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EDNESD
Survey of Indo-China--No. 3:
HỌ CHI-MINH VS. BAO DÀI
The struggle for power in Vietnam revolves today around two rival personali- ties, Bao Dal, ex-Emperor of Annam, and Ho Chi-minh, a professional Communist re- volutionary.
These two men are contesting for the majority support of the Vietnamese. Whoever holds that. support is very likely eventually
By Seymour Topping
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Associated Press Correspondent Seymour Topping turns to one of Asia's most controversial contexts, "Ho Chi minh versus Bao Dal in this third part of his informative report on Vietnam.
.
Hồ Chí minh, “The Ono The Shincs", was born 50 years ago In Annam, the son of a betty emelal. After working as a ser- vant on a French steamer, he
He
"Nationalists fighting Anti- Russian war, Chiang Kai-shek
says,"
Bo that's what kind of war 16 ts. I've often wondered,
What USIS a pubile library? I should have thought the fact that we have one at all would
to carry his government to power compromise government short of ples who live in the mounts tics. He went to Moscow in 1923 speak volumes,
The passionate nationalism of the Vietnamese has made their battle for independence the crucial is- Buc. They will follow the leader whom they think will win inde- pendence for them,
When He Chi-minh proclaimed his "Democratic Peoples Republic of Vietnam" in August, 1945, Bao Dal abdlented but was re- tained" as "High Councillor." He escaped soon after to Hong Kong where he acquired a reputation on a playboy.
Vietnamese associated in polttles that of the Catholic Church with with the French are suspect a pupe at the head.
Vietnamese Most
spurn any Almost 3,000,000 minority peo
ous country como directly under Bao Dal and some of them active. ly support him. These people, including, 1,000,000 lol-clothed Mols, are of Tibetan, Indian, In- donesian and Chinese extraction. They are afraid of domination by the more aggressive native-Vict- namese who live exclusively in the lowlands,
an enormously
an independent one.
With a government not regard. ed as independent, Bao Dal faces dimeult task in trying to attract away from Ho Chi-minh the majority support of the politically conscious Vict. namese. The French had granted a large measure of Internal autonomy, but not enough to re- move the stigma of a "puppet re-
Bao Dal cannot find men for his government that will give it the needed stature. Those few nationallat leaders not committed to Ho Chi-minh refuse to enter the government. Some of these "blanket-covered man" wait for the dust to settle, Bao Dal to gain more independence, and to see if popular support will swing
from Ho Chi-minh.
Fear of the Vietminh is another
☐ Icw
settled in Paris at the" age of 28 where he followed a gruelling regiment of self-education. became increasingly involved in. Leftwing political activity.
Đy 101 Ho Chi-minh was nh active Communist and a leading opponent of French colontai poli- as a delegate to the "Peasant In- ternational" and stayed there subsequently to study. He reap- peared two years later in Canton deep in revolutionary work for Indo-China, In 1981, he organis- ed the Indo-Chinese Communist sume year Party and in the
unsuccessful révolt directed an
against the French in his country. HK imprisonment
By this time, he was Comin- fern agent for South East Asia. His underground activity landed
For three years, no
According to one report; Liu has "millions of says China
affected by natural people calamities who must be relived by the state with huge amounts of grain,"
Ye must be born a grain.
•
I hear on indifferent authority that life insurance premiums for Jikely to go up Journalists are
with a bang.
Not only is the King of Siam hitting the headlines with his wedding and coronation, but he is shortly to make his debut song writer on Broadway. Wouldn't Anna have proud!
g
boon
"Scientists discover new discase.” Couldn't they discover something useful for a ch
change?
Real Reds cause, confusion, fri Wisconsin town staging a mock Communist invasion.
Myrtle says she saw the same
Vietnam's 800,000 Chinese keep an uneasy neutrality
although Chinese Communist agents are active among them. The Chinese, who are unpopular because of their too keen business acumen, him in a British prison in Hons have a near monopoly on the Kong for 18 months. In 1940, he organized the Vietminh, "League country's commerce.
