Colonel Dewey.

This is coolbert:  

Much hay has been made over the decades, and especially during the Vietnam War, about the first American mission to Indo-China, at the very end of WW2.

This mission, an OSS group headed by a Colonel Dewey, parachuted into Indo-China, the northern part of Vietnam, in say around May 1945. The goal was to establish contact with Ho Chi Minh, evaluate his resistance force, arm and direct and mold to U.S. interests if possible.

Many persons opposed to American involvement in Vietnam made a point of reminding the U.S. government that Dewey was favorably impressed by Ho Chi Minh and his "movement". And this was so [a famous photo was taken of Dewey and his OSS team with Ho and his command staff, everyone having a big smile on their face]. Dewey sent reports back to the OSS reporting that Ho was a man the U.S. "could work with". Being so favorably disposed toward Ho, Dewey felt that accommodation could be reached with Ho and no conflict existed between the interests of Ho's "movement" and the interests of the U.S. government.

These same very persons who are quick to mention the initial favorable impressions that Dewey had of Ho leave out one important fact. An important fact that in all probability they omit on purpose. By September of 1945, after being in Indo-China for only a few months, Dewey had become extremely disenchanted with Ho. Realized that Ho was not the good guy that he [Dewey] had originally believed. As a consequence of this disenchantment, Dewey was entrapped into an ambush and murdered. His body was never recovered, Dewey becoming the first American casualty of the Indo-China war, and the first MIA whose remains were never found or returned. This was indeed shapes of things to come.

[in some instances, it is suggested that Dewey was "lost" and was killed by a sentry who mistook him for an attacker. I guess the jury is out on that one??]

coolbert.