Chas,
As far as the French returning to Indo-china after the Japanese were vanquished, There are a few reasons for the French return. After the setbacks suffered at the hands of the Germans, the French needed to re-stake there claim on foreign interests. Vietnam was a soft target ( or so they thought ) rich in cheap labor and exportable comodities valuable in the U.S. and abroad. Vietnam was seen as a political vacuum and easy pickings for the French. Very few countries gave legitamacy to the Viet Minh political arm. This is the same group that we ( the Americans ) covertly aided to help defeat the Japanese just ten years beforehand! Anyhow, there was a good number of French persons who really believed Vietnam was there home. They had family, work, friends, homes...etc. Among the mistakes the French made in Vietnam was the belief that they were fighting international Communism......what they were fighting was national and ratial pride! The Vietnamese did not fight the Australians, Americans,ROK, Thailand and the French before us because they wanted a Communist style gov. What they wanted was to be left alone from white peolpe!!!!
Vietnam's declaration of Independance is largly plagerised from the American decleration of independance. Ho Chi Mihn ( then Lihn I Quac ) appealed to the US government twice to gain recognition of Vietnam as a free and independant nation. The US turned a bling eye to uncle Ho and proceeded to financialy back the French in re-establishing itself in S.E. Asia. This denial of recognition to the Viet Mihn workers party and the subsequent support of the French ultimately leads to the Australian and American involvement in the Vietnamese civil war. There is a whole chapter missing in this little salilaque about how the U.S. decides to seperate the country at into two countries at the 17 parrelel and called for free elections in order to let the Vietnamese decide for themselves who they wanted as a leader. Well, when the U.S. figured out that the vast majority of Vietnamese would support the Vietmihn because of there strong message of agrarian land reform and national pride, the U.S. called of the elections and further supported our installed gov. in the south under a series of inept and ill concieved political leaders.
I hope this is helpfull. I could talk about this all day! More questions please........
Iain hamilton
I wasnt there but I care........