That America was drawn into the Vietnam War by the French has been recognized, but rarely explored. This book analyzes the years from 1945 with the French military reconquest of Vietnam until 1963 with the execution of the French-endorsed dictator, Ngo Dinh Diem, demonstrating how the US should not have followed the French into Vietnam. It shows how the Korean War triggered the flow of American military hardware and finances to underpin France’s war against the Marxist-oriented Vietnam Republic led by Ho Chi Minh.
1. The Return of French Colonialism and the Formation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
2. The US Reaction to French Colonialism and the Franco-American Affiliation
3. The Return of the French Army and the Collapse of French/DRV Negotiations
4. The Modus Vivendi and the Battle for Haiphong
5. The DRV’s Evacuation to the Mountains, Moutet’s Failed Mission to Ho Chi Minh and Admiral d’Argenlieu’s Departure From Office
6. French Military Losses Against the DRV and the French Search for a Replacement of its Colonial Administration
7. The Rise of Communist China and the Crisis of Bao Dai
8. Vietnam Linked to Korean War and de Lattre’s Campaign Against General Giap
9. Off-Shore Procurement and French Victories Against the DRV’s Campaigns
10. Early Eisenhower Years and the Bao Dai Problem
11. Eisenhower’s Plans for Financing the French and the Rise of Ngo Dinh Diem
12. French Attacks on People’s Army and the Battle of Dien Bien Phu
13. How Dien Binh Phu was Lost and the Role of Secretary Dulles in Geneva Negotiations
14. United States in the Post-Armistice Indochina and the Direct Funding for Ngo Dinh Diem
15. General Collin’s Mission and the Problems of Diem’s One-Man State
16. Kennedy Sends Aid in Lieu of Troops and the Deaths of Diem and Kennedy
Conclusion
Biography
Frank Cain is a Visiting Fellow at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of New South Wales in Canberra.
