Moffat was noncommittal. He reported to Washington that Communists were indeed in control of the Vietnamese government and that for now a French presence would be required, so as to ward off both Soviet and possible Chinese encroachment. Moffat’s superiors took that as evidence that they should reject Ho’s overtures and steer clear of any formal role. They paid less attention to the other part of Moffat’s report, in which he expressed sympathy for the nationalist cause and a conviction that France had no option but to compromise.
