The Vietnamese independence leader H o Chi Minh sent the letter below to U.S. President Harry S. Truman in 1946, but Truman neve
r responded. Which of the following best explains why H o Chi Minh would believe that the United States would agree to support him? On behalf of Vietnam government and people I beg to inform you that in course of conversations between Vietnam government and French representatives the latter require the secession of Cochinchina and the return of French troops in Hanoi. Meanwhile French population and troops are making active preparations for . . . military aggression. I therefore most earnestly appeal to you personally and to the American people to interfere urgently in support of our independence and help making the negotiations more in keeping with the principles of the Atlantic and San Francisco Charters.
A. The United States had provided weapons and aid to the Viet Minh.
B. The United States was founded in a revolution against a European colonial power.
C. The United States recognized that H o Chi Minh would help fight against communism.
D. The United States was engaged in an openly hostile conflict with the French.
(Had to separate the H and O because it thought i meant something else)
Essentially, Roosevelt's speech and timing extended his executive powers to not only declaring war but also making war, a power that constitutionally belongs to Congress. The overall tone of the speech was one of determined realism.
