The Labour Party's Speakers! Notes for the 1959 General Election (printed and published by Transport House) contains the following extract from the Foreign Affairs section dealing with Vietnam, No comment on the extract is required from me, it speaks for itself: (my emphasis throughout) "Vietnam A very dangerous situation exists in the former French Indo-Chinese colony of Vietnam. By the 1954 Peace Treaty all foreign troops were to be withdrawn from both North and South Vietnam within a short period and the local troops were to re-group north and south of the 17th parallel. Free elections were to be held by July 1956 to unite the whole country. The British Government, as one of the co-chairmen of the Geneva Conference, has had a special responsibility, together with the International Supervisory Commission, to see that the terms of the Treaty were carried out. Yet what has happened? "In both north and south separate governments have been established, The north has continually expressed its willingness to hold all-Vietnamese elections in accordance with the Peace Treaty - again and again the south has refused. Yet not a squeak of protest from the Tories = supposedly the upholders of the 1954 settlement. Indeed, by recognising, and having diplomatic relations with, the south and not with the north, the Tories are conniving at the breach of Treaty,
Vietnam - Labour's policy in opposition continued/
"Is all this important? The Labour Party thinks that it is: 1. By refusing to honour a specific treaty obligation to hold free elections, which the Communists may win, in Vietnam, the Western Powers very much weaken their position in demanding, for example, free all~German elections which they expect to win, 2. The 1954 Conference sat Geneva was welcome for broader reasons than simply relief that the Indo-Chinese was was ended, It was the first confer ence between East and West that met with success, It is clearly in the interests of both great power blocs to ensure that once a settlement of a particular problem is achieved it is adhered to, This the only way to ensure a gradual growth of international confidence."