My knowledge of Vietnam is limited to what I read in Gabriel Kolko's Anatomy of War, films, and conversations with my parents. Unfortunately, all three of these sources offer a biased account of the war. Films, an inaccurate medium for gathering historical facts, often portray the protests, the horrific conditions for the soldiers, or Government attempts to control the political situation at the time. Granted I have not seen many films set during this era, and I am ashamed to admit that Operation Dumbo Drop is the first film to come to mind, but I do not believe I have ever seen or heard of a film that depicts the war as Kolko does. I have certainly never seen or read about the Vietnamese Communist Party or Ho Chi Minh in this way before. I know when I asked my mother, she was surprised by Kolko's depiction, so it must be a fairly unconventional analysis of the war for non-historians.

I am well aware that the winning group often decides how the losing group will be portrayed in history. While the United States did lose the war, as a world power, they control the history books. I suppose it is not surprising, then, that while I have always agreed that we had no business being in Vietnam, I did not have a positive view of the Communists or Ho Chi Minh. The Viet Cong come across as violent, sneaky, and bloodthirsty, and I tend to associate them and their violence with Ho Chi Minh and Communist party. I was curious, though, if this viewpoint was a product of my ignorance of if I would find another man entirely in Ho Chi Minh's writings. Is Kolko radical? Or are my viewpoints colored by my having grown up in a conservative town in the United States? Therefore, when I chose my primary sources, I chose the writings of Ho Chi Minh. [1]

I found a link on Vincent Ferraro's collection of primary sources to a biography of Ho Chi Minh. From there I found a site called Marxists.org. Many of Ho Chi Minh's writings are there. [2] (I have used this website in historiography classes so I know it is reliable.)

A work entitled "Equality!" (1922) immediately caught my attention. It was not what I expected. Ho Chi Minh is clearly Marxist, but his work is not overwhelmed with Marxist rhetoric. He does mention the evils of capitalism, but the focus of the work is actually racism. Ho Chi Minh claims that Colonial powers advocate "Fraternity, Equality, etc...", but they do not apply it to the native population. The Vietnamese, because of their skin color, were inferior. He says, for example, "In administrative offices, despite length of service and recognized ability, a native is paid starvation wages, while a freshly arrived white man receives a higher salary with less work to do." He is clearly frustrated by how the French treat his people, how they are viewed as inferior, even if they are smarter or better qualified. [3]

Ho Chi Minh's words are compelling. It seems that native populations are frequently treated in this way by colonial powers. The Colonizers often rape the land of its resources while oppressing the natives. Given what I know of Colonialism, I understand what Ho Chi Minh was protesting. I can see why a Communist party emerged from this environment. The Vietnamese may have been from different social classes, but they were also a psedo-proletariat, with the French as the Bourgeois. I now also begin to understand why the Vietnamese likely objected to American interference.

I also decided to read the "Vietnamese Declaration of Independence" (1945). Kolko, of course, mentions this document, and I have heard professors talk about it in classes before. Therefore, it seemed logical that if I wanted to get an idea for Ho Chi Minh's rhetoric, I needed to read it.

Ho Chi Minh begins his Declaration with one of the most famous Declarations, the Declaration of Independence. He seems to respect Jefferson's words, but holds little respect for France's similar claims. He says:

The Declaration of the French Revolution made in 1791 on the Rights of Man and the Citizen also states: "All men are born free and with equal rights, and must always remain free and have equal rights." Those are undeniable truths. Nevertheless, for more than eighty years, the French imperialists, abusing the standard of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, have violated our Fatherland and oppressed our fellow-citizens. [4]

We again see a complaint about the colonial power's treatment of the Vietnamese people. The French, in Ho Chi Minh's eyes, were hypocrites. They claimed all men were equal, but did not treat the Vietnamese as equals. In many ways, this speech is a celebration of the overthrow of an oppressive government.

This document does not prove that Kolko's portrayal of the United States government as imperialistic is accurate. However, it does show that the Vietnamese, or at least those following Ho Chi Minh, likely would have seen the United States that way. America, like the French, had a Declaration that declared all men are created equal, and yet they, like the French, also seemed to want to take control of Vietnam. If Kolko, as right-wing conservatives accuse, did actively support the Communists, it seems reasonable that he would have adopted some of their views of the American government. This is not necessarily an inaccurate view of the war. I do not know enough about the Vietnam War to come to a conclusion.

The third primary source I read was "The Path Which Led Me To Leninism" (1960). After reading Ho Chi Minh's other writings, I was curious why he chose Marxism (Leninism). As I expected, he saw it as a way to free the Vietnamese from Colonial oppression. He says, "Step by step, along the struggle, by studying Marxism-Leninism parallel with participation in practical activities, I gradually came upon the fact that only socialism and communism can liberate the oppressed nations and the working people throughout the world from slavery." Marxism does seem to preach overthrowing oppressive groups (Bourgeoisie, Government, Monarchy, etc) in favor of the general population or oppressed group. [5]

2. Vincent Ferraro, "Documents Relating to American Foreign Policy Vietnam," undated, <http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/vietnam.htm> (8 December 2007); "Biography of Ho Chi Minh," in Ho Chi Minh, Selected Works (Hanoi, 1960-1962), Vol. 2, <http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/ho-chi-minh/biography.htm> (9 December 2007); "Ho Chi Minh Reference Archive" at Marxists.Org <http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/ho-chi-minh/index.htm> (9 December 2007). <return>

3. Ho Chi Minh, "Equality!" in Selected Works of Ho Chi Minh Vol. 1, Ho Chi Minh Internet Archive (marxists.org) 2003, <http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/ho-chi-minh/works/1922/06/01.htm> (9 December 2007). <return>

4. Ho Chi Minh, "Vietnamese Declaration of Independence" in Ho Chi Minh, Selected Works (Hanoi, 1960-1962), Vol. 3., Ho Chi Minh Internet Archive (marxists.org) 2003, <http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/ho-chi-minh/works/1945/declaration-independence.htm> (9 December 2007). <return>

5. Ho Chi Minh, "The Path Which Led Me To Leninism" in Problems of the East, Ho Chi Minh Internet Archive (marxists.org) 2003, <http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/ho-chi-minh/works/1960/04/x01.htm> (9 December 2007). <return>