Into the Maelstrom : America and Vietnam , 1945 – 1956
On 2 September 1945 , Hồ Chí Minh declared the independence of Vietnam from France . The proclamation paraphrased the U . S . Declaration of Independence in declaring , “ All men are born equal : the Creator has given us inviolable rights , life , liberty , and happiness !” 11
control of the Soviet Union and needed to be defeated , so its involvement in Vietnam was “ a political reaction to events elsewhere in Asia .” 12
Between 1945 ( the end of World War II ) and 1948 , the United States ’ position on Vietnam underwent a change . President Franklin Roosevelt opposed colonialism , especially French colonialism , and supported the Atlantic Charter , which , in one section , “ affirmed the right of all peoples to choose their own form of government ; in his opinion , it was as applicable to the peoples of Asia as to those of Europe .” 13 After Roosevelt ’ s death and the ascension of Harry Truman to the presidency , attitudes began to change . Even though the Office of Strategic Services recommended assisting the Viet Minh in their fight against the French , the State Department argued against supporting Ho Chi Minh because the United States was trying to keep France from becoming allied with the Soviet Union and was concerned that supporting Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh would antagonize the French , leading them into a partnership with the Soviet Union . Truman was determined to everything in his power to contain the growth of Communism , especially in Southeast Asia , and this policy of containment came to be referred to as the Truman Doctrine . This argument for containment led to the use of the term “ Domino Theory ” to justify America ’ s involvement in Vietnam , just as it had done in Korea . On April 24 , 1950 , Truman “ endorsed NSC64 , with its requirement that ‘ all practicable measures be taken to prevent further communist expansion in Southeast Asia .’” 14 The “ Domino Theory ” argued that “ the neighboring countries of Thailand and Burma could be expected to fall under Communist domination if Indochina were controlled by a communist-dominated government .” 15 The
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