Sequence Number: 86
• Content Type: REPORT

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STAT
! hi. traflrlation h*a not /,eon edited
rleon-uae it ieer tilt thiit
the doowamnt, npp+u'ently doer not *,t1 rt ei :n1f i oant 1 nto
reeeratiaeej
and that the vein i n wht h tha information r preeentrd
rpp.rr
to be oonajetont, th trnnalnttc n hnc~ not bonn coml alet
T}L l41G}p, TN VTZr NAM
I. "i Vt:1tY : J.rR"
Yu 1iror7in
"Along the rorula or Cochlrwhina, Anneun, rind Tnnkin oaref
tread }'rerurfr aoa.dlern, expa(~un .front nny woods out, of
r any trot,
that mashing gun ti r rngy ho ened ?--i1 nit thin*. Cn]o
ni ~1 troops
do not ballero In vicrtory, ;ul'C'oring from aml,n.rtrlroe~ mal
aria aroa?
gitltopn nn] o ct,roj }milt, they muttor to thgeuaelvet~ r[IfJnrae(J w
rat'lo
not oonftdent. t,t, thrrir doAth ,11.1 l~~,V~y nit;nifiantnoo ~~
1tth eu.ch words EtuUitt, the 4.all -;troet, rgent the ~celi c
n ,wn
lntallige nce of tiowr and iirnrnni ~,r, nano abli eri to de ri ot, t,
~ he e~itu..
+~tlnn i n Yiat Nam 4wh1e t
satin thnru nl th u n "l nventigetion setae.
ion" 1* the atumfl of 1/,7.
The Amarl ran i mperl ntli,its erniotcrntl3' Lurent with the va?
a1t1 r,,f
Viof t ntrt. Coal, zinc i-nd ]era( trrnrr, hnki z ( now H& o-N
~ ,cart, }~rrn V 1 mt
Nom), iron, gold and rubber frost, Annam
(r>r^ rnga.io ? Central Vint tt,~m) .
all theao for r~ long t; r;,o nc w have ottra~ t j the rr neti t
x~ eaortha.l,; r-
sonopolinta. taut not in a letnner meraat~re than the nr(tural rro
alth of
the country, the ltmeric&n claimantm to waz3.d dtminratie~n
are t ntara-nt,ad
in the a tratey~i cal, pond tlort c' 1ndocht ru in outhnnnt 4t a
Arnctri'i. pan
i mperidi uia deoi.ree a r. armxn~mt footl n : ! n Viot hlrem nn b*bran.! of alt
t wriat,ic . rnnc;e.
RE
n
~d
?1.
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~1M~1
ti?t But the plans of the im aXieto ran r~ ainat the manly reairw
tanoe of the Viatnameoe people. The .xpeciltioriary furcS 01 the
Frenoh colonialiota x'oz' over three snd t tub yettro buatatned goat
looeee (up to 1 Tenunry 1949, according to uata from the government
of Viet Name, 71,:300 men doad wad 63,90 sounded). From tiro emauiw
ntocl French treauLU7 those vine upent, 1 n the gar qg& iwt the Viet
Nam rap-sblic, about a tzt.IUon dollar. But vul the french colonial
forces ooo'i y low than one tent of the teirritory of the country.
"Franco atando on the loaf n- bide of the war 1 n xr~dochi na" ?
csroto cm rortction:lry n4;ton -mokl ra.'itl t1tU?r,. E3ut a yes non
of the Anori cnn 1 mpc,ri tali t:;, the Londam pori odi cal "Nan I. ztes Mfl
and Nati on", l nfornod tt on 18 Febrw 1949, that tbo 3t#to Doi art..
tent cf the U A as "di aap~ointed In the rer3tz1tn of its c+i'tort~ to
oupport the attampta of tho I rench to d of end Viot Nun frotc Com:hani. om."
By "Coda' t.in1 am" the roach oncry warld 2eefl8 tho a+tru,gle of a root= to
for their iiberty and independence...
"A very sad ~rar" ? thus Pulx.itt rnzncd the stir atioh the French
reactionnriee know in Viet Nrim. In truth, ghat amoti on bea1c3es aor~
row, might the bucaer~aon of the horci c r;t.ru j to of 22 mU1ion Viet..
nnme>de peo 1e against the French colons. alit wta and th .. r Amer. can
backere excite in thews AuiUtta?
