A Massive National Security Leak Just Blew the Lid Off Obama's Drone War

[happyslug]

178. From 1946 onward the US paid for the French fight in Vietnam.

Last edited Sat Oct 17, 2015, 06:26 PM - Edit history (1)

China was in Civil War with the Communists on the march. When Japan surrendered the US first troops went to Inchon in Korea over sendibg them to Japan. Thus was to stop the Russian offensive that had taken Manchuria from Japan and was heading into Korea.

France did not have the resources to send troops to retake Vietnam from Japan in 1945 so the US paid the French to do so. Ho Chi Minh had taken control of most of the Southeast Asia but the US did not want the Communists to take control so the US had the Japanese to surrender to the French. Ho tolerated this for he had no real other choice, but within a year had started the first guerilla war which the French fought with US funds and surplus US war equipment.

The only non US heavy equipment used in the first war was one Panther tank that broke down when it arrived. The French used Panther Tanks in Europe till replaced by M47 tanks in the mid 1950s. The tank was sent after China fell to Mao in 1949 in case the Red Chinese would sent in Tanks. The Chinese never did till after 1954.

Thus the US paid for the French from 1946 till 1954. Something like 90% of the costs to fight was paid by the US during that time period. This was all of the result of the anti communist movement of the 1940s and 1950s. Who lost China? who gave away Eastern Europe? Was part of that movement. Truman had to address those attacks and he did so by paying the French to fight in Southeast Asia.