Vietnam

• Since the 19th century, until 1954, Vietnam (called French IndoChina) had been a colony of France. It was a difficult colony for France to manage as the indigenous population was continually in a posture of rebellion.

• In 1954, the French decided that the struggle was no longer worth it. The French abandoned the region.

• In the Northern region, a Communist named Ho Chi Minh became the leader.

• In the South, a leader named Ngo Dinh Diem assumed power with the support of the United States. He claimed to be democratic, but he ruled as a dictator.

• Ho Chi Minh believed that the whole Vietnamese nation should be reunited under the leadership that the people wanted--in other words--a nationwide election. This was what the U.N. in Geneva also decided.

DECISION: You are President Eisenhower. Do you instruct Diem to participate in the national election in Vietnam which will likely result in the entire nation becoming Communist under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh?

Click here to find out what Eisenhower did.