II. "VIgj' NAM" IiAS NUT B'' 'MB "ANNIJA"
During the coarae of n century, the Chinese c mpixo opprew od
h. people of Viet Nnm. In the third century of our era th r~ro tp.
peered Chines. rulers who euooeeded In sinning in the country "raubM
nd union and peaoe." They docided to change the na1:1 cf V , t Wm1
(Country of the s ouch) Into iumwn (Pecifi ed South) . But tiro chi nose
ueu'pera wwit have been convinced that Viet Siam would not becom
Anna... The Vietnamese people continued to truglc for !hair t
ti, oz , freedom.
BEST
.- 2.
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aEs I ttt rU
i?Qnt1t COntuX'Y the vtetnaIkhad
gro* the ,~iddla of tho nin~t
c~: iYm ~aria~liatd ? The )'ranc~h aalcn?
rl een !1C1 nit the ~ ~ an
&1votiL
of a ~, raasa~,an~ rnaiau~i e~lc~ita?
t pith then ,~nhoa~l ~
b
~
~u
ar
r1
xarll1 i
tian, hFaac'reh tYr+anny, _..1 1
the o,or'tOlmi nth mite0 oi' JQOI 3Me
liy~'ta~ to d th
nu~-a~a?
ltc+r4 r'e three f aatn out c f saldx'edL en
Nam 1ncraa1 ad from 175 to 1728k
The exhort of rice ,dram Yiot
'1'h~ a bocmara the aource of q~t
from ;E'o,000 to a r666,C?4 tans.
u and fin&tnc~.nrfl of lrench eta
o,ax~ti n~ x rm
rot for F'rvnch q
i .t ~ Called tale
1' ~~ u
~, n ahi a1- ,a included tho U.; c?1oflifl oatais tt~Nt t~ ' e ~ ~"~ ~`? d~ ac~~:~,aarad ar the
u~~nk of ; doc1! .=l Cl~'ar ~+111 C~,Ir.. Y1t, I~
iQtnarcr~E'o ~~,~-rteantp, who e~are Y
eta ~10 food of the ~ac~oe Of V
1
et rQntU"Y is i1n+.ttritt0+1e root.
driven by tE a and of the la
In Viet Nrcm there are 300,(00 ,~ndc~etri~~. wc~rkartp and nearly a
Yietname~~o ~nk,o~+ Fl~gre ~ at the time
mimillion ~,cul.turnl I,e,t,c-rerg. ae of
a1 ~ht or ton t~ r}oi~ loco than the w~
ai' the ~'xench caloni ware, ~ out of
In the ca?unt~.mti F'rencr, r~onoS~oliat.~ j ~Pad
E.iro~an aorkore.
For i nntanca, tae Tonkin Caal fi~ ~
tote c?utatry un1canrd of proi'ite.
i CgmanY ~{-th a Ce;pi#,a1 c''f 100 i1:1.1,cn frnrtoe, roali.zed, in the
.1 tf? Cte4', j.
o'' lQ2g to 195,3 31 rd la Cri franca
yeaare 'r
re ire i:. the co'wntarY, the ,iQValoP-
the 1renob aoZonia~. ~
ir
g
ur
viaq tbrotf,l~. BefCr4 1:~'? Cand
pant of cultt.ua and eduaatian
ttenc3~ ec~tioole only ~tl~out~ 3(3Q tCtO
world ear, in e-11 Viet Nc~ there attend
le
ldren out of 3.5 mi1XSOU children of rtcho1 far And ,awn t;1a ring
chi
tie, ht only 300 vtuc~ent c3 r,Ett of 22
~,~erait~' din ~~~oi ~ there are ~
j1lion peoplet r The the F?rench
_ et Nean never stopped etrugg~nc ~3k,n1n
00101gte? pecsi ollr w ally mawn & a the Yen i~ey ra ela,~ an ~... ~.,~...
in 1'ebruer2f 193C ? The cri ei a occurred 1n the years of the amcond ~warld
iar? beaded by the oviet Ur ion, the etrle of the i~eoi~ ~ainett
k.cJ ati ii
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Yaeoi em gave the iu*t i onri l liberation ~~.ovor nt In Vi.t Nan ndrr
rtr*n th tn.l an uniiei rd of oax]y expr~-ic1on. This fow ktiun
trllUantly showed in t}u kteetatanca moven-ent r~ aint the Jap.
anaee oocup*.tion torcee.
III. TI{L i'lZ)i'LI~ .~TIt1ECLE Y'Utr 1 N1)! ' ~NIT.fCE
*n the Japrinoee acoui,at.t an forcoa appeared ; n Indoahi
the )'r'ent colonlol authority, co Lrrtvaly tdari nij to piecatt th?
