2. Fact: Truman and Eisenhower expanded American activity in Vietnam
In 1950, under the administration of President Harry Truman, US military advisors were embedded within the military hierarchy of Vietnam at all levels. While the French fought the Viet Minh and their communist supporters the United States provided financial and covert support to aid the French in the recovery of their former colony. When the French withdrew in 1954, the newly formed independent state of South Vietnam was given financial and military training support by the United States under the Eisenhower administration. American military advisors helped to train the South Vietnamese army throughout the 1950s, as well as arm it through foreign military aid programs.
