Prince Cuong De of the Kingdom of Vietnam: Final Declaration of Return to the Homeland, 'To All the People of Vietnam'

Prince Cuong De was a prince of the former Vietnam (then part of French Indochina) who, like the independence activist Phan Boi Chau, fled to Japan at the end of the Meiji era.
As I wrote in the previous article 'Regarding the Japanese trading company Dai Nam Company in French Indochina (Vietnam) and its president, Mr. Mitsuhiro Matsushita, Part 2', he continued his anti-French revolutionary activities abroad (mainly in Japan) for 40 years, and passed away in a Japanese hospital in 1951.

In 1950, Prince Cuong De attempted to return to his homeland with a desperate resolve. According to the original plan, he was to release the 'Prince Cuong De's Declaration of Return' to the media after successfully landing in Thailand, his transit point. However, for some reason, the information leaked in advance, and the landing in Thailand failed. Perhaps that is why the existence of this declaration of return has not been easily accessible to us, the descendants of Japan-Vietnam relations in the post-war era.

However, fortunately, Mr. Mitsuhiro Matsushita, the president of Dai Nam Company, carefully preserved this manuscript, handed it over to local historian Mr. Norio Kitano during his lifetime, and it was included in 'History of Amakusa's Overseas Development' by Mr. Kitano.
The manuscript is dated May 3, 1950. I will add a few explanations to the full text of the manuscript below. Personally, I find the situation around 1950 as described by Prince Cuong De himself to be very interesting as a perspective on world affairs.

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<<To All the People of Vietnam>>

After 44 years of wandering, I am now returning to my homeland. Vietnam, people of Vietnam, if you have a heart, please understand the actions I take for my motherland by risking my aged body, and if you have the will, please listen to my desire for independence to which I dedicate my entire passion.
Since I left my country in my youth, I have moved my place of exile many times. Remembering in the spring breeze and praying in the autumn wind, not a single day has passed that I have forgotten the 'restoration of Vietnam.'
Naturally, as an exile, my life was in danger everywhere, and the hardships of life as a stranger in a foreign land were beyond words. With an unyielding belief and an indomitable will, I continued to fight to overcome every trial until the day of my motherland's independence. Looking back, the footprints of over 60 years of vast time linger vividly in my mind as a piece of 'living history.'
However, the path ahead is still long and filled with thorns, and as if to inspire my unwavering courage, the fate of my motherland is becoming increasingly difficult.

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Danger to life is everywhere...France had long ago issued an arrest warrant for Prince Cuong De, the leader of the anti-French movement, and had spent a long time spreading a network of secret agents for his capture both at home and abroad.
44 years of wandering...It was in 1906, at the age of 28, that Prince Cuong De escaped Vietnam with the ambition of saving his country. From that day on, he passed away in the foreign land of Japan without ever being able to meet his wife and children whom he had left behind in his homeland.
The fate of the motherland is increasingly fraught with difficulties...After Japan's defeat in August 1945, France, supported by the United States, returned to Indochina and began fighting against the North Vietnamese army. Vietnam was once again engulfed in the flames of war.

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Vietnam, a country of superior culture that once took pride in the South Seas, a peaceful paradise, and traditional morality.
Comrades of Vietnam, who are now cleansing with your own blood the history stained by the bayonets of those European colonial armies. In the fields of Lang Son (Lang Son) in the fields of,Yen Bai (Yen Bai) in the night of, or in the soil of the execution grounds, the day has finally come for that tricolor flag, which has so often buried the red blood of revolution within mountains of corpses, to leave Asia forever.

I can no longer bear to burn with the flames of anxiety in a distant country, and I have finally decided to return home, disregarding all advice, calculations, common sense, and my own health and livelihood. My heart is set on returning, and I have plunged straight into the fate of my motherland.
I do not know if my old body can survive the harsh reality of my motherland. However, 40 years ago, I already attained a resolve to face death. In my supreme love for my motherland, which is greater than life or family, and in my devotion to it. I now dedicate my entire life to Vietnam without regret. I hereby state my aspirations and appeal to comrades throughout the country.

