Quote Originally Posted by Tor Larson View Post
Not sure what you are referring to. Ho Chi was an ally to America during WW2. He fought against the Japanese who seized Vietnam from France after the fucking cowardly French ran away from the German Juggernaut in Europe. He offered his friendship after the war in return for the chance for Vietnam independence and Truman blew him off. American-supported France stepped back in and you know what happened then- Dien Bien Phu, France losing again (surprise), and America/UN getting involved by supporting corrupt governments and military support. Because of our bumbling Ho Chi turned to Russia for support. Ho/Vietnam could have been an ally.

The history of Vietnam is complicated: a thousand years of Chinese rule, some independence, further Chinese rule, and finally the cowardly Imperialist French taking over the country in the mid 19th century to grow tobacco and tea. France had no right to be there in the first place- kinda like them being in Mexico around the same time. Idiots. Can't blame Ho Chi for wanting his country to be free from the west. His schooling in France/Russia definitely influenced his commie leanings. Most people don't know he lived in France, England, and America in his youth. Think he worked for GM for a while- no joke. Now you can blame him for trying to eliminate the wealthy/educated of Vietnam by murder/concentration camps. He/his government whacked a good 100,000 before we/UN got involved. This whacking might not have happened if Truman would have been a little more open to a Red in SE Asia.
What I was referring to goes back to when we helped them prepare for the Japanese to invade- as was inevitable at the time- and the commander of the Army Rangers sent in to assist the Vietnamese (precursor to US Special Forces) reported that Ho Chi Mihn was a less than savory character and predicted we would be back within 40 years. He was right on that last part. We somewhat tend to create our own enemies. But like you said, Vietnam=complicated.