9781422285992

Roots of the Vietnam War

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like a good place to start, as it had been fighting against the Japanese since the mid-1930s. However, Ho’s attempt to gain support from the Nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek proved ill advised. Chiang had been fighting a civil war against Chinese communists for many years. He did not trust the Vietnamese leader because of his communist ties, and had him arrested. Ho spent the next 18 months in Chinese prisons. He gained release only after agreeing to support Chiang’s interests in Indochina against the French. Another country was more helpful: the United States. During the early years of the war the Vietminh had rescued American pilots who were shot down over the region, and helped them to escape Japanese capture and return to safety in China. In 1944, the Vietminh agreed to collaborate with the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS). This American organization was the forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). For the remainder of World War II, the Vietminh fought a guerrilla war against the Japanese in Indochina and China. They spied on the Japanese, and used sabotage to prevent them from moving into China. In return, the Americans provided weapons and money. During the spring of 1945, Vietminh guerrillas led by Vo Nguyen Giap and directed by Ho began advancing on Hanoi, the capital of French Indochina. They entered Hanoi on August 19, five days after Japan sur- rendered to Allied forces. Ho persuaded the French-supported emperor of

Leaders of the Allied coun- tries—British prime minister Winston Churchill, U.S. presi- dent Harry S. Truman, and Soviet leader Josef Stalin—met at Potsdam, Germany, in July 1945. At the Potsdam Conference, the leaders agreed to temporarily partition Vietnam at the 17th parallel, just north of Da Nang. British forces would have authority for the southern zone, based in Saigon, while Chinese forces would control the northern zone, based in Hanoi.