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Lang Son (Lang Son) in the fields of... Refers to the battle in which France, having fought and been defeated by the Qing army at Lang Son after the signing of the Treaty of Hue the previous year, engaged in battle again the following year in 1885 to recapture and occupy Lang Son.
That tricolor flag... Refers to the French national flag.
The harsh reality of the motherland... Vietnam after Japan's defeat had already moved beyond the framework of the 'anti-French struggle' and had changed into a very complex situation with North-South division and the addition of new communist forces.
Already attained a resolve to face death... Prince Cuong De had prepared himself for death many times in his life, such as at the age of 13, when he escaped the country at 28, and when he was expelled from Japan and was handed a pistol for suicide by Mr. Buntaro Kashiwabara before boarding the ship.

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(1) We demand complete independence
'Independence within the framework of the French Union' is nothing more than a 'disguised policy of colonial reconquest.' For the nation of Vietnam, cutting off the shackles of foreign capital and implementing the withdrawal of foreign troops are the greatest and most essential conditions. It is natural that the 'puppet character' of the current Bao Dai regime does not have the support of the people, and it is a tragedy that pits compatriots against each other and causes Vietnam to lose its international credibility. The Vietnamese government should strive to conclude treaties and agreements on an equal footing with France and restore all political, economic, and military national sovereignty. We expect foreign countries, especially the American authorities, to understand the nationwide demand of the Vietnamese people for complete independence.

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Independence within the framework of the French Union...The returned French and the South Vietnam of Emperor Bao Dai have joined hands.
Cutting off the isolation of foreign capital, the withdrawal of foreign troops......I believe this means the fundamental conditions of an independent nation.
　
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　　(2) End the civil war
　The crime of having two regimes coexisting within one nation, causing only completely useless sacrifices and delaying the true goal of the motherland's independence, is truly grave. We must immediately stop the folly of compatriots opposing each other and urgently establish a unified government. We must not become a testing ground for foreign armies like Spain once was, and we must absolutely avoid the tragedy of compatriots killing each other like in Greece. Through the unification of the motherland, the Vietnamese people must become one and use their concentrated power for the independence and progress of the motherland. The true sentiment of the Vietnamese people is that 'the independence of the motherland' is their only wish. Various issues and policies regarding the means of achieving this—national referendums, the formation of a national defense force, land reform, economic development, education systems, religious issues, etc.—should be decided democratically through the establishment of a unified government.

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Like Spain once was... 'The Bombing of Guernica'refers to the 'Spanish Civil War' of 1936-39, known for 'Spanish Civil War'. The people were torn apart by the intervention of foreign and communist forces, and the massive deployment of tanks and military aircraft caused the majority of the casualties among the people.
Compatriots killing each other like in Greece...During World War II, Greece was intervened in and invaded by major powers and the Axis powers. A liberation front was organized by communist forces, which developed into a large-scale civil war.

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　　(3) Uphold the spirit of independence
　Vietnam's independence must be fought for by the Vietnamese people themselves. What the Vietnamese nation must bear is the historical reality of Vietnam, and it must never be the interests of other countries. Trying to escape the shackles of capitalist colonial policy only to become a slave to communist strategy and tactics will once again make Vietnam's future a 'history of misfortune.' All foreign materials and ideas should be ingested and absorbed with a firm Vietnamese spirit of independence and made into the nation's own flesh and blood. Vietnam must grow as a free and democratic nation at all times.

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Capitalist colonial policy...A policy where only capitalists and high-ranking native bureaucrats profit. The general public is always the target of exploitation.
Slave to communist strategy and tactics... 'Strategy, tactics, analysis, evaluation'Those who believe in = slaves to communism?! ← Note this. (laughs) 😅
　　　　　　　　　　　　
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　　(4) Be a force for peace in Asia. The world, due to the confrontation between the two superpowers, the US and the Soviet Union, is divided into two camps whether we like it or not, and is threatened by the anxiety of a Third World War. Vietnam should cooperate with other Asian countries and take on the mission of building a 'fortress of peace' amidst the clash between the left and right in the world. First, we must put aside past emotional conflicts and approach our neighbors, Laos and Cambodia, with a good-neighbor policy. Thailand is a traditional neutral nation in Asia. Therefore, there is a possibility of concluding a peaceful diplomatic agreement. We should approach China without prejudice regarding the new national progress brought about by the success of the Communist revolution. Indonesia has put an end to its history as a Dutch colony. They can be called Vietnam's national comrades. The fact that India has shown an attitude of 'not recognizing either the Bao-Ho regime (Emperor Bao Dai, Ho Chi Minh) in Vietnam' shows a deep consideration for waiting for the emergence of a sound unified government, and is the most reliable thing when it comes to gathering the third force in Asia. Such a series of Asian national movements will become a tremendous pillar for Vietnam's national independence movement and will surely hasten the 'day of victory' for Vietnam.

