[kearnyirish2]

"Nguyễn Sinh Cung, aka Ho Chi Minh, in 1921, a year after he played a role as one of the founders of the French Communist Party. His worldview was well established by the time Truman was in office." I mentioned 1919 for a reason.

[SJackson]

1919 he was a member of the French Socialist Party. I've no disagreement with your comments on self determination, they're correct and important. However self determination is of interest to a colonized socialist and communist. His interest in the Declaration related to his desire for Vietnamese Independence, not the Founders views on self governance. He had his own ideas.

I was more addressing Obama's statement, which referenced a 1946 letter, at which time clearly Ho's political views were fixed, that your post relative to 1919, with which I've no disagreement.

Someone earlier in the thread referenced Ho's cooperation with the OSS during the war, and it's my understanding that post WWII Ho made overatures to the US for support for independence. Which fell on deaf ears, since it meant opposing France. And it wouldn't have mattered, by that time he was a communist revolutionary who had established views regarding governance. Like Castro, he would have been happy to have our support. For awhile. Reminds me of a few Arab states, but I'll leave that for another thread.