APPEAL OF THE VIETNAM NATIONAL ASSEMBLY TO THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLIES OF ALL COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD

 (April 10, 1965) 

The National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam at its session held in Hanoi, capital city, from 8 to 10 April 1965, wishes to draw the attention of the national assemblies of all countries in the world to the extremely serious situation in Vietnam created by the aggressive policy of the U.S. imperialists. 

Over the past few years, the U.S. imperialists have been conducting an aggressive war in the southern part of our country. They have set up a puppet administration there to oppress and exploit our people and built a puppet army to serve as their mercenaries. By most savage and cruel means, they have imprisoned our southern compatriots in disguised concentration camps called "strategic hamlets", launched repeated terrorist operations to raze villages to the ground, dropped napalm bombs and noxious chemicals on densely populated areas to massacre the population and destroy crops and vegeta­tion. Recently, they even resorted to poison gas as a means of war. 

To win and safeguard their right to live, our southern compatriots have risen up to fight against them and have won more and greater victories day by day. Faced with the danger of failure, the U.S. Government has increased its military and economic aid to the puppet administration in Saigon, brazenly introduced U.S. marines, strategic air force and the troops of its satellite countries into South Vietnam to take part directly in the war there. 

Meanwhile, in an attempt to retrieve their embarrass­ing situation in South Vietnam, exert "pressure" on the north and "bolster up the morale" of their lackeys, the U.S. imperialists have sent aircraft and warships for daily bombings and strafings of North Vietnam, repeatedly intruding into the airspace and territorial waters of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, in violation of all inter­national law. 

Along with frenziedly stepping up the aggressive war in South Vietnam and expanding war to North Vietnam, the U.S. imperialists have increased their intervention in Laos and carried out continuous provocation against Cambodia, revealing more cynically than ever their aggressive and cruel colonialist nature. 

Yet, like a "thief crying stop thief", the U.S. Govern­ment has shamelessly slandered the Democratic Republic of Vietnam as committing "aggression" in South Vietnam. 

In his speech on April 7, 1965, U.S. President L. Johnson spoke of a "peaceful settlement" and "uncondi­tional discussions" on the Vietnam problem, of a South Vietnam "free from outside interference, tied to no alliance, a military base for no other country .... "

But the truth is that at present the U.S. Government continues to introduce more U.S. combat units and in­tends to commit more troops of its satellite countries into South Vietnam and continues to send air and naval craft to bomb and strafe the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. President Johnson himself declared in his speech that the U.S. "will not withdraw, either openly or under the cloak of a meaningless agreement" and will continue to use "force" in Vietnam. It is clear that faced with the resolute resistance of the Vietnamese peo­ple and the strong pressure of public opinion at home and abroad, the U.S. Government had to talk about "peace" in an attempt to dupe the people and put the blame onto others, and at the same time prepare public opinion for the intensification and expansion of the U.S. aggressive war in Vietnam and Indo-China. But we are firmly confident that the deceitful and self-contradictory contentions of the U.S. ruling circles can in no way deceive the Vietnamese people and the world's people, including the American people, on the contrary they can only deepen the people's anger and make them still more determined to oppose the U.S. imperialists. 

The truth is that over the past 20 years, the U.S. im­perialists have constantly been pursuing their aggressive scheme against our country. 

During the past 10 years or more, the U.S. Govern­ment has systematically violated the 1954 Geneva agree­ments on Vietnam, though the U.S. representative at the Geneva Conference had undertaken not to use violence to undermine the implementation of these agreements. In fact, all policies and acts carried out by the U.S. Gov­ernment in this region are aimed at abolishing the legal basis and the important provisions of the Geneva agree­ments, trampling upon the national rights of the Viet­namese people, already recognized by other countries, namely, independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. 

In short, the U.S. imperialists have committed in the southern part of our country most horrible crimes which human conscience cannot tolerate. Now, they are ex­tending the war in an attempt to sabotage the peaceful labour of our people in the north. 

The National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam energetically denounces to world public opinion the aggressive policy of the U.S. imperialists and asserts that it is the root and direct cause of the present situa­tion of extreme gravity in Vietnam and in Southeast Asia as a whole. 

The National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam solemnly declares that the entire Vietnamese people, closely united against U.S. imperialism for na­tional salvation, are resolved to use their legitimate self-defense right and fulfil their sacred duty to defend the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Vietnam and contribute to the struggle of the world's people for peace, national independence, democracy and social progress. With the ever stronger sympathy and support of peace-loving people in the world, the just struggle of the Vietnamese people will ,certainly win com­plete victory. 

In order to check the danger of an expanding war created by the U.S. imperialists with incalculable con­sequences, restore peace in Vietnam on the basis of the recognition and realization of the basic national rights of the Vietnamese people, the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam unanimously approves of the stand of the D.R V. Government which is to respect the 1954 Geneva agreements on Vietnam and correctly implement the fundamental provisions of these agreements as embodied in the following points: 

1)Recognition of the basic national rights of the Vietnamese people which are independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. In strict conformity with the Geneva agreements, the U.S. Government must with­draw its troops, military personnel and weapons, am­munition and war materials of all kinds from South Vietnam, dismantle the U.S. military bases there, abolish its military alliance with the South Vietnam administra­tion and at the same time stop its policy of intervention and aggression in South Vietnam. The U.S. Government must stop all its acts of war against North Vietnam and put a definite end to all acts of encroachment upon the territory and sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. 

2)Pending the realization of the peaceful reunifica­tion of Vietnam, while Vietnam is still temporarily di'vided in two, the military provisions of the 1954 Geneva agree­ments on Vietnam must be strictly respected: the two zones must refrain from joining any military alliance with foreign countries, there must be no foreign military bases, troops or military personnel in their respective territory. 

3)The affairs of South Vietnam must be settled by the South Vietnamese people themselves in accordance with the program of the South Vietnam National Front for Liberation without any foreign intervention. 

4)The realization of the peaceful reunification of Vietnam must be settled by the people in the two zones without foreign intervention. 

The National Assembly and Government of the Demo­cratic Republic of Vietnam hold that the above stand constitutes the basis for the most correct political settle­ment of the Vietnam problem. Only when this basis is recognized can there be favourable conditions to achieve a peaceful settlement of the Vietnam question and is it possible to consider the convening of an international conference of the type of the 1954 Geneva Conference on Vietnam.' 

The National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam firmly believes that this stand will certainly enjoy the sympathy and support from the national as­semblies and governments of other countries and peace­and justice-loving people all over the world. 

The National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam calls on and proposes to the national assemblies of other countries to communicate quickly and by every possible means the above-said situation and the stand of the D.R.V. National Assembly, Government and peo­ple to the deputies and people of all strata in their coun­tries so that everybody can see the sinister aggressive design of the U.S. imperialists and to take appropriate actions to support our just stand vigorously and at the same time to raise their voices to demand resolutely that the U.S. Government end at once its aggression in South Vietnam, stop its provocations, air and naval attacks against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. 

On behalf of the entire Vietnamese people, the D.R.V. National Assembly expresses its sincere thanks for all valuable support of the national assemblies of other coun­tries and believes that their just voices will help check the bloody hands of the U.S. imperialists and defend peace in Indo-China, Southeast Asia and the world. 

With their valiant fighting spirit and their tremendous efforts, with the valuable sympathy and support of the national assemblies, governments and people of other countries, the Vietnamese people will certainly record final victory.