Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

FRENCH RESUME ATTACK ON
VIETMINH SUPPLY LINE
HANOI, Tuesday.
French bombers to-day resumed full-scale
attacks on the main supply line of the
Vietminh forces. The bombers began a
concentrated attack, raining explosives on
every convoy spotted between Dien Bien Phu
and the town of Tuam Gine.
The Vietminh are rushing
their troops from the newly-cap-
tured fortress towards Indo
China's Red > River Delta.
It was the first attack since
the French ended the no-bomb-
ing truce which the Communists
had used to get reinforcements
from Dien Bien Phu to, the. Della,'
"Fighter boYriueia^oined the attack
later.
The 30 miles of strategic,
twisting mountain road connect-
ing the ruined fortress and Tuan
Giao has been thick with troops
and supply trucks moving towards
the delta's flanks.
The French had agreed not to
bomb the road, believing that
Vietminh would carry out their
promise to evacuate Dien Bien
Phu's wounded, but instead the
Communist allegedly used the
airlift as a smoke screen to hide
their troop movements.
It was estimated that General
Vo Nguyen Giap has already
moved an entire division into the
limestone mountains bordering
the south-western side of the
Delta triangle.
After it became apparent the
Communists were attempting to
draw out the airline, the French
ordered the bombing to be resumed.
The first attacks took place
almost at the same time Professor
Pierre guard, chief French
negotiator for evacuating French
Union troops from Dien Bien
Phu, arrived at the fallen' For
tress to discuss new proposals
with the Vietminh.
Professor Heard is accompanied
by three French officers.
PRAVDA CRITICAL
Meanwhile Pravda radishes', .".
accused the French '"Governor . ii
of, a premeditated openly pr v
active act" in stopping "the"
evacuation of wounded from the
fortress.
Pravda added: "The condition
of the wounded when the for -
tress fell was so bad that the
French authorities feared it
might come to the knowledge of
the French public."
"It is precisely for this reason
that they decided to break off the-'
evacuation of the wounded."
ARMISTICE PLAN
GENEVA, Tuesday
The Indo-China conferred .
may appoint experts from both
sides to reconcile military arm
tice proposals in French and
Vietminh plans for ending the
seven-year Indo-China war.
These two plans, submitted to
the conference at its plenary ser-
sion last week, have three common
aims.
These are
9 Military disengagement.
O Regroupment of French Union
forces and those of the Con
munist Vietminh regime.
9 The administration by each
side of the territory it holds,
pending a political settlement.
But the Vietminh proposals
contains a provision that the
political future of three Asso| -
rated States of Vietnam, Laos a' 4
Cambodia must be settled to
fore a cease-fire is sounded.
The Communist side-Russ- ,.
China and Vietminh-said again
yesterday at the first secret session
of the talks that the political
and military aspects of-the
plan could not be entirely separated.
The Western side is expected
to press the Communists to-day
to indicate the extent to which
they would modify this demand
in the interests of stopping-the
fighting.
$