Posted on Mar 20, 2018
Americans alarmed about impending French defeat - Mar 20, 1954 - HISTORY.com
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After a force of 60,000 Viet Minh with heavy artillery had surrounded 16,000 French troops, news of Dien Bien Phu’s impending fall reaches Washington.
French General Henri Navarre had positioned his forces 200 miles behind enemy lines in a remote area adjacent to the Laotian border. He hoped to draw the communists into a set-piece battle in which he supposed superior French firepower would prevail. He underestimated the enemy. Viet Minh General Vo Nguyen Giap entrenched artillery in the surrounding mountains and massed five divisions around the French positions. The battle, which far exceeded the size and scope of anything to date in the war between the French and the Viet Minh, began with a massive Viet Minh artillery barrage and was followed by an infantry assault.
Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and other members of the Eisenhower administration were stunned at the turn of events and discussions were held to decide on a course of action. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Arthur Radford proposed the use of nuclear strikes against the Viet Minh. Other options included massive conventional air strikes, paratrooper drops, and the mining of Haiphong Harbor. In the end, President Eisenhower decided that the situation was too far gone and ordered no action to be taken to aid the French.
Fierce fighting continued at Dien Bien Phu until May 7, 1954, when the Viet Minh overran the last French positions. The shock at the fall of Dien Bien Phu led France, already plagued by public opposition to the war, to agree to grant independence to Vietnam at the Geneva Conference in 1954.
French General Henri Navarre had positioned his forces 200 miles behind enemy lines in a remote area adjacent to the Laotian border. He hoped to draw the communists into a set-piece battle in which he supposed superior French firepower would prevail. He underestimated the enemy. Viet Minh General Vo Nguyen Giap entrenched artillery in the surrounding mountains and massed five divisions around the French positions. The battle, which far exceeded the size and scope of anything to date in the war between the French and the Viet Minh, began with a massive Viet Minh artillery barrage and was followed by an infantry assault.
Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and other members of the Eisenhower administration were stunned at the turn of events and discussions were held to decide on a course of action. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Arthur Radford proposed the use of nuclear strikes against the Viet Minh. Other options included massive conventional air strikes, paratrooper drops, and the mining of Haiphong Harbor. In the end, President Eisenhower decided that the situation was too far gone and ordered no action to be taken to aid the French.
Fierce fighting continued at Dien Bien Phu until May 7, 1954, when the Viet Minh overran the last French positions. The shock at the fall of Dien Bien Phu led France, already plagued by public opposition to the war, to agree to grant independence to Vietnam at the Geneva Conference in 1954.
Americans alarmed about impending French defeat - Mar 20, 1954 - HISTORY.com
Posted from history.com
Vietnam War
American History
Military History
World History
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 11
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Thank you for the great history share this morning Mark, have a great day brother.
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Thanks Mark. Very interesting. All I think about when I am reminded of this is how many people died for nothing.
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CPT Scott Sharon
I agree. I'm not saying that should not have been done. The extremely high cost in lives simply makes the decision to go to war much more important.
The French lost and the US pulled out due to political pressure. If we knew that would have happened we would not have been there in the first place.
The French lost and the US pulled out due to political pressure. If we knew that would have happened we would not have been there in the first place.
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MAJ (Join to see)
CPT Scott Sharon - Exact same sentiment about Iraq in 2009. There was a complete shift in the Iraqi people after the SOFA boondoggle. Most of the people I worked with are likely all victims of ISIS.
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CPT Scott Sharon
I agree PO3 Bob McCord. I remember thinking when I was there how beautiful the water and the beaches were and what a beautiful place to build resort hotels. Of course, I had to use some imagination because the beaches where I was were used as open bathrooms. I never thought I would live to see hotels being built there.
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CPT Scott Sharon
I remember the beaches at Da Nang very well. Our Brigade headquarters were there and I went there frequently to pick up the payroll. The beach was beautiful, but you could smell it miles away. We called it Defecation Beach. My memory of that is why I was so shocked when a friend told me his daughter went there on vacation. I just could not imagine why she went there. Now I hear it is great.
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This is what we call a “clue” that those in Washington missed. The final outcome of the Vietnam War was written in that battle but no one was paying attention.
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