PROFILE: PHAM VAN DONG

Lively ‘phantom’ is representing |

Viet Nam at Geneva conference

A VERY lively and substantial
“phantom” has been holding
the stage at Geneva. He is Pham
Van Dong, survivor of the Poulo
Condor death island, vice-premier
and acting foreign minister of
the Democratic Republic of Viet
Nam.

An austere-looking man, but
with the kindliest of smiles, and
eyes sunk deep into their sockets,
Pham Van Dong smartly rapped
French Foreign Minister Bid-
ault’s knuckles when the latter
sneeringly referred to the govern-
ments of Laos and Cambodia as
“non-existent phantoms.”

Pham Van Dong reminded
Bidault of a previous occasion
during a UN debate when he had
referred to the government of Ho
Chi Minh also as-.a “non-existent
phantom.”

By WILLIAM KASHTAN

“And yet today,” continued
Pham, “France sits down at Gene-
va with these phantoms and dis-
cusses important questions. The
world may well ask also why does
France maintain numbers of
troops in Indochina to fight
against phantoms.”

+ nm 1p

The life story of Pham Van
Dong is that of devotion to his
people, the fight for independ-
ence and against imperialism. He
has fought in his student class-
rooms, on the battlefield with
arms in hand, and at the polished
tables of international - confer-
ences.

He has fought against French
and Japanese imperialist invaders
of Viet Nam. He is now fighting
twith equal energy against U.S.
imperialism.

Ni

Why not visit China,

USSR, Mr.

SEE that M. J. Coldwell, CCF

national leader, is going on a
‘three months tour of Europe. He
is scheduled to visit Britain,
France, Italy, Greece, Israel and
possibly Norway.

Question: Why did he leave
out of his itinerary the Soviet
Union and People’s China?

A Labor party group from Bri-
tain headed by Clement Attlee
and Aneurin Bevan are going to
China.

Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt is to
visit the Soviet Union shortly.

A Canadian cultural delegation
recently visited the Soviet Union
and one from the Soviet Union
made a successful tour of Can-
cada.

The United Fishermen’s Union ©

in B.C. at its convention earlier
this year, responded to an invi-
tation from the Soviet Trade
Union Council by sending an of-
ficial elected delegate to partici-
pate in May Davy celebrations in
the USSR.

I am told that a much larger
trade union delegation will visit
the Soviet Union soon, again on
the invitation of the Soviet Trade
Union Council.

Such exchanges do nothing but
good. They help to break down
the artificial barriers of the cold
war. They help to strengthen
friendship among the peoples and
‘thereby become a hindrance to
those who see only war as the
way out of their difficulties. —

Coldwell would do a greaf ser-
vice to the cause of peace, trade
and friendship were he to lead
a CCF delegation to the Soviet
Union and People’s China, pledg-
ing friendship between our peo-
ples. It is not too late for his
tour to be re-arranged with that
in view.

In any case the great trade
union movement of this country
ought to take the initiative in ad-
vocating the widest kind of cul-
tural and other exchanges be-
tween these countries and ours.
The lead they give in this re-
spect could change the picture
overnight.

The coming conventions of the
Trades and Labor Congress, the
Canadian Congress of Labor and
the Catholic Syndicates ought to
give serious consideration to this
vital matter. It is closely related
to the fight for peace and for
jobs in a peace economy.

Why shouldn’t the trade union
movement of this country arrange
for an exchange of trade union

Coldwell?

delegates with the Soviet Union
and People’s China?

Canadian trade union members
have a right to know from their
own elected delegates the truth
about what is going on in these
countries. How can they depend
on a government and commercial
press which is openly hostile and
opposes any easing of interna-
tional tensions and actively sup-
ports the U.S.-imposed economic
blockade of these countries?

@'

Another question which merits
equally serious consideration by
these coming conventions is the
urgent need for achieving unity
between the World Federation
of Trade Unions and the Interna-
tion Confederation of Free Trade
Unions.

The Amalgamated Engineering
Union in Britain, which has a
membership of over 900,000, re-

cently adopted a resolution call- -

ing for unity between these two
bodies—the WFTU and ICFTU.
Other British unions have done
likewise, and a similar stand was
recently taken by the Australian
Miners Union.

A growing body of trade union-
ists is seeking to break down the
cold war barriers set up by the
U.S. State Department. These
artificial divisions and harmful
splits weaken the organized labor
movement of the world.

To allow them to continue now
in face of the united assault of
the employers on the living stan-
dards, jobs and security of the
workers, would open the door to
reaction, fascism and war.

The trade union conventions

could perform a great service

to the world labor movement
were they to align themselves
with the British trade union move-
ment in a concerted drive to unite
the organized labor movement
internationally.

Such unity would constitute
that indestructible weapon against
which the offensive of govern-
ments and employers could be
smashed and the door opened
wide for a great new advance by
labor all down the line.

Cultural exchanges directed to
strengthening peace, trade and
friendship between all peoples,
combined with trade union unity
on an international scale are in
the interests of Canadian labor.

The coming trade union con-
ventions cannot avoid dealing
with them. ;

' the hundreds.

‘terminals,

A student revolutionary, he
was arrested in 1930 and spent
six years in the infamous French
penal colony of Poulo Condor, the
malaria-infested, disease - ridden
grave of hundreds of patriots
from Viet Nam, Laos and Cam-
bodia.

