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ON FEBRUARY 28, 1946, Ho Chi Minh sent a telegram from Hanoi, Vietnam, through the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) station in Kunming, China, to President Harry S. Truman in Washington, D.C. In the message, which is reproduced in this article, the Vietnamese leader asked for American support of Vietnam's independence from France. He also asked for U.S. help in making negotiations with France comply with the principles of the Atlantic and San Francisco Charters.
The Vietnamese leader's hope for support rested on several factors, including the friendly relations that had existed between U.S. officials and the Viet Minh during World War II, similarities between the colonial pasts of Vietnam and the United States, and the support pledged by the United States to the principles of the Atlantic Charter (1941) and the San Francisco Charter (1945).
The Viet Minh, or League for Vietnamese Independence, was founded by Ho Chi Minh and his communist followers when Vietnam became occupied by the Japanese in 1941. Its objectives included ousting the Japanese and ultimately securing self rule for Vietnam from France. During the war, relations developed between the Viet Minh and U. S, officials who were working in Indochina to rescue downed U.S. aviators. These officials worked for the newly formed Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the first U.S. intelligence agency and precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
The OSS cooperated extensively with the Viet Minh to harass and oust the Japanese. Early in 1945, the OSS parachuted an advisory team into northern Vietnam. The team supplied the Viet Minh with rifles, mortars, and ammunition; trained them to use the weapons; and taught them how to train others. During this period, Maj. L. A. Archimedes Patti, an OSS officer originally assigned to rescue allied war prisoners, became impressed with the leadership abilities of Ho Chi Minh and encouraged him to seek U.S. assistance in gaining independence for Vietnam from the French.
Since the late...