Năm ngày trước khi thoái vị Hoàng đế Bảo Đại gửi một thông điệp cho Tổng thống Pháp Charles de Gaulle:

Năm ngày trước khi thoái vị Hoàng đế Bảo Đại gửi một thông điệp cho Tổng thống Pháp Charles de Gaulle:

"I beg you to understand that the only means of safeguarding French interests and the spiritual influence of France in Indochina is to recognize the independence of Vietnam unreservedly and to renounce any idea of reestablishing French sovereignty or rule here in any form. ... Even if you were reestablish the French administration here, it would not be obeyed, and each village will be a nest of resistance. ... We would be able to understand each other so easily and become friend if you could stop hoping to become our masters again."
http://books.google.com.au/books?id=1I4HOcmE4XQC&lpg=PP1&ots=YSnzxrBccG&dq=Stein+T%C3%B8nnesson&lr&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=Stein%20T%C3%B8nnesson&f=false