Six years on Poulo Condor —
a death island off the south coast
of Indochina—leaves its mark on
those who survive. His suffer-
ings are deeply engraved’ in the
lined face and sunken eyes of
Pham Van Dong. ~

Revolutionary student, brilliant -

lawyer, inspired organiser, Pham
Van Dong became one of the
right-hand men of Ho Chi Minh.
No sooner was he released from
Poulo Condor in 19356, than he
threw his burning energies into
the fight for independence.

When the Second World War
broke out and the Vichy French
administration in Indochina open-
ed the gates to the Japanese mili-
tarists, it was Pham Van Dong
who played a leading role in or-
ganising the Viet Minh (Viet Nam
Independence League) and in set-
ting up armed resistance to the
Japanese. ;

It was very largely due to his
activities that by 1944 a large,
liberated area was cleared of
Japanese troops in North Viet
Nam. No less than six provinces
were liberated and a solid base
was formed to carry out a war of
resistance against the Japanese.

x x %

After the Vietnamese people
seized power in August 1945 —
and it is important to remember
that they seized power from the
Japanese in favor of whom the
French had completely abdicated
three months earlier—Pham Van
Dong was made minister of fin-
ance in the provisional govern-
ment.

There were exactly 1,200,000
paper piastres in the treasury.
The Japanese had shipped all the
gold to Tokyo.

In March 1946, France signed
a preliminary treaty with the goy-
ernment, which in the meantime
had been elected in free, nation-
wide elections carried out in Jan-
uary 1946. The treaty stipulated
that Franee should recognize the
Democratic Republic of Viet Nam
as a “free state having its own

government, parliament, army
and finance.”

Three months later, Pham Van
Dong was heading a Viet Nam

delegation for talks with EF
at Fontainebleau. : eet

In July 1946 Pham was offerin
the French very much the bane

A striking new Portrait of President Ho Chi Minh of vi

-tary command drivel

the war in Indochina.

ef Na |

ne of
generous terms 45 4
Bideau in Geneva. ;

The French used
negotiations and the
immediately followe (,
port troops and aes 3)
china. When their for 4
sufficiently built uP

sstoy ae

With his long and bitl®
ing in the struggle
perialism, with the

ruptcy after eight ae
resistance war, Pham aj
is obviously the right ™
right place at Geneve mel”
ate the terms of a S¢

OPEN FORUM

Railroaders worried

RAILROADER, Edmonton: Eco-
nomics applied to the railways
are having a devastating effect
on railway workers, and causing
a deterioration in service to th
public. - “if
Workers are being laid off by
In the last few
years the change from coal to
oil has made great inroads into

staffs and also into tonnage car-

ried.

For instance, the diesel handled
by two units with one crew takes
127 cars as against 70 cars with
a steam locomotive. A freight
train went through here with 227
cars as against 70 cars with a
steam locomotive. They go great
distances with very little ser-
vicing on the tests—from Winni-
peg west to Jasper or from Mon-
treal to Edmonton.

‘Fort Rouge will be completely
dieselized by 1956; Transcona by
1961. Do you know what this
means to the shop men? Their
practical elimination as railway
workers. ‘ ;

. Roadmen will also feel it by
cutting of crews. Section men,
intermediate points
working skeleton crews will be
hit as well. :

The railmen are worried about

all this and I hove it will lead to
action on their part. We have
won battles in the past and I

feel sure we will win in ji
Ren again a

The railway shop men are now
trying . to Overcome the heavy
reductions in staffs by asking for

' fringe benefits and more holidays.

If the workers are going to liv
; e
they will have to benefit through

_ this development by reduction in

hours to maintain the

1 present
staffs. The railways are saving
great sums of money, but at
whose expense?

Will it carry him?

W.R., Trail, B.C.: When he Visit-
ed Trail recently Minister of Pub-
lic Works Gaglardi termed the

bridge which spans the Columbia

“a staunch affair.”

“Does Gaglardi imply that we
are going to have to put up with
this public menace for another 43
years?” asks the Kootenay Free
Press. ;
Public Works to take a walk on
his “staunch affair” when it is
loaded with cars or when a bus
happens to go by “and then see
how it vibrates.”

: Citizens ‘here all agree that it
is time we had a new bridge, be-
fore the present one falls down.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — JUNE 18, 1954 —

' farm income and di

It invites the Minister of’

Farmer-Labor unity

GRAIN WORKER,
B.C.: An appeal for f in
cooperation appears
Spout, published by 10
Grain Workers Union lps: Ped
The writer is J. L. PBC cis
dent of Saskatchewa?
Union.

yo a er
After explaining isp 15599

. r
question of fair prices p :
products, Phelps says
“If we could obtail,
ing each other’s problem’
ter understanding oF fee!
these basic questions: ols
not only farmers anpeneet
but all citizens would
stantially.

“I look forward ge ind
when representatives © out
unions would receive 7 spend
vitations to attend a2° o¢
the annual meeting5 — spi)
groups, and in turn, oF
would be a tremend?
age to industrial unio? ron!
have representatives —,
organizations attend oe ji
union conventions, 10 ¥ of ¥
tion that an _exchane' “is
would provide 4. Ls ¢
broader understandin&
problems.”

ry

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