Meanwhile, the vagaries of French domestic politics hurt Carpentier’s planning, as the cabinet in Paris turned down his request for reinforcements and instead in August reduced the number of French soldiers in Indochina by nine thousand, on grounds of cost. The increased American aid had yet to really manifest itself, and the war was a major drain on French resources. Pleas from Hanoi to consider using conscripts in Vietnam also met with deaf ears in Paris; no politician wanted to go anywhere near the notion.8