Despite the Vatican's recogni- for the Independence of Vietnam" tion of the Bao Dal regime, only and with Allied, support based of Vietnam's 2,000,000 himself in the North Indo-Chinn have rallled to tt mountains to Bght a guerilla war Some Catholics Cathoiles
fight with the
against the Japanese. Vietminh whose membership is
When He Chi-minh orrived in 80 per cent non-Communist. In- Hanoi in August, 1945, to pro-
Catholic lenders, al-
claim his "Democratic People's oppose the Viet- Republic of Vietnam". dependent
he was though they minh’E Communiat leadership. "Uncle Ho, the universally ne give priority to the independence knowledged leader and soul of Vietnamese Independence Issue and refuse to join Bao Dal. the
movement. In negotiating with the Vietminh, the French treated Ho Chi-minh as such, correspondent has seen. Ho Chi- small, stender, tubercu minh, a lous man with Intense eyes and a thin straggling beard. There have been rumours of his death Some reports say his death hai not been announced because the Vietminh wish to continue capl. tallsing on Ho Chi-minh's great personal appeal. Other rumours In the centre between the Bac
Communist lieutenants. Vietminh, Daists and the
But according to the Vietminh these without politics, perhaps Radio, which presumably broad- Tremendous
most of the 23,000,000 Vietnamese. The largest group behind Bad They are largely simple rice casts from his capital in the North Indo-China mountains, Ho Chi handicaps
Dal are the Caodaists. Cao Dai farmers living in primitivo vil-
are minh is still President and Pre Bao Dal's government has come is a religious sect with about 2-lages. The French claim they are minh nce mier, into being under
000,000 members in Cochin-China. not interested in independence tremendous
The vice-premier in Ho Chi- handicaps. The struggle for in- It combines several religions in- and only want peace. But if a
as the the Christianity, Buddhism spark has been ignited among minh's cabinet, as well
national defence, dependence has produced among cluding
and Confucianism. The Cao Dai them, it is due to one man mare ministers of
suggest education, and finance are Com- many Vietnamese a bitter hatred for the French in Indo-China. hierarchy is organised similar to than any other-Ho Chi-minh,
munists. The minister, charge motivated by
Bao Dal, meaning "The Great Protector", is heir to the "Dragon Throne" of Annam, now Central Vietnam, Afier.some_soven years
schooling in France, gime."" of
he Communist propagandists mounted the throne. It gave him only token powers such as ruling give their imagination and head of the Annamite religion hostility free rein when they which is a mixture of Buddhism and ancestor worship. Tho Jap- talk about conditions in non- Communist lands. But Com-1anese retained Bro on the throne when they sclzed Indo-China In munist leaders deal as a rule 1945. factually and realistically own problems. with their That is especially true when they are talking to their own people, for domestic, not for- About eign consumption. conditions abroad they know next to nothing: about con- ditions at Home they know all, for they are at grips with them. The realistic surveys of the situation recently made by Messrs. Chen. Yun, Tung Pi-wu and General Lin Piao, have now been supplemented by Mr. Liu Shao-chi's survey on May Day. Many people, he said, don't understand the "true meaning" of the Com- munist victory in China-or, in the vernacular, what has hit them. They, like the guerilla bands, are putting up resistance. Millions of people are suffering from the natural calamities and need relief from the State. No for eign aid was needed or would be accepted. He admitted "serious dislocation and anarchy" in various social and economic enterprises. These conditions, plus shortcomings and errors in the work of the authorities, had caused un- employment and difficulties in Industry and commerce...
Their secret police and factor. terrorists are everywhere. In the villages and in the largest cities, Bao Dai is married to Catho- fear of Vietminh reprisal is a
deterrent to open alle strong llc, the daughter of a Cochin-
His wife glance to Bao Dal or co-operation Chinese businessman.
Although Saigon is the very is in France with their five chil-, with the French. dren. At 37, Dai is a shrowd politician and a courageous, ac- centre of French power in Viet- terrorists throw Stocky, Bam. Vietminh complished sportsman.
an average of three or four barnos fleshy, he likes to wear American-
nightly into Saigon cates crowd- style sports clothes.
soldiers and Bao
Dal loft exile in Honged with French
constant reminder Kong to sign the March 8, 1949 sallors. It is
to the capital's population that agreement which gave Vietnam a
the Vietminh are omnipresent. measure of internal autonomy within the French Union. He be- came provisional chief of state. General elections for a constituent are to be held after assembly peace is restored. The assembly pe must frame a constitution defu- ing Bao Dai's future position.
On the other side of the led- ger he placed the overthrow of Imperialism-with
the
Reprisals heavy Terrorism is not only a tactic of the Vietminh. French police are brutal in their handling of Vietminh activity. French troops hesitant in putting the torch to villages thought to have harboured. Vietminh,
are not
Same objectives Replying to the Vietnamese cry for Independence, the Bao Dalsts declare they are fighting for the same objectives as the Vietminh but are using different They exert a steady pressure on Heater conces- the French for
The Bae Dai administra- tion is shot through with pro-
slons.
Vietminh office holders. Iron-
ically enough, like the others in the government,
their salaries
foreign
thing happen once we beglaners broke her leg at the first aid class.
