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Secondary sourceDocument1967

US-Vietnam Relations 1945-1967, Part I: US Policy 1940-50

1967

A 1967 Defense Department historical study that examines U.S. policy on Indochina from 1940-1950, including FDR's anti-colonial views.

Records FDR's personal, strong opposition to French colonialism in Indochina and his advocacy for its independence.

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About this source

What it is

This is part of a 1967 Defense Department study on U.S.-Vietnam relations, examining American policy toward Indochina between 1940 and 1950. It draws on earlier research, including a 1964 case study of insurgency in Vietnam, and discusses how historians like Bernard Fall categorized shifting U.S. policy over several periods.

Why it matters

The study records that President Franklin D. Roosevelt personally and strongly supported independence for Indochina, viewing French colonial rule there as a clear example of oppressive colonialism. It shows how later officials and historians tried to understand U.S. anti-colonial policy before Cold War concerns about communism changed American priorities after 1950.

Look closer

  • Why might a government study from 1967, during the Vietnam War, want to revisit Roosevelt's earlier views on colonialism?
  • What does it mean that this is a secondary account written decades after Roosevelt's presidency?
  • What historical debate does this document describe about how to label different periods of U.S. policy?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Franklin D. Roosevelt on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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