THE FIRST INDOCHINA WAR

1. THE FIRST INDOCHINA WAR 1946-1954

2. POST WORLD WAR II • Truman (US) Churchill (UK) and Stalin (Russia) met in 1945 Potsdam Conference to discuss amongst other topics, an ultimatum to be sent to Japan to surrender • Japan failed to respond to this so America went ahead with dropping two atomic bombs which ended war in the Pacific • In Vietnam it was agreed that a Chinese army would disarm Japanese in northern Vietnam and in south an Anglo-Indian force would disarm Japanese

3. General Douglas Gracey was commander of southern surrender • Situation in Saigon very tense – People’s Army and anti-Viet Minh supporters had created their own strongholds • Japanese army was disarmed and detained but issue of French troops was a problem – those jailed by Japanese were now free and civil disorder broke out • Gracey restored order but had to reenlist Japanese forces. In response to this Viet Minh sympathisersorganised a general strike

4. In the north things were equally bad. General Lu Han’s army had disarmed Japanese but then began looting northern areas – this stimulated more support for Viet Minh • Ho’s Democratic Republic was six weeks old and facing potential return of the French and threat of new invader in the Chinese • Ho’s priority in the face of international threats was to feed his people – his armed propaganda teams put all energies into famine relief increasing his popular support • See text page 40 Ho’s Letter to Compatriots

5. As the famine got worse Admiral Thierry d’Argenlieu arrived from France with two regiments. He was given title of High Commissioner of Indochina He was a rigid colonialist with little sympathy for Vietnamese problems. He had 3 goals: • Restore colonial administration in Vietnam • Rebuild Vietnam’s economy where profits would pay for war damages in France • Convince Ho Chi Minh that association with France was Vietnam’s most viable option

6. Provisional Government of French Republic March 1945 • Defined future status of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam (Tonkin, Annam, Cochinchina): • All Indochinese Federation would be formed • Each of the five zones would have relative autonomy but French Governor-General would maintain an exclusive veto power to cancel the decisions of these new states • Total independence was forbidden

7. Ho’s Response to Indochinese Federation • Ho believed his Democratic Republic of Vietnam included the entire nation but French refused to accept this • Ho also worried about Chinese occupation in Tonkin – China’s leader (Chiang Kai-Shek) strongly anti-communist. Ho worried he would attempt to destroy Viet Minh • French troops another issue – 50 000 men sent from France. Ho knew he had to avoid confrontation at this time – for now, compromise was the only solution

8. Ho’s On-Going Negotiations over Annam and Cochinchina • Ho went to Paris hoping to resolve these issues. But Cochinchina was declared an independent French run nation in June 1946 • Between August and October 1946 talks between Ho and French broke down • In November Viet Minh clashed with French gendarmarie close to Hanoi. French troops began to arrest Viet Minh • Later in November French warships opened fire on Vietnamese. More than 6000 killed

9. Ho Retreats • Ho and his closest colleagues retreated to Viet Bac in northern Tonkin to set up a fortress. One of these men was General Vo Nguyen Giap • Ho appealed to all Vietnamese to wage a resistance war – See Text page 41 for Ho’s message

10. In March 1946 Franco-Viet Accords signed in Hanoi. • Ho’s Democratic Republic of Vietnam recognised but boundaries only limited to Tonkin. • Admiral d’Argenlieu guaranteed peaceful departure of Chinese army from Tonkin but on condition that 15000 French troops be posted in Tonkin for next 5 years • Ho agreed but was severely criticised by his colleagues. He said: page 40-41 text (“It is better….We don’t want them back”)