444 ChaPter^9
about France returning to Vietnam. Europe was the most important area and
the Americans wanted the French to focus their efforts there, to make sure
that Germany did not become a threat again and that the Soviet Union did
not spread communism elsewhere on the continent. In the end, however, it
was more important for the U.S. to stay on good terms with France, so they
supported the French return to take control of Vietnam. At the same time, the
Americans saw Vietnam as an important country in their economic goals for
Asia. After World War II, the U.S. wanted to rebuild Japan so it could be a
trading partner and the leader in building capitalism in Asia. If that was to be
the case, Japan would need countries with which it could trade, and where it
could get resources, and Vietnam could be both. So for political and eco-
nomic reasons, the U.S. backed France’s return to Indochina and helped
destroy Ho’s dream of an independent Vietnam.
The consequences of this denial of Vietnamese independence would be
huge. It would lead to about 30 years of war between Vietnam and France
and then the U.S. Before the conflict would end, the United States droppedFIGuRE 9-1 u.S. Army helicopter spraying Agent Orange over
Vietnamese land