VIEWS EXPRESSED BY BARON PATRICK SURCOUF

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R000200160003-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 21, 1999
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: December 17, 1946
• Content Type: IR

. r,,;sIFI:pproved For eleaee 1999109108 kagwki 78000200160003-3
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INTELLIGENCE GROUP
C U1% ' Siam - French Indo China
25X1A2g
DATE: 25X1A6a
INFO.
SUBJECT Views expressed by Baron Patrick Surcouf D1ST. 17 December 1946
ORIGIN
PAGES 2
SUPPLEMENT
1. Baron Surcouf asserted the United States must back up France
on. her policy In Indo China, because if France should ever lose
her foothold there, it will not only be the and of the white
race in ksia but all Southeast Asia will become Communistic.
The Viet Nam is now just a tool of the Russians; the Russians
are considered (by the VIetna ians ?) as yellow, not white.
2 The entire Viet Nam movement was started by the .Japanese; in
fact all ;heViet Nam troops were trained and armed by the Japanese.
At present there are many Japanese fighting with the Vietnamians,
and there is a large Japanese camp near Hanoi. In reply to -a
query as to why the French did not clear out this Japanese camp
if such existed, Baron Surcouf stated the French would not under-
take such an operation during the period of the modus vivendi s
and that they had not done anything before the modus vivendi came
into effect because the camp was too strong to attack.
3. Surcouf stated it was very wrong of the Vletnamlans to use
Japanese troops against the French, but that this was a very
different problem from the question of the French using German
troops in the French Foreign Legion against the Vietnamians.
He said the Foreign Legion had contained Germans ever since its
inception; they were mercenaries and their use had no political
implications, whereas the Japanese influenced the Viet Nam troops
Ao
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CEJ TRtiL Ir'T LLIG:,.:Ci; CRC-LP
25X1A2g
politically.
4. Before the war, according to Karon Surcouf, the ttnnamites were
very content under French domination. because of French medical
old the population had increased several millions; wonderful
schools, highways, Qtr.. had been built for then, and the corntry
had been prosperous. fe declared it was extremely ungrateful
of them to fail to appreciate all the effort of the French. Then
it was suggested the 4n.narnites had never as%ed for French domina-
tion in the first place and therefore there was no real reason.
for them to be grateful, baron Surcouf said he suprosed this
was true.
when
During the period/he was hesident of Soi thorn LLai s, Baron Surcouf
stated he had done everything he could to help the Laos because
he was fond of them as a race. The tsnne-mites had been a great
problem; whenever a Croup came into an area the laos would move
away. To protect the Laos, he would not allow the Lnnamites to
come in unless; there was a specified piece of ground for them to
occupy without displacing the Laos.
6. He sated the Laos were such a gentle and poetic race that they
would be lost without French protection end would become the prey
of the Chinese or the t;nnamites. Lie, said the race would probably
vanish if allowed to become independent and stand on their own
feet.
baron Surcouf asserted he did not known why the Laos were so
vehement about elite ring their freedom, Then the French promised
two years ago to make them an autonomous state. Ise was surprised
to learn the Laos hod never been informed of this, but said they
should have had sense enoi~g-h to wait before acting hastily and
fighting the French.
In regard to the 4nnarrmit:es, Baron Surcouf sth ted they : were re, lly
dangerous, because they thoug?ht nothing of murdering women and
children and had massacred hur_dredsof Frenchmen. He said he used
to be very fond of the Siamese, but since they had attacked Indo
China when France was down and out, he did not feel so kindly
toward them; in addition, they had been tools of the Japanese
during that period. "::hen it was suggested the French had done a
little land snatching, beginning in 1c60 when Siam vas not a
powerful nation, Baron Surcouf stt.ted the situation was entirely
different and that a long time before that the Siamese had grabbed
Cambodian territories and now the French were only attempting to
t et these territories back for the Cambodians by peaceful means.
He declared the Free Cambodians were not members of a liberation
movement, but were merely bandits. lie said Cambodia had her king
and had held her own elections and there was no reason for such
a..movement.
The Siem .ieap ircident (7-8 c.ut ust 1,46) was, according to Baron
Surcouf, pure maliciousness and banditry', he stated the bandits,
which he.referred to as Siamese, had attacked a hospital full of
women, children and invalid troops. It was suggested the hospital
was in reality a hotel which, as late as t'pril at least, had been
full of robust French officers, soldiers and a few women; the object
of the Free. Cambodians had been to capture the French arsenal at
Siem Reap and to do so they had to attack all French installations
in the area. baron Surcouf stated he had never heard that version
of the incident.
Approved For Release 1999/09/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457R000200160003-3