The Generals' Affair (also known as Revers Report, ''Rapport Revers'') was a political-military scandal that happened under the

French Fourth Republic The French Fourth Republic (french: Quatrième république française) was the republican government of France from 27 October 1946 to 4 October 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Third Re ...

during the

First Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam) began in French Indochina from 19 December 1946 to 20 July 1954 between France and Việt Minh (Democratic Republic of Vi ...

. It lasted from September 1949 to November 1950.

Revers Mission (May–June 1949)

French Army Chief of Staff General Georges Revers was sent to French Indochina in the summer of 1949 to inquire about the military situation on the ground and the morale of the French troops. The report of his mission was to become known as the ''Rapport Revers'' (Revers Report).

Generals' Affair (September 1949)

The scandal burst in September 1949; by December, General Revers was dismissed. The Revers Report drew a very pessimistic conclusion about the French situation in Indochina. Revers concluded that France could not realistically continue its colonial presence in the country using military means, and that it would need to seek a "peace of the brave" with the leader of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh. Faced with a lack of manpower and increased Chinese involvement in the country, Revers argued that France should withdraw from the Viet Minh-held northern regions and instead focus on holding areas around the Red River Delta. Due to gross negligence, the confidential report soon fell into the hands of the

Viet Minh The Việt Minh (; abbreviated from , chữ Nôm and Hán tự: ; french: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam, ) was a national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Fro ...

, who broadcast it on radio in August 1949, deeply embarrassing the French. In France, the newly created news magazine, '' L'Express'', which was the first one in France, also published a part of the confidential report. Following this, a fight on Paris bus between a French soldier and Vietnamese student led to the discovery of more than 70 copies, and that the report had been shared widely around Paris' Vietnamese community. Frederick Logevall, Embers of War, New York, 2012, pp.236-237

Generals' Affair Commission of Inquiry (January 1950)

In January 1950, the National Assembly of France created a Commission of Inquiry about the Generals' Affair.

Jules Moch's trial (November 1950)

On November 28, 1950, the National Assembly of France brought socialist Defense Minister Jules Moch (

SFIO The French Section of the Workers' International (french: Section française de l'Internationale ouvrière, SFIO) was a list of political parties in France, political party in France that was founded in 1905 and succeeded in 1969 by the modern-da ...

) to court over the Generals' Affair.

References

Military history of France Political scandals in France Contemporary French history 1949 in France 1950 in France First Indochina War {{France-poli-stub

Revers Mission (May–June 1949)

Generals' Affair (September 1949)

Generals' Affair Commission of Inquiry (January 1950)

Jules Moch's trial (November 1950)

See also

References