was the theme of dual allegiance of the Viet Minh revolution
to "Marxist-Leninism and the ideology of Mao Tse-tung. I**
Elaborating this theme, the official organ of the People's
Army of Vietnam paid striking tribute to "the military ideology
of Mao Tse-tung" as exercising "profound influence on our
armed struggle in general and in building our armed forces in
particular. ''
Of particular interest was the defense, appearing in severa1
authoritative discussions at this time, of China's communes
against the mounting campaign of criticism by the Soviet
Union. In a late August - Nhan Dan editorial the Lao Dong party
asserted that "only the imperialists and their followers. . . attacked
the great successes of the Chinese people in their movement
to build people's communes.'' A major article in late
September appraising the 10-year record of the Chinese People's
Republic, sought to justify the commune by stressing China's
"special conditions," declaring that "certain things may be
true in a certain friendly country /The USSR7 but not in China."
And Ho Chi Minh speaking in Peiping-lauded communist China's
"general line, great leap forward and people's communes" as,
by implication, "proof of the wisdom of the leadership of the
Chinese Communist party headed DY Comrade Mao Tse-tung" and
as a "creative application of the universal truths of MarxismLeninism
to the actual practice of the Chinese revolution.