alternatehistory.com

On February 28th 1946 Ho Chi Minh wrote to Harry Truman asking for support for independence for Vietnam from France but recieved no reply. Ho Chi Minh had at one time been supported by the OSS in fighting against the Japanese and had proclaimed independence in August 1945 deposing the emperor Bao Dai but French rule was restored. The letter was only declassified in 1972

Suppose Harry Truman had supported independence and leant on the French as the United States was keen on ending British colonial rule in South East Asia. In February 1946 the Cold War hadn't really started and Truman might have initially got away with it. Would the Vietnam war have been avoided? and could the French have left peacefully without the humiliation of Dien Bien Phu?
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