0 - The Black Vault

THE BDM CORPORATION
e. Assessment of Phase 1 Effectiveness
American foreign policy during this phase was based on the
containment of Soviet Communism,
a policy that, in its origins, was modest
-3ni limited in its geographical scope and objectives. What began as a
that was focused on Europe, directed primarily against the expansion
of Soviet power, and designed to restore a balance of power, ended as a
policy unlimited in geographic scope, directed against communism (or
against any radical revolution), and designed to preserve a global status
4 quo bearing little, if any, relation to the balance of power.
US policy with respect to Indochina and specifically Vietnam
was a subset of the US-Soviet strategic relationship., Over time, US
"leaders saw Vietnam as a vital factor in alliance politics, US Soviet-
Chinese relations, and deterrence, The record of US military and economic
assistance to fight communism in Indochina tells the story quite clearly,
From 1945 to 1954 US aid to France totaled about $3.0 billion. Without
that aid the French position in Indochina would have been untenable.
US
commitment--deny the communists control over the region--was rational-
1,ad in 1950 and was set in 1955 when the US replaced the French in Vietnam.,
that US
In his last reflections on the war, Bernard Fall concluded
policy during this phase had "not been able to produce a coherent
frame of reference within which to operate,"30/
The
He argued that the lack of
a clear committment coupled with certain ambiguities--seeking peace in
Korea while providing first the French and then South Vietnam and Laos the
material base for a "die-hard" attitude--contribtted to US problems in
Indochina. Further, he faulted the US for not applying leverage on France
in Indochina (similar to the pressure applied on the Netherlands in Indonesia)
to come to a peaceful arrangement with local nationalists It
remains however,
that if France stopped carrying the torch in Indochina,
the US might have had to pick it up and do battle on its own.. Knowing this,
the French even threatened Washington with withdrawal if funds were not
made available.31/
The US wanted the French to continue fighting communism
in Indochina as well as remain as a NATO bulwark against communism Mn
J Europe, Therefore, American global priorities and alternatives set overall
limits or US leverage on France in Indochina.
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