851g.01/12–2348
The Consul General at Saigon (Abbott) to the Secretary of State
No. 220
[Received January 10, 1949.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to my telegram No. 269, dated December 20, 1948, and to report that a ceremony held at Phnom Penh on December 21, 1948, the French Commissioner of the Republic in Cambodia formally proclaimed the “Independence of Cambodia within the French Union”.
The Commissioner, M. Loubet, first read a letter from M. Vincent Auriol, President of the French Republic and President of the French Union, to His Majesty Norodom Sihanouk, reading in translation as follows:
“Sire, I wish to confirm to Your Majesty the esteem with which the French Government regards the faithful friendship accorded it by Cambodia.
“I am aware of the solicitude and intelligence with which Your Majesty has been able to lead your people on the most sure paths towards a more modern form of life by approving the adhesion of your kingdom to the French Union, but I am also aware with what intelligence Your Majesty has always been able to appreciate and expose the legitimate aspirations of your subjects.
“I am thus happy to seize the occasion which Your Majesty offers me to announce, in full accord with the Government of the Republic which, after due deliberation, has given to the Head of the State, President of the French Union, the mission of expressing our joint will that France should solemnly recognize the independence of Cambodia [Page 56] and that this independence has no other limits than those imposed by its membership in the French Union.
“May I thus be permitted to renew my wishes that the cooperation between France and Cambodia, united and associated states, will be more trustful than ever for the greater profit for all.”
Following the reading of this letter, the Commissioner of the Republic made the following declaration:
“Sire, in the name of the President of the Republic, President of the French Union, we, Commissioner of the French Republic in Cambodia, solemnly proclaim the independence of Cambodia within the French Union.”
The King then addressed the assembled multitude and expressed his great joy at this realization of the supreme wish of himself and his people. The King went on to discuss the practical meaning of the new measure and stated that the exchange of letters between himself and the President of the French Union had the same value as the Baie d’Along Agreement. New agreements would be negotiated for the purpose of realizing the complete internal sovereignty of Cambodia and fixing the framework of its external sovereignty. A final treaty would be signed when agreement had been reached on these subjects.
While the formal proclamation of the independence of Cambodia within the French Union may have some effect in quieting the growing dissatisfaction with the present status which has become increasingly apparent in recent months in official Cambodian circles, it is feared that as in the case of the Baie d’Along Agreement this effect will only be brief unless practical measures for implementing and defining independence are promptly taken.
Respectfully yours,