Word: indoing
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Before the seals had hardened on the Indo-Chinese surrender last week, the U.S. and Britain were at work trying to erect a new levee against the Red flood in Asia. Said President Eisenhower: "The United States is actively pursuing discussions with other free nations with a view to the rapid organization of a collective defense in Southeast Asia in order to prevent further direct or indirect Communist aggression in that general area...
Obviously glum about the defeat in Indo-China, John Foster Dulles looked into the future and thought that he saw a silver lining in SEATO. Said he: "If the free nations which have a stake in this area will now work together to avail of present opportunities in the light of past experience, then the loss of the present may lead to the gain of the future...
Speaking on the eve of the Indo-China truce, Meany said: "The policy of massive retaliation, which was put forward in the early spring as the policy of the Eisenhower Administration, has vanished into thin air. Let us hope that it will not be replaced by a policy of massive appeasement on a world scale that would make Munich of 16 years ago pale into insignificance...
...Closing Hours. Amidst all the relief felt for the ending of the Indo-China war and the acclaim for his dazzling display of diplomatic virtuosity, Pierre Mendès-France, the realist, had no illusions and said so. Geneva had been a disaster for France, forced on him by past mistakes. On paper, Mendès-France had got more last-minute concessions than any one had expected, but the agreements were full of potential booby traps. Biggest one of all: the agreements depended on Communist promises...
Ironically, the closing hours of Geneva had proved that the Communists were in reality desperately anxious for a ceasefire, though they played their hand without revealing the fact. The Communist Viet Minh in Indo-China were tired of living in mountain hideouts. The Red Chinese wanted a period of peace to consolidate their restive home front, and they were deeply apprehensive that the U.S. might intervene. The existence of these fears, even after the U.S. had plainly shown no enthusiasm to get involved in Indo-China, was a sad reminder that the whole of Indo-China might have been saved...