Jefferson and Vietnam

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/21/opinion/jefferson-and-vietnam.html

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To the Editor:

Re “Borrowing From Jefferson at Israel’s Start” (“What in the World” series, Sept. 16):

Israel was not alone in seeking legitimacy in 1948 by borrowing the words of Thomas Jefferson in an early draft of its founding document.

In September 1945, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnamese independence, telling a crowd in Hanoi: “All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

And just as Jefferson’s Declaration listed the abuses committed by King George III against his American subjects, Ho similarly outlined the grievances of the Vietnamese against France, their colonial master. And like Jefferson, he ended with a pledge: “The entire Vietnamese people are determined … to sacrifice their lives and property in order to safeguard their independence and liberty.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt had strongly supported Indochinese independence in 1943 and 1944 and told Stalin at Yalta that the Indochinese were not warlike and that France had done nothing to improve their condition since it had those colonies.

Perhaps Ho’s use of Jefferson’s words was an appeal for American friendship and support. It was not to be.

SUSAN DUNN

Williamstown, Mass.

The writer is a professor of humanities at Williams College.