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Confrontation between the two superpowers, the US and the Soviet Union...At the time, there were things like the 'East-West Cold War' and the 'Iron Curtain'.
Third World War...At the time, 'the crisis of global extinction due to world nuclear war'was being shouted... um, now it's 'energy (fuel/food) crisis due to the Russia-Ukraine war and global warming'💦 (laughs)
Laos and Cambodia, both neighbors...There have been ethnic border disputes since ancient times.
Deep consideration for waiting for the emergence of a sound unified government...It was also Indian Judge Pal who argued for 'Japan's innocence' at the Tokyo Trials.

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　　(5) Expectation of the power of youth
　The rise and fall of a nation depends on the power of its youth; this is a truth that has remained unchanged throughout the ages and across the world. The young people who are currently fighting a desperate battle in the fire for the independence of the motherland, the youth who are bearing the arduous task of protecting the immovable status of the motherland on the coming day of independence, and the young generation who will write the future of an independent Vietnam into the pages of glorious history amidst international trends. Vietnam lives only in your intelligence, conviction, courage, friendship, and in your souls.

　Above, I have summarized the basic items. I intend to see the reality of Vietnam with my own eyes, grasp it with my own heart, and further deliberate on concrete action policies to contribute to my activities.
　Finally, my comrades who share my soul and wish to act with me, come and take my hand, come and help me. And create a new history for Vietnam.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　Cuong De (signed)

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Hoping for the power of the youth... Prince Cuong De and Phan Boi Chauthe old warrior, General De Tham and Phan Dinh Phung were the second generation who received the baton of courage and sincerity. Therefore, I believe that at this time, he spoke of his expectations for a new nation-building beyond revolutionary struggle, directed toward the third generation represented by Yen Bai incident victims, Nguyen Thai Hoc of the 'Vietnamese Nationalist Party'.

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This 'Declaration of Return' from May 1950 is overflowing with Prince Cuong De's wisdom, sincerity, humility, selfless heart, and great love for his motherland and compatriots...such a personality.
It has the power to instantly blow away the careless rumors and bad reputations that were deliberately spread in Japan and Vietnam after the Pacific War, such as 'a foolish Vietnamese prince who spent his time playing in exile in Japan, forgetting his motherland and family'.

The preface to the book 'Operation Meigo' by short-lived administration Prime Minister Tran Trong Kim's book 'A Brief History of Vietnam' (=> Born April 1945: Independent Vietnamese Cabinet Government | Yuko Nani | note) also concludes with such a passage.
'...This book is a 'brief history,' structured as a historical record with major past events as an outline. (Omitted) In the future, what is most awaited is the compilation of our country's 'official history,' so I pray that based on this 'brief history,' more detailed research and critical discussions will be actively conducted, and that wise readers and seniors will contribute to the foundation of our country's historical studies. The clothes we wear now are not silk, but cotton. Naturally, the quality is not good, but for now, it keeps us from the cold. What I want to say is that if every young person in our country today correctly knows their own history, they will never feel inferior to their motherland. That is the editor's only wish, and if that heart reaches the reader, I would like to say that this book, 'A Brief History of Vietnam,' is a useful book for that reason alone.'

In old Japanese and Vietnamese books, along with the desperate footsteps of our predecessors, messages filled with love and hope for us, the children and grandchildren who will carry the future of the nation, are left behind.
In recent years, it is an unstable world where dark incidents such as fraud, embezzlement, window-dressing, and robbery occur frequently, but every time I discover a message buried in an old book, a faint light suddenly shines before my eyes, and I feel as if I can always hear someone's gentle voice saying, 'Walk the righteous path without hesitation.'