Ho Chi Minh (third from left standing) and the OSS in 1945

The OSS Deer Team was established by the

United States Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the intelligence agency of the United States during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines for all branc ...

on to attack and intercept materials on the railroad from

Hanoi Hanoi or Ha Noi ( or ; vi, Hà Nội ) is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. It covers an area of . It consists of 12 urban districts, one district-leveled town and 17 rural districts. Located within the Red River Delta, Hanoi is ...

in central Vietnam to

Lạng Sơn Lạng Sơn () is a city in far northern Vietnam, which is the capital of Lạng Sơn Province. It is accessible by road and rail from Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, and it is the northernmost point on National Route 1. History Due to its ge ...

in northeast Vietnam with the hope of keeping Japanese military units from entering China. They sent intelligence reports to OSS agents stationed in China. The team provided training, medical and logistical assistance to

Hồ Chí Minh (: ; born ; 19 May 1890 – 2 September 1969), commonly known as ('Uncle Hồ'), also known as ('President Hồ'), ('Father of the Nation, Old father of the people') and by other Pseudonym, aliases, was a Vietnamese people, Vietnam ...

and the

Việt Minh The Việt Minh (; abbreviated from , chữ Nôm and Hán tự: ; french: Ligue pour l'indépendance du Viêt Nam, ) was a national independence coalition formed at Pác Bó by Hồ Chí Minh on 19 May 1941. Also known as the Việt Minh Fro ...

in 1945. The first mission of OSS Deer Team was to help train 50 to 100

guerrillas to help drive Japanese soldiers out of

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...

. Deer Team worked closely with

and

Võ Nguyên Giáp Võ Nguyên Giáp (; 25 August 1911 – 4 October 2013) was a Vietnamese general and communist politician who is regarded as having been one of the greatest military strategists of the 20th century. He served as interior minister in President H ...

, whom they knew only as "Mr. Hoo" and "Mr. Van". The two groups were friendly and fought as comrades-in-arms to capture the Japanese garrison at Tan Trao, and celebrated that victory by getting drunk together. The Americans left camp on August 16, not long after hearing the news of Japanese surrender. They traveled on foot with

and his troops to

Thái Nguyên Thái Nguyên () is a city in Vietnam. It is the capital and largest city of Thái Nguyên Province. The city is listed as a first class city and is the ninth largest city in Vietnam. It has long been famous throughout Vietnam for its Tân Cư� ...

, the French provincial capital. When guerrilla combatants debuted against French and Japanese troops until the French governor capitulated on August 25,

had arranged for the Deer Team to stay hidden away in a safe house on the outskirts of town.. Following the

victory, Deer Team stayed for a few days "getting fat, getting a sun-tan, visiting the city and waiting for permission to go to

. ..The

did everything to make our stay as pleasant as possible for us," said Defourneaux. Finally, the Americans arrived in

and returned to the United States. The night before leaving, Major Thomas had a private dinner with

and

said to Thomas and his men: "I want to thank each of you for what you have done for us. We are truly grateful. You are welcome to come back at any time." Medic Paul Hoagland is reputed to have saved the life of

with

quinine Quinine is a medication used to treat malaria and babesiosis. This includes the treatment of malaria due to ''Plasmodium falciparum'' that is resistant to chloroquine when artesunate is not available. While sometimes used for nocturnal leg cr ...

and sulfa drugs. Lieutenant Defourneaux explained: When

discovered a French agent sent with the Deer Team who was apparently part of it: "This man is not an American. Look, who are you guys trying to kid? This man is not part of the deal." Lieutenant Montfort was arrested and deported to China. Two other undercover French–Vietnamese agents suffered the same treatment. The OSS remained on good terms with

until the United States began overtly supporting France's occupation of Indochina in the late 1940s.

References

{{reflist

External links

Ho Chi Minh and the OSS
at Historynet.com – June 10, 2009
Ho, Giap and OSS Agent Henry Prunier
at Historynet.com – May 24, 2011 1942 establishments in the United States 1945 disestablishments in the United States Defunct United States intelligence agencies Government agencies established in 1942 Intelligence services of World War II Office of Strategic Services World War II resistance movements

See also

References

External links