Eyes on the United States From World War I to 1945

The United States was never far from the mind of Hồ Chí Minh. During his twenties, Hồ Chí Minh traveled to many Western countries including the United States. During the Paris Peace Conference ending World War I, he served as part of a delegation of Vietnamese people who lobbied the United States for Vietnamese independence. During the Japanese occupation of Vietnam during World War II, Hồ Chí Minh allied himself and his nationalist and communist followers with the United States to receive training to expel Japan from Vietnam. Citing the Declaration of Independence of the United States, in 1945, he declared Vietnam an independent country by writing the Declaration of Independence of Vietnam. The United States, however, feared that supporting a communist government in Southeast Asia would expand the power of the Soviet Union. After World War II, the United States ceased their relationship with Hồ Chí Minh and supported France’s effort to regain control over their former colony. Even before the United States dedicated troops to the protection of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), the communist party in the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) distributed propaganda aimed against the United States’ support of France.