The discussion proposes a different starting point: American recognition of Ho Chi Minh as Vietnam's leader after 1945, accompanied by opposition to France's return. This places the change after World War II instead of making it part of a general decolonisation settlement at Versailles. The anticipated immediate consequence is an Allied rift. The assessment also describes France as militarily weak at that point and Britain as reluctant to become involved in that dispute. The suggestion remains a hypothetical scenario and does not establish how later American history would unfold.
Notable Point · 3:38:18-3:38:51
Moving the Vietnamese-independence counterfactual to 1945
American recognition of Ho Chi Minh after 1945 is proposed as a different starting point from rewriting the colonial settlement at Versailles.