RE: Noam Chomsky (was RE: join The American Peace Movement)

From: Dickey, Michael F (michael_f_dickey@groton.pfizer.com)
Date: Tue Jan 07 2003 - 09:30:27 MST


MaxPlumm had asked me to forward this on his behalf...

> Jeff, ...I must
> take issue with a large portion of your argument.

<snip>
> http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/world/A0861793.html
>
> Note the following excerpt:
>
> In Mar., 1946, France signed an agreement with Ho
Chi
> Minh, recognizing Vietnam as a free state within the
> Indochina federation and the French Union. ..."
>
> # I find it fascinating that you, or more
> specifically your source, cut off
> the statement here. In full, it continues

****IT DOES NOT CONTINUE**** as you state. You cite
an entirely different source. Everyone makes
mistakes, but this subject is difficult enough without
blunt misattribution.

   --------

Perhaps your understanding of the english language is lacking, Jeff, but
Webster's College Dictionary, Third Edition, defines statement as: "a
written
or spoken declaration". I am referring here to the DOCUMENT SIGNED BY HO CHI

MINH AND JEAN SAINTENY IN PARIS IN MARCH OF 1946. The website you use as as
 ource quotes directly from this document. But it, and you, do not includet
 he entire article of this document. The document does say, as you quote,

Ø In Mar., 1946, France signed an agreement with Ho
Chi
> Minh, recognizing Vietnam as a free state within the
> Indochina federation and the French Union. ..."

But then, THE DOCUMENT FROM WHICH THIS WEBSITE QUOTES CONTINUES ON THE VERYN
 EXT LINE...

In that which concerns the reuniting of the three 'Annamite Regions'
(Cochinchina, Annam, Tonkin) the French Government pledges itself to ratifyt
 he decisions taken BY THE POPULATIONS CONSULTED BY REFERENDUM.

That is article one of the document in its entirety. The entire document can

be found, among other places, in Frederik Logevall's "The Origins of the
Vietnam War", p. 100

So, once again, there were no such referendums ever held. Therefore, thisd
 ocument is a dead letter. So, before you magically wave off an argument
that
challenges your position, let us be perfectly clear on this. I am quotingf
 rom the document itself, not "some other source" as you claim. Are you
somehow suggesting that your website which edits the document takes
precedence over the document signed by Ho Chi Minh himself?

MaxPlumm

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