Vietnam And Foreigners Before 1953

• vast majority people peasant farmers - growing rice communal
•  Comm+Nationalism vital fending off Chinese
•  Guerilla warfare tactics perfected against Chinese
•  late 19th century French begin attacking Vietnam
•  1887 Cambodia+Vietnam+Laos under control of French - referred to as Indochina

• 1911-30 HCM traveled abroad to prepare for independence
•  political rads in France - discussed Bolshevik revolution, discovered he shared many Comm. beliefs
•  1919 Ho impressed by Woodrow Wilson emphasis right to self-determination at Paris Peace conference
•  Wilson ignored HCM petition for democratisation in Vietnam
•  1924 - HCM visit Moscow S.U leaders not interested in Vietnam
•  Established Indochinese Comm. party in Hong Kong in 1929

• main reason HCM was popular was because a lack of alternatives
• Bao Dai's association with French compared unfavourably with HCM patriotism
• spent much of his time hunting animals and watching films
• exchanged French domination for Japanese during WW2
• early 1941 HCM returned and formed vietminh  to fight off Japanese/French collaberators

• U.S+Vietnam both at war with Japan 1941-45
•  Roosevelt uncertain who to back up for French Indochina after Japan defeat - State Department conflicting advice, European specialist pro-French - saw France key ally Europe - urged president to refrain any policy that may alienate French.

• America got involved because of their dislike of HCM
•  Early relationship promising - HCM hoped could gain support for Vietnam independence
• US doctors saved HCM life
•  HCM's Vietminh cooperated with U.S to fight Japanese(U.S admired them)
• Roosevelt died April 1945 succeeded by Truman who sided with European specialists by siding with French
• Oct 1945-Feb 1946 eight messages from HCM to Washington were ignored

• April 1945 - Roosevelt died - Truman succeeded
•  Truman sided with European specialist State Derpartment
•  Assured French he recognised their position in Indochina
•  expressed hope U.S would grant more self-gov. to Vietnam
•  Ho privately cynical about Americans.

• Ho flatterred U.S by enlisting their help for his 2nd sept independence speech
•  following Japanese surrender, Ho declared independence of Democratic Republic Vietnam

• French ignored Ho's independence declaration
•  compensate for humiliation during WW2 French determined not to give up colony
• French+Vietminh clashed days after speech - outbreak of war
•  October 1945-Feb 1948 8 friendly messages from Ho to Washington ingored
•  U.S stopped co-operating with Ho due to rising anti-comm feeling even though S.U recognised French rule over Vietnam.

• U.S believed Comm. threatened internation free trade+democratic ideals
•  1947 Truman admin thought Ho puppet of Stalin
•  1948 State department point out Ho made friendly gestures to U.S and Vietnam Comms. not subservient to Moscow
•  1949 Sec. State Dean Acheson - "all Stalinists in colonial areas are nationalists",

To China*

• Truman under attack from Republicans for losing China
•  Truman anxienty about Comm expansion fueled by JCS conclusion world balance of power at stake in Asia
•  Truman anxiety increased when Ho persuaded China+S.U to recognise Democratic Republic Of Vietnam Jan 1950
•  U.S recognized 'Associated state of Vietnam' set up by French in 1949

McCarthy Hysteria and the Korean War

• Truman had 'lost' China - McCarthy began whipping Americans into anti-Comm. hysteria Feb 1950
•  June 1950 N.Korea attacks South and Chinese troops pour in Oct 1950 - U.S fears Chinese expansion confirmed.
• JCS concluded world balance of power at stake in S.E Asia

• Before K War truman admin concluded French invaludable allie against Comm. in Indochina+Europe
•  Acheson+Truman aware France key for stability of West Alliance in Europe/NATO
• France linked U.S coop in Europe with U.S aid in Indochina - confirmed U.S must become more involved in region
•  May 1950 Truman offered $10m to French war effort
•  end 1950 U.S aid $100m+aircraft/boats/napalm/ground combat machinery

• U.S resisiting Comm. aggression+expansion in Vietnam
•  Truman involvement in Vietnam part of Containment policy
•  Truman Doctrine world divided into 2 spheres conflict innevitable caused public pressure to hold line vs. Comm advance
•  Truman felt had to support ally as part of containment policy - strong France essential to contain Comm. in Europe

• U.S desire to shape world in own image 
• economic motivation behind U.S foreign policy
•  Marks+raw materials of s.e Asia motivated Roosevelt
•  Vietnam threat because Comm Nationalist revolution posed threat to global Capitalism
• If revolution succeeded others may follow(domino theory)

• Both U.S + S.U were ambitious/aggressive had security concerns and frequent misunderstandings

• 1954 U.S convinced of importance of Vietnam in global fight against Communism
• U.S paying 80% of French bill for Indochina, 1954
• Truman already given $2 billion to French war effort by 1954
• some feared US+French involvement in Vietnam distracted from the wider issue of Communist expansion in Europe