Soviet representative appeared tacitly to accept the status
quo in Vietnam for an indefinite period. Even more galling
was the Soviet proposal in January 1957 that both North and
South Vietnam be admitted to the United Nations as "separate
states," thus placing the stamp of approval on the territoral
division of Vietnam to the obvious dismay of the DRV.
By contrast, Communist China on several occasions throughout
this period supported the Viet Minh in efforts to enforce
the provisions of the Geneva Settlement. For example, Chou
En-lai in January 1956 formally proposed that the Geneva Conference
be reconvened to deal with alleged violations of the
accords by the Diem regime. It was presumably in recognition
of these services that the Lao Dong party organ Nhan Dan on
1 October 1956 singled ' out the "loyal attitude"oftheChinese
People's Repubiic as having greatly encouraged the DRV
in its struggle to unify Vietnam under the terms of the Geneva
Agreements .
Disillusionment over the efficacy of political forms of
struggle to achieve national reunification was becoming more
and more apparent within the ranks of the Vietnamese party.
At an important central committee plenum in April 1956, the
then Secretary-General Truong Chinh publicly acknowledged
that "some people" regarded the policy of "peaceful reunif ication"
as "illusory and reformist ." The party resolution
emerging from this session clearly implied that it was necessary
to make long-term preparations in Vietnam for "armed
struggle." In commenting on the failure of nation-wide elections
to take place in July 1956, Nhan Dan referred to widespread
"pessimism, disappointment and lack of confidence in
future struggle for national unification." In an August 1956
article, €Io Chi Minh appeared to be rebuking militants within
the party when he stressed that North Vietnam was bound to
the "general struggle" of the bloc and rejected the notion that
the Viet Minh's problems were a "personal affair which no
longer concern the international proletariat .IT
It was shortly thereafter that Chou En-lai reportedly was
approached by the North Vietnamese, to provide greater assistance
in the struggle against the South. Although reportedly
he replied that nothing could be done at the time, Communist
China within six months in June 1957 fired the opening shots
in a new propaganda campaign assailing United States military
"control" of South Vietnam as a "grave threat to peace in