 On 15 October , Bảo Đại issued a statement protesting against the referendum . He urged the governments of France , the United Kingdom , the United States , India and even the Soviet Union not to recognise Diệm , asserting that he was an obstacle to the reunification of Vietnam under the Geneva Accords . He accused Diệm 's poll of being " a governmental activity which conforms neither to the profound sentiment of the Vietnamese people nor to the common cause of peace " . 