One is glad to note that despite the telegraph operators' strike, it is by no means all UP with the news agency.
shoots
come mainly from French funds say he has lost power to fanatical bitch-hiker "Just for curloalty."
Exploring the bush in West Nigeria
like the Bolshevik Revolu- tion-it had come out of the blue, whereas this revolution has come out of a long period of decadence, frustra- tion, civil wars and invasion.
By a Special Correspondent
Water problem
are
river
of: wounded veterans is a prac-
Catholic ticing Roman
Tennessee youth
It wasn't wanted
stated what he find out..
The Ave-shilling maximum on meals in British restaurants bas been abolished at last.
I don't like to see the Socialista using control and giving in
rich like this. At
gesture
to
a Consered ilmato I would
towards
#
thi
beral
'unced, diet ', was the Parliamentary
balance of power priest.
or more
The foreign minister is a So- particularly, the balance of hard cialist. The ministers of Interior currency. and Economic Affairs were off- clala in Bao nal's former Imperial government.
General elections for the Vict- minh government were held in 1946. Ant cleczed ässembly hat remained in recess,
Stalin makes one of his rare appearances at May Day.fete.
Capitalist Imperialist. attempts to make out that this was a good Jub of embalming are. says Radio, Moscow, doomed to failure:
"Popular committees" Ice they're still advertising..
FOLLOW
THE WORLD
EVENTS
an irresistible farca.
All of Vietnam is divided into that **14. h.p.. Carrier air 10 Vietminh political-military dis-conditioner" under "Cars for sale.” usual blind eye to Manchuria mense tribulation, even if
It is most unfortunate that, in bed at night and listen to the tricts, "Popular committees" arc Would-be buyers might see the -the approaching completion
many people
their barking of the tree bears (ilke the local governing bodies down, effects of sec of the Communist victory,
every "bringing with it an end to
colonies only from their cos- the Australian koala bear) and to the village level. On
the eternal chirping of the administrative level, Communists meeting an immovable body, blockades and bombings;" the
mopolitan centres. For trial crickets. There were also man- usually hold the most influential
gosts. Communist-led Vietminh tionalist groups In the Vietminh total mobilisation of Man-
years my knowledge of Nigeria keys chattering in the trees in was confined to life in Lagos the mornings, but they were
troops back, up the authority of who fear what Communist con-- churia for economic produc-
until I decided to see some rarely seen.
the civil government.
trol of their movement will load Nothing is more necessary thing of the Nigerian bush life,
The Indo-Chinese Communist tion; the completion of land
to. But so far there, is no evi- Party organisation parallels, the dence that a serious break; has reform in the areas first ad- than a sober, realistic estimate and to discover Nigerians in
The biggest problem facing the Vietminh civil government strue- occurred. Bither these groups Com of the force behind it all. their natural surroundings administration in this division is ture. The Tangbo, the party's are not able to secede or what ministered by the munists, the unified control of Certainly-it-will be-proof far from the Europeanised that of water-supplies-At-pre- Politburo is the single most-Buo Dai-has to offer in noi sută-
sent the people of Ubiaja and the powerful political body in the clently attractive,,,qode national finance and economy against any challenge from centres.
1 left Lagos in a tiny "dove" surrounding villages have to trek Vietminh "resistance zone".
Most pro-Vietminh non-Com- and the struggle for a the Nationalists, who have
Benin down the side of the plateau 260 The Communist leadership has munists, including Catholics, be- : Tater. fect for every drop of water they got introduced any revolutionary Heve they can resist Communist balanced Budget; stabilisation been passed by in this aircraft and alighted at City just over an hour
This water is sold in the programme that might induce domination of their government of currency and commodity great economic stage of the Although North East of Lagos, ure.
part of the markets round, about at the rate opposition among the 80 per cent after the French are forced to prices; and the international Revolution, or by any attempt Benin, Province is
Provinces of Nigerin. of sixpence for about four gal-faction of the Vietminh which is leave. Vietnam. Their contention situation which, he said, is to fight it merely with the Western "favourable to China's recon- mouth. The spirit of fanati. My destination, a bush station lons which in much more than non-Communist. The social pro- must be studied in the light of
called Ubiaja, was 72 miles from the average African can afford. gramme has been confined mainly two salient facts: cism which drives the re- Benin, the remainder of tho But great progress has been to some reduction of rural rents 1) They have had no previous structiona
made in the past four months without otherwise affecting the experience in engaging a Com- No estimate of what the volutionaries on, has the de- urney being made by car.
