Myth: The South Vietnamese government denied the people a free election on unification [related to the guarantee of free elections written into the Geneva Accords]
Fact: Neither South Vietnam nor the US were a signing party to the Geneva Accords. Neither, therefore, had any legal obligation to abide by the agreement, which was between France and North Vietnam.
- Only France and North Vietnam were signatories to the 1954 Geneva Accords. South Vietnam was not invited. Neither was the US.
- The election was an addendum signed by no one. It had no force in law, and the North had no intention of allowing UN observers
- Before the ink on the agreement was dry, North Vietnam had already violated the agreement.
- Viet Minh communist troops in South Vietnam did not move to North Vietnam, a violation of the Geneva Accords.
- North Vietnam harrassed and interfered with citizens attempting to move to the South, a violation of the Geneva Accords. One million still managed to leave.
- Viet Minh communists in South Vietnam immediately began using terror and violence to disrupt and destroy the South Vietnamese government.
Confirming Evidence
Agreement on the Cessation of Hostilities in Viet-Nam, July 20, 1954
Vietnam War, Part I - The Geneva Accords
Diem says South Vietnam not bound by Geneva Agreements
Violations of the Geneva Agreements by the Viet Minh Communists
