Myth: The USA paid 80% of all the costs of the French war against the Viet Minh.
Fact: The US paid 78% of the costs of the French war in 1954 (1.063 billion). In 1950, the US contributed only $10 million (0.7%). In 1953 the US spent $385 million (28%). The cumulative sum of all US support to France in Indochina amounted to approximately 8-11% of the French war effort.
- US support for the French must be understood in the context of post-WWII
- European reconstruction, communist expansion, and US involvement in the Korean War.
- The US and all its allies were concerned about aggressive communist expansion after WWII.
Confirming evidence
The Tangled Web: America, France and Indochina 1947-50
The Pentagon Papers, Gravel Edition, Volume 1, Chapter 4, "U.S. and France in Indochina, 1950-56"
US Foreign Policy in Perspective: France (location: Indochina) 1950-54
Extension of Military and Economic Aid: Statement by the Secretary of State, May 8, 1950
The Military Aid Program: Statement by the Departments of State and Defense, September 23, 1951
The Cease-Fire Agreements in Indochina: Statement by the President, July 21, 1954