Vietnam had been a French colony, before World War II and after the Japanese were defeated and driven out, it went back to French control. But despite U.S. financial aid, France was driven out of the country in 1954 by communist forces led by a man named Ho Chi Minh. The country was divided in two, with the communists controlling the northern half. Elections were scheduled for 1956 to reunite the two halves. The elections never happened, mostly because South Vietnam dictator Ngo Dinh Diem was afraid he would lose. Diem was supported by the U.S. until 1963. The U.S. sent their military…
