'Note for Estimates'
'Recognition of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia'

Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia are the successor States of French Indo-China. In 1949 France formally recognised the independence within the French Union of each of the three States.

2. In Vietnam France has been obliged to take large scale military action in support of the new Government against the guerrilla forces of the ‘Vietminh’ extreme nationalist movement which is receiving substantial support from Communist sources.
3. Though the three States have received fairly general international recognition – apart from the Asian and Communist countries – recognition by Ireland has so far been withheld.
4. On the 3rd September, 1949, the French Chargé d’Affaires handed a note to the then Minister requesting recognition by Ireland of the new State of Vietnam. This request was repeated in a Note from the Embassy dated 6th February, 1950, and in a cable from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam dated 15th May, 1950.

   Recognition of the Kingdom of Laos in a note from the French Embassy of 6th February, 1950, had also been sought.

5. While Mr. MacBride felt that there was no objection in principle to recognition of all three States, he decided that it would be well to consult the Maynooth Mission to China as to whether recognition of Vietnam would have any adverse effect on the Irish Missionaries in Far Eastern countries under Communist control, particularly China. He accordingly spoke to Dr. Dennehy,¹ the Superior General of the Mission, some time in June, 1950. Though the Holy See was among the first to recognise the three new States, Dr. Dennehy was of opinion that it would be better for us not to recognise Vietnam for the time being. It would obviously have been inappropriate to recognise Laos or Cambodia before Vietnam, which is by far the most important of the three new States.
6. There have been no further requests for recognition since that date. No doubt the French appreciate our reason for withholding recognition. The situation in Vietnam remains much the same, the Vietminh guerrillas continuing to put up strong resistance to the French forces.