Ho Chi Minh Flies a Kite
If Ho Chi Minh, the rebel commander in Indo-China, were to repeat the offer to make peace, which last week he dropped so casually to the correspondent of a Swedish paper, the cat would really be among the pigeons in Paris. There is no class or party in France, except the Communists, which now gains by the war. The Socialists are necessarily against an " imperial ' struggle. The big business interests have lost their big businesses in Indo-China. The bourgeoisie have lost their sons. By June this year, 16,000 regular French soldiers (a large proportion of whom were officers), had been killed in the campaign, out of a total dead of 75,000. Those who favour. a European Army Want peace, because the military drain increases the weakness of France vis-a-vis Germany; those who wish to reform the FrenCh economy want peace, because the financial drain limits their scope. The war goes on because the West as a whole cannot afford to lose Indo-China, because the Americans are now providing most of the equipment, and because the V iet- Nanme do not want to be overrun by the Viet Minh. But if there was a chance of peace, with even a semblance of honour, it would be a bold Prime Minister Who could reject it. On the other hand, to accept it might be to render the sacrifice in vain. Peace without victory in Indo-China would be far more inconclusive than the same state of affairs in Korea. There is no clear frontier which can be patrolled, no armistice line to contain the enemy. It would be peace with an undefeated enemy within the ranks, an enemy who could as well carry on an unarmed offensive as an armed one. Furthermore, the French cbmmanders nbw feel that, given time, they might even be within reach of peace with victory, and that at least the military situation is turning in their favour. Finally, Ho Chi Minh is a Communist, who has spent long years in Moscow. Any decision to call off the war with him would be a decision to call off the cold war with Russia; and until Russian intentions in the Far East are clearer, this would be a dangerous thing to do.
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