Vietnzuretio poox:.le, di ci not ovon thi nk to & ow roaiatrinco. /t that
tt e, tbo 'tih Commi~seionc~r of Frstnce In Zwiochinn, .'4mlx"al Decoux,
etateds ''Yronc ; ntithcrtty wi ll colluborr~te ;1 n nll poaaihle wrqe with
the J: i aneue arzn r anal j fl help t t 1r ever, wq 1 n '1 to moyomente"?
"i to Liajct~ty, the cf Indochina," during to Jnp nw~o occur
pats on, cont4 nued i try operation ae if notM ns were tho mattnr. In
the first three yeoare of tha war, the bank lent Join more then 2.5
bullion frrcncs, TI;v he,id of the bank, l'aul J1annu, r;pent the entire
iar l eriod in Japan.
The Viotnnnone j~eoplo wt tth acorn re forted cal,i tu1at! on to Japcn..
ooe occ p: tion. They raiaod tho bnnor of atru g1o ai;atrnat the Jap.
enoge usurper. Aize&dy in 1041, from the Rer~istance rnovoment there
arse born the "Lea o for the Independence of Viet Newt", (the Viet
MLnhy. In it there were un1.t,ed all the demooratio organtantjone or
the oo;zntry. In 1945, from the bards oL p4 rtiaane there was fanio?d
the army of nc:tional deliverance. In the Lire of war nl~ the
Japanese tmp?ri ali atn, the ri ovemnnt for li boration of tho I oop1e in
Viet 1Iazn wac bona and hardened b
After the rout of Japan, three wac orgrnni zed a provi i. canal Qov.
eminent with Ito Chi ?1 nh at the he?ut, the 1oader of the Vi.ot Minh
and the hero of the Reait tt nce movement againnt the Japanese. The
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aew regimai reooived the tunnniroua support of the people in the
votes o*st for the National Assembly of the ReepuUio in January
194k. The votes rrQre coot througr,out the rthole country, some
among them in i11ea1 wars--? in the territory occupied at that
time ter the Frarxoh. 'r r,..Vira'hnt as*, ;.e mnacoe fathering
in the vi llagers for coating votea, aoro hunted down k the I renoh
j,lanee eubJeeted to trutal mbo'dzerrt from the air. Tiut with
the OOm! ng of nig) t, the votes raturnod, i n ordor to vote i'or an
i ndepe&ent republic of the veolaw
The !m~ crial1str~ quarrel tucion thomaolvoa ovoi I.he shmring oi'
tho colonial j,1e, but tiiey ore unlteU try thoir fierce bratred tovard
the oppror~ od people of the colony, ri sink; in the oinrrwipatory atr; ?
gle. To the help of the Lankrupt ronc}r colortilleta hurried thoir
much exporienced I ngliah brothnrs. For t.i~o "pacifioution" cif Viot
Nam, the
li.eh were not ?aat1d1cuo about onliatin the Japanaeo
$ani irai r'11.itrtr1sta ct1l1 in thoir torsi Cory.
TV. AGR1 METr c:+F TUE COLONSAL1L;TS
Soon r3r'tor the capitulation 01' Jr?pan in : &.gon, there orrived
on a wnrahip the taglieh "rear Miseion" ;1 t1,uonox'-~1 Grncey at its
hoed. His offioiILI tank waa "the disarming of thu Jr2pano: e." The
Viotnamaaee welcomed the r~iiasion cordially rnd truwtin~1y. gut it
Brae Boon aprarant to them tjz t the only aim of the &Ig11 Oh ~+aa the
suppression of the move ont for the liberation of the :eople, rind
the preparation for the lands rig of the French troops.
Gracey conducted himself very hoetilely with rotrd to the now
democratic regime. The Japanese army not only was .got diaad,
but It was entruetud with "matta, neck peace and order." Eiy him
command and arrangom~ent, Gracoy transform f to Colonel General
Terauchi, the command of the Japanese occupation forces in Indochina,
ff [q (L6 t
?54
w
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Soon the ?ranch arar landed. In harmonious interaction with the
1ioh and Japanoae, they aaaulted and Iioieed Saigon. Tb. r been
carrying on to the lireuont time the aciva o a receive ear of imperi?
slut France n ;e1ntit the Vietnamese j eoiln.
The French colonielifita forgot nOth~nig ad iearnid notMng.
They vrnnted to obliterate from hi story to , z' years, anti deter.
