751G.00/7–1353: Telegram
The Consul at Hanoi (Sturm) to the Department of State
[Received 7:51 a.m.]
29. Repeated information Saigon 16, Paris 13. Train on Haiphong-Hanoi railway line blown up 0830 hours July 12 at point about 8 kilometers east of Haiduong with loss of at least ten lives and several dozen wounded. Casualties principally among North African military replacements newly arrived on ship Pasteur. Damaged train was second to pass over line that morning. Three explosive charges of type detonated by electric plunger were planted on rail line; one was detected, one failed explode; all damage done by third charge which went off under passenger cars, of which eight were hit. Line restored to usable condition within 14 hours.
Prior April of this year, there had been no sabotage of railway for about 15 months. In April there were two attempts resulting in little damage. Another attack on May 13 more serious in that it wrecked one locomotive. Another act of sabotage committed on June 11 caused serious damage to 30 cars. May, June and July attacks all involved triple, electrically detonated charges such as had not previously been used for this purpose.
Yesterdays attack seems to have been directed specifically against troop reinforcements and marks a new refinement in this type of Viet Minh activity.1
- In telegram 49 from Hanoi, July 21, Sturm reported that the highway between Hanoi and Haiphong had been mined for the first time since 1948, and that a number of railway repair workers had been arrested as Viet Minh saboteurs. (751G.00/7–2153) He further reported in telegram 69 of July 31, that a transport plane had been blown up at the airport at Hanoi. He concluded that “pattern of sabotage has now been extended to include all forms of communication in Tonkin.” (751G.00/7–3153)↩