OPINIONS OF INHABITANT OF A TONKIN VILLAGE ON VIET MINH AND FRENCH OCCUPATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R006200450002-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 14, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 22, 2000
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: November 20, 1950
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Rele%~1fflR&F~00457R~~U /
MrOP I N REPORT' (ID NO
1
0
OPTE DST . 20 Nov 5131
SUBJECT Opinions of Inhabitant of a Tonkin Village NO. OF PAGES 3
on 'Diet ?.'inh and French Occupation
PLACE 25X1 A
ACQUIRED
25X1 XDATE OF 25X1 A
INFO.
25X1X
NO, OF ENCLS..
(LISTED 0ELOWI
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO,
la _at the outset of the Viet :inh occupation, the population was decidedly
anti-Viet because of the complete isolation of the villa"e and the
cutting off of exterior com ercee _. blockade was imposed, which even
prohibited traffic with J;au Dinh. The Viet Tirrkr placed heavy emphas .s
on industrial self-sufficiency. Only the absolute necessities were to be
irrported, and the people wore even expected to ;:lake their own clothing.
Corralete se] --roliance was envisa.;od aster the industrialization of the
country, when there would be no further need for it r,aortation of any kind
There was no attempt wider the "'Jiot 7 "inh, however, to put into effect the
much discussed land reform.
2,; Because of the essential poverty of the country, the Viet :inh eri.7hasizod
the necessity for outside aid until such time as the Vietnamese c76 ld
become self-sufficient. It was on this basis that they persuaded the
people to cooperate with the Chinese. The Viet i.:irth explained this
alliance with the Chinese by saying that the latter would remain only
until they had helped the vietnanese to become established
30
,:hile at the beginning of the occupation, Viet ?.:inh propaganda was aimed
at the nationalist aspirations of the Viotnemese;, Communist propaganda
increased steadily. The greatest advarxta. e afforded the population during
the Viet i >irrl, occupation was the opportunity for both old and young to
.learn to read. The Viet .inh published a newspaper, and books on Cormiunism
ri_aari1y becauso, of their dislike of the :.French.
7. Vac, proricla burned the viiia.;e in the course of the second aid, and uado
prisoners of ton of tli, villa ?ers, none of there ot ::irih. The ,%,isoners
were released three months later, and the T?`ri nch finally occu:.,)ied the
village in _I aril 19501 with a i orcei ,Abide included no `,riotnauase troop
s.
The behaviour of the French trop ~s, ra--Ying and looting the vrilla;ors,
convinced tho ,~co",,1e of the superiority of life under the Viet 7.:inha?,:;r
3. The trench insisted that the leading citizens of the villa,,e elect "chiefs"
who were to maintain liaisorx between the roxich and the reol lee The s
"chiefs", usually chosen from ar:iorig tha leading citizens . tliei.rsclves, lived
in constant fear of Viet 'inh reprisal.
99 Under the :wrench, the home industry idea was discoriti.nued, and the
Under the prerich, the Viet :.Inh attempt to increase local iriductr,,1 as
discontinued, and comerce ,,as resumed to s tae c:,tent. Couuorce was to
a grewt extent controlled by the Chinese, howev-?r, who brought goods in
from rlanai, and forced many of the vi.lL ;3rs out of uoric. a -le under
the 7ic:t':arila, the villa-;(,-rs lacked certain things,, notably medicines
and iam-)ean style dress, rice was 2; percent cheaper than under i''r3rich
co itrol, and life was considerably less tense.
, a LIL C :Tr O - ~' .~ ~ i. i ?~ "T ~ OT.T~
Approved For Release 2001/03/05: CIA-RDP82-00457R006200450002-6
 Approved For Release 2001/03/05: CIA-RDP82-00457R006200450002-6
1u.a1'..~.A.r..J..a1LaJa l+{r~iZ - ,1.3. WICE-1 3 0:!LI
25X1A
25X1A
-l:O:i ierit, It is Trides?i,cad belief ailoug the 'Jietnarxcse that
25X1A
25X1A
the hi iese Trill ; cuain only until they hav3 aided to. victnaraese
to expel tiro i'r?ench from wict :;az.ao
~Ca:.iuento ihie 'Viet ')aid 3,000 '?o Clii :juh ;~ia4tc:s for
rice, Lrhon tha )urket trice iias 49000 piaot :rso _,,t that ti:.ic , :l0 ::o
C}d.krill riiacters were ccluivalerrt to 1. Triciocliinoso pia;;-.tor.
.
,. ?, CoiF~riozit. This is at val iarico w
ith other infoxwiation red rdl.n r
the o iav%our of 2Tench troops, and is indicative of th, succors of
w`iet inh propaganda in occu7ied villaU; s,
^..
1J~_J_JS..`...~.Jr~ U,.:.Y
Approved For Release 2001/03/05: CIA-RDP82-00457R006200450002-6