U ned "not to not ce" the very profound chnn :ea wh cap had occurred
in Viet N;im, :a in other dopenaent snd colonsof countriee. \gainet
Viet Nwn thmro ~v utili %,ed tho vholo ttrnonal of drvicea of the ooM
lonl i 1 ba~la tie of prey.
Tho oxpeditionnry forro, nuabc~ri ng, r~ccordi nS to French data
120,000 eoldior>e, 11i conduct the E;r Aapine: we+r i n Viet N. The
china '- eek1y Reviov), in az oricnn journc.l iiubiishOd j n Shafghai, in
October of the pnet year, atnted the figure am 150,000. American
imperi ccliem ronderod the French oolon L linta native aid. The it r
agi net Viet Nnm as c1ni-ncod through approrintione ~usder the Mar-
ehall. ;'1cin, the French army being equipped with hmeri en army. Part
lh r
of theme arena are in "reliable hande"7 German SS troope of the For
sign Legion.
In the De Gaulliet Parisian weekly, ' 3amedi Soir,'r, was pub,ir-hed
the photo of the next battalion of }iit1eritea he=xded for Viet Nam.
The cynical caution wader the photograph reads This battalion ems
bodies 1.4 thoue+emd years of imprisionrnent". In othor words, these
Hitlorite out?'throvts, oondemned from 10 to 20 years of hard labor
each, have been given e~mnesty end now sure bei. ng oent to Viet Nam,
"entrusted" to do the "job" because of their proficiency ai axeG~x~
tionere*
Common crirn1nals conetitute anotber aource of mower for the
expeditionary arms. Not long afro a Saigon newspaper published a
circular of the French Ministry of Justice to all priBon wardens in
R E q r- rl r~ try ?m
b,(~ F f)
.6.
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00~40ct:ion with the ael?ction of art leone, tar n*t1i tam rervi
in oalonier?M T~ 8 Paper i e
,per said that he first mmt'
goat p~ Ct`imi Hale hay ' already been forte End was read
ment Viet Nra.. Y f oz' r~.-
xba war .I,~ ~ei~ ooaduated
a~th 'orrdwa~' a~1ty. the
tt7n,g to t~reaic the will of y nz,.
t?;e VSetn,, 0 z oopl. with
artid tarror~ In ~~ t brtttoli ty
FJ4~a1 co.toatian from flans
for i netnnao we i on ~ torah
raedt "At the t,c tr.0 of the Pre
nah e;ttrdc ot~ the
town of 1'h.lep 1n 110 Fu or hovinre, ?Q jtea~cel'u-1 Vletnr
clfi4ZenL. wnro thot uaeuo
iznd 11 , Teona uru~arcif
roricto,nt a Y tfOitgA. A very aid
of the viii ~,~? and td, a w1 f ? wore a.flv. The eold?
Sere took moat ths~n twont
~ childrr~n r-r;~y from their mp* :.
Her ox them were t~ritd ~bvr~= o tauta?
n wi t) atl, c'kc , eh1 to the others
up with -xayonete. xn the Vim were n~led
aftQr heavy tortura, 1~imtir aovora1 d &y, the 1'rermh exec xted 62
Vietree YQ3 men and girlc,
n
Eotwo?a 46 Noveib. r~nd
4 i~eGembor 1948, the 1,rutal
than tjea ~ renoh our
1'ut to death aovor hundred V
iQt,n~moaa i~peorted ~ ri
NraRoi , They bout 4
~ f 5 yr G ~~Qr1.a tagathc~r and ,
from o bridge :Cato the t thaw
river
Not f'agotten Sao ire such nwas'11.tr1,~-, mE~thads~ of
naer,~ t ha col.
oliia1 enlv5fcpfum. In the cftl,oa OCcupj o
an ?~re hr the ~'`ranah,
ry cornor, n ppeo r t,iga$ t " ;aia
n for diaudiatf on, 1 'These
are the op1um done whore, at whotevar hour of the dav or
likes, one rii a~ t one
got a iTipp w1th the ~tun
ism g and eaa: q~rtir~;
opi.a.
