In Search of Victory part-5

 25th January 1965,

Dear Diary,

                    I, Charles De Gaulle, President of the French Republic, have faced a tough time in the last few years. With violence again erupting in Indo-China in December 1964 and in Algeria in 1954 has put our position as a major power at risk. All was good in Indo-China, we had defeated the Vietnamese guerrilla and executed Ho Chi Minh and had established supremacy over our protectorates in Laos and Cambodia. We had established our supremacy over the Communist North and then in March 1964, established the protectorate of Vietnam with Emperor Nguyen Ham Suk serving as the head of state. But then suddenly due to Russian aid, the Viet Minh re-emerged again under Han Ngyuen Sinh in the North. Therefore bloody fighting again erupted near Hanoi with our forces clashing against the guerrilla army. It is in the best interests of France that the guerrilla is defeated quickly and I hope that will happen. The Americans again offered to help us but we refused because it is high time that we do our dirty work for ourselves.

    Also, we must remember that there are no permanent friends or enemies in international politics, there are only permanent interests. Therefore while we should always be grateful to the Americans for their support to the Free France Movement during the war and their help in consolidating our authority in Indo-China, we must also become independent of American help and learn the art of self-help. We must therefore develop an autonomous nuclear command and that is why I have segregated French nuclear forces from the NATO nuclear command. I believe that while we have an integral part to play in NATO which is an essential organization to defeat communism, However, I believe that while we should be a part of NATO, we should develop an independent identity of our own and we should put that identity first.

    Now coming to Algeria, the war with the Algerian guerilla first erupted in 1954, but then by increasing troop levels in the colony we consolidated our authority but now due to Russian aid, that movement has erupted again. We must therefore stamp our authority on Algeria and must free the colony of Communist influence and we must do it without American help! Long live the French Republic!