Printing
Gu Mingfei, The ‘Bao Dai Solution’ and the Indochinese Policy of France from 1946 to 1949
2020-12-03
After the failure of the Fontainebleau Conference in 1946, the French government, represented by the High Commissioner in Indochina Georges Thierry d'Argenlieu and his political adviser Léon Pignon, began to promote the ‘Bao Dai Solution’. In June 1947, the French Foreign Ministry confirmed a three phase plan, including the signing of the ‘Bay of Along Agreement’, the formation of Provisional Central Government of Vietnam, and the return of Bao Dai. The key issue of this plan was the Vietnam's unity and independence. On the one hand, France recognised the independence of Vietnam, but within the framework of the French Union. On the other hand, France accepted the concept of unity for Vietnam, but delayed the process in various ways. The ‘Bao Dai Solution’ reflected the retrogression of the Indochinese policy of France. It overestimated Bao Dai's influence and understated his ambitions. The French policy regarding Bao Dai failed and the French government began to actively seek American assistance by avoiding direct intervention of the United States. The military settlement became the main objective of France's Indochinese policy.