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.[1]
Due to gross negligence, the confidential report soon fell into the hands of the Viet Minh, who broadcast it on radio in August 1949, deeply embarrassing the French.[2]
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. [3]