History of Vietnam since 1945 between France and the Viet-Minh, paving the way for the French to leave Vietnam. The Geneva Conference of 1954 ended France's colonial presence in Vietnam and partitioned the country into two states at the 17th parallel pending unification on the basis of internationally supervised free elections. Ngô Đình Diệm, a former mandarin with a strong Catholic and Confucian background, was selected as Premier of the State of Vietnam by Bảo Đại. While Diệm was trying to settle the differences between the various armed militias in the South, Bảo Đại was persuaded to reduce his power. Diệm created a referendum in
1954 International Cross Country Championships 2 countries. 1954 International Cross Country Championships The 1954 International Cross Country Championships was held in Birmingham, England, at the Bromford Bridge Racecourse on 27 March 1954. In addition, an unofficial women's championship was held one week earlier at the same place on 20 March 1954. A preview on the men's event, a report on the men's results as well as the women's results was given in the Glasgow Herald. Complete results for men, and for women (unofficial), medallists, An unofficial count yields the participation of 62 athletes from 7 countries. An unofficial count yields the participation of 12 female