[Spktyr]

It's also worth noting that the reason we got into the mess in Vietnam in the first place was because of Democrats and the French. Ho Chi Minh didn't go to the Communists first - he had fought on the Allied side in WW2. The historical record shows that he actually approached the United States and asked us to keep the French from reclaiming his country after fleeing the place in WW2. We basically told him to go screw himself because the Truman Administration wanted to make the French happy. As noted by Wikipedia: "In April 1945, Ho met with the OSS agent Archimedes Patti and offered to provide intelligence to the allies provided that he could have "a line of communication with the allies." The OSS agreed to this and later sent a military team of OSS members to train Ho's men and Ho himself was treated for malaria and dysentery by an OSS doctor. "Following the August Revolution (1945) organized by the Viet Minh, Ho became Chairman of the Provisional Government (Premier of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and issued a Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Although he convinced Emperor Bảo Đại to abdicate, his government was not recognized by any country. He repeatedly petitioned American President Harry S. Truman for support for Vietnamese independence, citing the Atlantic Charter, but Truman never responded." The whole mess could have been avoided and Vietnam could have been a staunch ally in the area - if only the Democrats hadn't screwed up and been doing their usual fanboi worship of everything French.

[dfwgator]

Ho Chi Minh didn't go to the Communists first - he had fought on the Allied side in WW2.

Wrong.

Ho had been a member of the Comintern since the 1920s, and was a member of the French Communist Party since 1917. He was always a Communist and always loyal to the Soviet Union.

[Coffee_drinker]

very interesting, thanks Spktyr!

[Berosus]

I heard once that when the Americans gave independence to the Philippines in 1946, Ho Chi Minh said he wished Vietnam had been an American colony instead of a French one, because the Americans would probably let go of Vietnam at the same time.