"It Would Be a Terrible Thing if We Handed These People over to the Communists": The Eisenhower Administration, Article 14(d), and the Origins of the Refugee Exodus from North Vietnam.

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  • Additional Information
    • Subject Terms:
      VIETNAM (Democratic Republic); VIETNAM
    • Subject Terms:
      EISENHOWER, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969; NGO Dinh Diem, 1901-1963
    • Abstract:
      The article looks at Article 14(d) of the 1954 ceasefire agreement between France and Vietnam, which allowed civilians to move between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) and the French-controlled State of Vietnam (SVN) for a period of 300 days. 800,000 refugees moved from the DRV to the SVN during this period. According to the author, the administration of U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower played a significant role in the clause's inclusion. It is suggested that the clause was intended to mitigate domestic U.S. criticism regarding the partition of Vietnam and the formation of the communist DRV. The clause's role in U.S. relations with the SVN and Vietnamese leader Ngo Dinh Diem is also discussed.