The Saber and Scroll
Indochina and the guarantee of a new and better life for the Vietnam peasants . In September 1945 , Ho Chi Minh declared North Vietnam an independent state and rejected France ’ s proposal of allowing for limited self-government in Vietnam . This declaration began a war between the Viet Minh and France that lasted for nearly a decade , ending in the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu on May 7 , 1954 . One of the revelations of the Pentagon Papers , released in 1971 , showed United States involvement in this reconquest by paying approximately 80 percent of France ’ s expenses . From Truman ’ s administration forward , the United States had shown no interest in helping the Vietnamese achieve self-determination .
Using a beginning date of 1950 and an ending date of 1975 , historians have centered their arguments on three different causes of the conflict : America ’ s focus on containing the spread of Communism , European imperialism , and one of several Cold War-era proxy wars between the United States , the Soviet Union , and China . However , there has been little or no consideration “ to what the nature of the conflict in Vietnam was , and to what the goals of all the major actors involved in the drama were .” 8 Forty years later , there is still no consensus about what the governement of the United States learned from the Vietnam War and how to approach situations like this in the future .
In September of 1945 , Ho Chi Minh addressed a crowd in Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi , declaring Vietnam ’ s independence from France . In his speech , Minh repeated the first sentence of the American Declaration of Independence . He concluded , “[ t ] he entire Vietnamese people are determined to mobilize all their physical and mental strength , to sacrifice their lives and property in order to safeguard their independence and liberty .” 9 These words proved to be prophetic in the years to come . Dr . Tran Duy Hung , a leader of the Viet Minh resistance and a medical doctor , remembered that moment in 1945 , saying , “ I can say that the most moving moment was when President Ho Chi Minh climbed the steps and the national anthem was sung . It was the first time that the national anthem of Vietnam was sung in an official ceremony .” 10 Hung did not mention that the crowd broke into cheers when an aircraft bearing the Stars & Stripes flew low over the ceremony . He also did not mention that Captain Archimedes Patti , head of the American mission to Hanoi , shared the stage with Minh and that the band played the American national anthem in honor of their foreign guest . 11
During the early years of the Vietnam War , most of the players were flexible and evolving . In 1945 , what was taking place was a conflict between France , who wanted to regain control over Indochina , control that they lost to the Japanese during World War II , and the Viet Minh , who were seeking total Vietnamese independence . Both players were more than willing to use force to accomplish their objectives if necessary . It is at this point that the United States first entered the picture . The United States became convinced that the Viet Minh was totally under the
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