re: #266 William Lewis

The single biggest mistake in post-war US history was when Truman overturned FDR’s order that colonies would not be given back. Had the US recognized Vietnamese independence in 1945 - along with that of EVERY OTHER COLONY - the world would have been a much better place.

Though your point is quite correct; in 1946, Vietnam was in no way “ours” not to be “given back”. Despite support we gave (or directed to be given) to various anti-Japanese/anti-Vichy-French groups in Vietnam during the war (including Ho Chi Minh’s Viet Minh movement); Indochina was still considered a French sphere-of-influence, and Truman had to balance the considerations of an obscure local [Communist] resistance group in a remote Asian country vs. that of France and (mainly) Charles De Gaulle.
I agree that - in retrospect - he made quite the wrong decision in backing De Gaulle’s “recolonization” project, but it wasn’t an aberrant decision on Harry’s part.