Par aamouf1a,go and deceit
, the Preuah Sri all stn aire
throe years ago ~~ ~,e '
qua nagatiatf ono with the gover
Chi ft nh gent of Ho
and eve CCrciUd.d agreements
+ 'there t ~rtth hate in artier the' there then treacherotz,1
Y It wr~e tlae eta vi th the
prelimt. n,j.yn agre.alent Concluded on b 1946 .i n fl
tAe s?coasd, +,ao "prelia~ n snot, and ~-ith
oarY`` , Jag -eem ti adopted 14 September
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REST 11IG I EC
the same year, am a result of the disaueeiour at I?otitainoblcs
au,
At the 4 time, t!?o `reach authoriti as triod to & et tip et
"gCV mente," a~1pp 11 tod by traltora and aopopulnr feudal ele?
meta who f ai thfiui ly and honeetly t mod the Jepan*se ooe anon
f oroea.
But all the plane of the French co1onaa1i tits and their Agri.
can protrrtors wars wrecked on the 1ndeetructn-lo ,fuss of the
nati'rna.l iibor+otion noaeeent of t,ho Viva eao i:oop1o.
V. Tel., I'1:pi'Lr';; c~M~
The F'renoh expectod to wI n the 't tr juickly, co;uitl on their
hu8?e f uporicrity I n nrmazaentr~. ?t first they aucceedeci in se
f zinc
a serieq of 1?u?Ce citlen. They occupied a part o1' CochintGhinn
whc+r* the f1t country favored the oIertjona f d. mechanized
llrli'y,
but with thct t;l?,a "vi C toil ae" of the 1 rwrtch foz'cea ended.
Thny failnd also i,n roculti,n; on the ntif1g of the republic
by famine. TkIB terxible danger :rang up before the yo
,r uni rapub?
lie In the first mont}u o1 1t s ~xi r fence. rider the ~-rvs t to
& ~- of
the Japcnaso cccuprltit'orc~es ztnd w1tthe ar~kiiat nce of the French
aat1 oritiea, i illiarue of iYectc~res of rlc `ielde were ,sown with hemp
and caetor oil i,lunts. Ati a result cf an 1zn recec'orntod flood
in the
nofh or the country f n 1945, there were inw cinted 700,000 hectareti
of land exit 300,000 tee of rice were destroyed. Tho 'renah c
alani c,j.
ista tried oyen made to make the eituction arorao, resorts
ng'tathe do...
stroying of rice atnw?tngs and irrigation works. The overn o t
g of the
republic put forwaa'd the slogans "Strugg],e with they French occupation
fapeoe at the front, fight againat hunger in the ream" At
the end of
1946, the area of eawings with ri co wee i ncroaeed by v
,- no ani a had
tieee, with potatoes, by three timieel* The people themsalr
es r-eved
the threat of tarrati,o
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6 i
L
There even overcane the aonuquenaee of the tnh't en "*dioine
~-
bsookede," organt aged by the French co1onia1i eta in partioular, and
.ooeeded In rf ,tori ng, to the country the dietri hution of an?
ti.cholera and snti?plague vaaeinee.
At present 111 efforts of the peojjle concentrn:;ed on the organ-
isation of military reeiatance to the eneay. The araanmanta of the
peot~lo's ari y of Viet Nam nre i~aproving. A significant part, of the
Vietnneee armed foroea ie now equippod with WQapof8 ceiaed from the
enemy.
In the taxritory of the re}ublic there tire r~o large eamle eon?
oerna. Neeourcefu11y muaki ng use of not very up-towdate achinea in
their email plants, the Vietname-e foil to tho production of anti.
tank gun. The output of hr~ndgrendea, u~inee an light infantry
araaaenta ww organs zed.
The regular army of Viet Nar numbers rap, roxirn tely 150,000 war?
hardened eoidiore and ofi'icera. Acoording to datc in the Ned York
J
magazine 1., _i1at on," partisan dotachrwnta, ontering the wnr in con-
certod action with the regular troops, saber 300,000 men. feeiden
Chia, trore are the "~u~tn o!' the peon lea defence," into wh' ch entt,
mars h?indreda of thouaant of i~eneant nets and nomen. xhia is the ax.
'raordinary people' militia wh' oh operctt,o~ within the 1im1te of xt
own region, r cdnt d.ni ng comni c ti on riith the rt- ulrr uttta and the
partisan detr1cbmente.
For the Viotncuieea reT i.ibli c, tF,e ni fi cunt ache ovments are t he
political and economic reformat the introduction of progressive lahor
legs aiation for workers j the rodi stri b~ati on of the common laada j the
raduction of rents for land p the aboit t;ton of irieq;iitr,blo taxas j and
the strengthening of the dosaocrnti c organs of the overnmant.
Aatua11y the Vtetnamece government, to the various denocrntic or.'
gani ze-tione of the republic, oompri aee gore than 10 ni i1i on citi zene.
9
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