Exactly! Here is a telegram Ho Chi Minh sent Truman on the 28th of February, 1948. A piece of history you can touch. (well you would have to break into the archive or work there, but theoretically hehe)
Published by the national archives, it shows that Ho Chi Minh was a nationalist and independence seeker first, and Communist second (or even third)
In fact, having spent time in Paris, Boston, Moscow and Hongkong working menial jobs and getting in contact with western philosophies in his youth he actually chose to quote
"All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness"
this from the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America in his independence speech after French occupation.
The course of history might have been slightly different...
This is one of those moments in history where we can clearly see history itself branches into different routes. Had Truman reached out to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam wouldn't have had to spend the next 30 years in war.
http://todaysdocument.tumblr.com/post/18436528466/dated-febr...
Published by the national archives, it shows that Ho Chi Minh was a nationalist and independence seeker first, and Communist second (or even third)
In fact, having spent time in Paris, Boston, Moscow and Hongkong working menial jobs and getting in contact with western philosophies in his youth he actually chose to quote
this from the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America in his independence speech after French occupation.The course of history might have been slightly different...