Another lost opportunity

In one of the great political 'oops' of our time, this book references the moment when we could have 'won' the War in Vietnam by avoiding the War in Vietnam:

Late in 1945, Ho Chi Minh made one final grasp for American support, writing President Harry Truman and Secretary of State James Byrnes that the recent independence of the Philippines offered a model for emulation: "It is with this firm conviction that we request of the United States as guardians and champions of World justice to take a decisive step in support of our independence. What we ask has graciously been granted in the Phillippines. Like the Phillippines, our goal is full independence and full cooperation with the United States."

Rico says so close and yet so far... (And damned are Truman and Byrnes for blowing this one. Our fifty thousand dead, along with a few million Vietnamese and Laotians, should haunt them forever...)