Even before we reached Ublaja. Plans are well ahead for pump landlords, an energetically pushed munist political machine in open future holds in store can
fects of its virtues. The pace ignore the immense drive. is too fast and feverish. Both the red dust and the Harmatian' ing the water to the top of the education programme to 'combat conflict.
were making themselves fait, for platenu and supplying the dis literacy and a readjustment of
2) The Communists already control the Vietminh' army; and zeal, and ruthlessness behind spirit and letter of the Com- my throat became very dry, and trict by pipe-line. This is a the inx scale.
which will takeThere have been reliable re-secret police as well as the top this movement. The "re- mon Programme have gone soon I was having difficulty in major scheme
ports of some wavering by na-political posts. neutral speaking. The "Harmattan" is a some time to complete, volution" of
One of my most exciting ex- Wang An-ahih by the board. A
North East wind which blows
Ublaja Was a was mild reform compared foreign policy would have over Nigeria from the Sahara, cursions from with the Communist pro-made matters much easier carrying with it the sand of the drive we lock to the River Niger
-that great mysterious gramme or for that matter all round. The range of co- desert.
I soon detected many differ which has given its name to when compared even
We descended to with operation in industrial co-ences between city and bush life, that country. the first three years of the operation would have been It began by my observance of Just over 200 feet before we saw silent revolution in Britain. wider and more effective and simple things. For example, the the river. The road took us all
in the European-owned. But the same spirit of fanati- without loss of independence. notican-stated, shop, which said, before we arrived trading cism has been known before: As things are, though Liu "Don't rush to touching," and the centre called lushi, about 14 it was typical of the states- Shao-chi has again urged a smiling steward-boy who, when miles from Ubials, and all of a men who created the First proper outlet for private asked whether the kettle was sudden there right ahead of w, To me it was a most thrilling Empire more than two thou-capital and has spoken of the bolling for tea, said, "It remains was the Niger.
sight. This enormously wide, sand years ago. The most need to "readjust" relations small to boil proper, mastah."
Lovely view rather muddy river, layas rebellious but least revolu between Government and tionary of peoples are caught private interests, there is the Ublaja stand about 1000 basking in the sun. A curious up in a tide even more fate risk that the stagnation in feet above sea level. I noticed at shaped boat, rather like a big once the welcome difference in barge with a funnel, on-it, was ful and far-ranging than industry brought about by temperature and humidity from loading palm kerne's that which first overthrew all the dramatic turn from hope- Lagos. Here, although it is ex-
I have always wanted to visit rivals by main force, and then less inflation to strangulat-tremely hot in the day-time you get a very welcome drop in
a Ieper settlement and my set out to consolidate the reing taxation and defintion temperature in the mornings and chance came while in this divi- gime by denouncing all the may impel the passionate re-evenings so much so, I am told, slon. It was very different. from old learning, by burning the volutionaries to take over in that fires are sometimes what I had imagined.
the evenings,
Herb live voluntary. patiente old books and burying the dustry too.
There were only five Europeans, men and women, busy, happy, Their bluish- conservative scholars.
There will be a turn in the in the station two bachelors and cheerful people. The regime did not list tide, when and how it would a young couple with a baby of grey clay houses stand in rows long: It ended with its foun- be foolish to predict and it 18 the house in which I was suland
PARIMANA surrounded by well-kept grounds From
with flowering shrubs der..But though the execra- would be equally foolish to staying there was an incredibly and treex. tions of the scholars lasted say that the China of the ages beautiful patioramic view of the One of the women patients far below, with thickly took me into her house. It was through the centuries, the fa vanishing. The Chinese revolution of Imperialism put are one of the supreme area wooded expanses constalling moal- tiny, but very clean and airy,
palm, mahogany and cotton-Tha Mlittle church-consisted of an end to the Warring States tive peoples of mankind. To wood trees. Brilliant splashes a four walls of blues clay with a and made China one. Though day the relatively narrow colour were introduced by the roof of palmi, fronds. The seat Dynasties came and went bounds are rather of beautiful crimson and white. Ing was composed of clay with long periods of chaos, adaptability than creative frangipaal trees, the red and benches, one secilen for lepéry purple bougain lilea, the dam and another for anyone who and foriegn conquerors im- ness They will create their boynter or tisme, tree, the red cared to come to the services. posed their discipline, he own, synthesis both in this hibiscus, the Imperial unification remain-economic phase of the up-|- shelby, and ed. Whatever may, happen in heaval, and in the political
ware or order so
will rema
that this
iów in due even-gore true läntpt England
the way through dense forests
Happy folk
slue plumbago The altar was a single altpla
crucifix hung on the far walle uvit very moving in- disɑ uchra Ponāti) "aliplicity, The
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