From Colonialism to Containment: Why American Forces Did Not Intervene at Dien Bien Phu.

Abstract

This thesis examines two conflicting ideas during the Franco-Indochinese war of 1946-1954. On the one hand was the issue of colonialism. Because of historical precedent, the United States could not openly support the colonial aspirations of the French empire. On the other was the problem of containment. Ho Chi Minh was a communist, and any form of communist infiltration into Southeast Asia had to be stopped. The interplay of these two concepts greatly influenced the Eisenhower administration's decision not to intervene in the French struggle at Dien Bien Phu.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1996
Accession Number
ADA309028

Entities

People

  • Jonathan E. Fair

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Birds
  • Civil War
  • Department Of State
  • Foreign Relations
  • Geography
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Military Science
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Political Systems
  • Second World War
  • Treaties
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • History

Readers

  • Library and Information Science/ Studies, Southeast Asia Studies, Bibliography of Vietnam and Lao Studies.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.