Thursday, May 13, 2004
Ok, I'm absolutely flabbergasted.I've been watching a lot of the uktv History channel, as you may know already, and the program I just watched has left me quite stunned.
Think you know about the Vietnam war?
Think again.
During WWII the Japanese held French Indo China (now Vietnam) with the consent of the Vichi French (French collaborationist govt allied to the axis powers).
After the war, the Free French wanted their colony back, but had no forces in the region. They sent a small commando force along with British forces who were sent in to take control from the Japanese forces in the south of the country.
The Americans were opposed to colonialism in general, and were especially opposed to the idea of giving colonies back to the French, who they saw as collaborators with the axis forces, and who had in fact allowed the Japanese to occupy French Indo China in the first place.
Thus, the americans gave weapons, training and support to the communist forces controlled by Ho Chi Min in the north, in an effort to prevent the French from regaining their colony.
What resulted whas a situation where French, British and newly allied Japanese forces (who still held allied forces from WWII as prisoners of war) were engaged in armed conflict against American supported communist guerillas in a fight for control of the south (The very forces the Americans would wage war against in the 60s and 70s when they decided a communist Vietnam wasn't such a good thing).
For anyone who's familiar with this piece of history, yeah, I know this is a seriously truncated and simplified version of what happened, but it gives you the basic picture.
So... how truly fucked up is that?
Steve 12:59 PM [+]
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