That decision, he argues, marked America's first definitive step toward embroilment in Indochina, the start of a long series of moves that would lead the Johnson administration to commit U.S. combat forces a decade and a half later."--Jacket. "This researched book explains why and how the United States made its first commitment to Vietnam in the late 1940s. Mark Atwood Lawrence deftly explores the process by which the Western powers set aside their fierce disagreements over colonialism and extended the Cold War fight into the Third World. Drawing on an unprecedented array of sources from three countries, Lawrence illuminates the background of the U.S. government's decision in 1950 to send military equipment and economic aid to bolster France in its war against revolutionaries.

Contesting Vietnam -- Visions of Indochina and the world -- U.S. assistance and its limits -- Illusions of autonomy -- Constructing Vietnam -- Crisis renewed -- Domestic divides, foreign solutions -- Closing the circle.