--- title: "This is how Vietnam almost became a protectorate of the US" description: "Ho Chi Minh really admired the founding principles of the United States, and Vietnam almost became a protectorate of the US." date: "2022-11-07" modified: "2022-11-07" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-history/vietnam-almost-became-a-protectorate-of-the-us/" categories: - "History" - "Vietnam War" - "War History" --- # This is how Vietnam almost became a protectorate of the US ![]() It's no secret by now that [Ho Chi Minh]() really admired the founding principles of the United States. He even quoted Thomas Jefferson from the American Declaration of Independence in his declaration of independence for Vietnam. Many academics say, he was really into self-determination and appreciated America's history. ![vietnam]() *Until the early 1960s. Probably. (Wikipedia)* And he was right to trust the World War II-era United States to ensure a free Vietnam after WWII. Except he wasn't dealing with the same America after that war ended. Instead, the high-minded anti-colonial Roosevelt administration was gone, replaced by the anti-communist Truman administration. As World War II came to a close, Uncle Ho was an agent of the U.S. Office of Strategic Services. As the OSS man in Vietnam, he was the chief organizer of anti-Japanese resistance. When the Japanese surrendered to the Allies, ending WWII, he moved to ensure the French didn't return. And history shows, the French weren't exactly the kindest of colonizers. It turns out Ho Chi Minh sent a number of telegrams to President Truman after the end of WWII. At the same time, he urged the Vietnamese people to rise up, capture arms and rice stocks, and keep the French from replacing the Japanese as their imperial masters. Truman never read any of the telegrams – there isn't even evidence that the President received Ho's messages. One of the telegrams, written in 1945, asked Truman to make Vietnam an overseas protectorate of the United States, on par with Puerto Rico's relationship with America. He was willing to trade complete independence of his country for American democracy – better than British, French, or Japanese Imperialism... at least it was in Ho's mind. ![vietnam protectorate]() *Until the early 1960s. Probably. (Public domain)* Protectorates are officially "insular areas of the United States." They are administered by the federal government, but are not part of a state or federal district. Many of the U.S.-occupied islands in the Pacific would become American protectorates after World War II, so the idea isn't as outlandish as it seems today. The Marshall Islands, Samoa, Guam, and the Marianas all have protectorate status. It might have actually been a good plan for the long term. If Truman accepted Ho's idea, there have been many examples of U.S. protectorates that gained full independence after a while. The Philippines and Cuba are a couple of examples of this kind of self-determination. They weren't examples of clean history and not a clean break, but still a break. On Oct. 16, 1945, just a few weeks after the Japanese surrender aboard the USS Missouri, Japanese and British planes bombed French positions in a coordinated attack to promote the French position there. [Ho Chi Minh]() got his answer from the West. France broke its promise to Franklin Roosevelt, who demanded the French give up its colonies in Indochina. ![japanese sentries vietnam]() *Japanese sentries salute French officers in Saigon, 1945. (Wikipedia)* Not all of America was behind supporting the French. General Douglas MacArthur, for example, was livid. "If there's anything that makes my blood boil," MacArthur said, "it is to see our allies in Indochina deploy Japanese troops to reconquer those little people we promised to liberate." ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()