1. The American-Vietnamese Relationship (the early years)
: Vietnam under French control
Vietminh*** emerge to resist French
Vietminh: Vietnamese Communist Party
Led by Ho, Giap
: WWII
France defeated by Nazi Germany
Japan invades and takes over Vietnam; “Asia for Asians.”
1945: Japan defeated
The future of Vietnam: ???
***Vietnamese Communist Party led by Ho Chi Minh

2. Agent #19 – Ho and Giap with American Oss Agents (1945)

3. OSS Deer Team
Goal: Find American pilots shot down by the Japanese over Vietnam during WWII.
Members: Archimedes Patti, Lulu Conein, Peter Dewey…

4. The French-Indochina War

5. Read Earthquake McGoon story.

6. Vietminh (Vietnamese Communists)
vs.
French/Vietnamese Allies

7. What’s Changed Since WWII?
Chinese Communist Revolution (Mao)
Korean War/Truce
Containment Policy
– George Kennan
NSC-68
Domino Theory
Ike is Pres

8. Dien Bien Phu

9. Dien Bien Phu

10. Dien Bien Phu 50,000 Vietminh troops
Trenches and artillery surround base
15,000 French troops in fortified base
French can only be supplied by air

11. Dien Bien Phu

12. From inside DBP
“Final success belongs to him who holds out to the last moment. I am convinced it will be the valorous soldiers of DeCastries who will hold out to the last moment.” Navarre 4/54
“I’m going to kick General Giap’s teeth in, one by one.” DeCastries 4/54
“I am determined to prolong resistance of Dienbienphu as long as possible.” Navarre 4/54
“We can keep fighting for only ten more minutes. Shall we surrender?” Outpost commander 5/54
“The Viets are infiltrating massively through strongpoints in the west. The central fort is about to be fully overrun. Further resistance is becoming hopeless. This may finish us.” DeCastries 5/54
“We will fight to the end. Au revoir, mon general. Au revoir, mes camarades. Viva la France!” DeCastries 5/54
Vietminh to French officer: “C’est fini?” “Oui, c’est fini,” replied the colonel.

13. American Support for the French?
“The Americans will not let us down. The free world will not let us down. They may come.”
(Supposedly the US offered Fr 2 “tactical nukes” to relieve DBP – Ike said NO!!!)

14. Dien Bien Phu “It was all for nothing.” French officer
What is the significance of the French DBP?