O'Daniel Mission Arrives in Saigon

June 20, 1953

Overview

Lieutenant General John W. O’Daniel and a small entourage arrive in Vietnam to assess the situation in Indochina on behalf of the United States. This is his first of three trips to the region after French Prime Minister René Mayer invites President Eisenhower to send a military mission to the area to examine French requirements for U.S. aid. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also task O’Daniel with acquainting U.S. leaders with French plans for the future of the war, their chances of victory, and any progress the French have made in strengthening the French expeditionary forces.

O’Daniel assists newly appointed French commander General Henri Navarre in crafting a plan for reforming French operations in Indochina. The resulting “Navarre Plan” calls for a more aggressive French approach and greater military development for the Associated States’ armies. O’Daniel believes that Navarre’s forces can still win with proper leadership and organization. In his subsequent visits, O’Daniel and other U.S. leaders become somewhat less assured.1

¹Ronald H. Spector, Advice and Support: The Early Years, 1941–1960, The U.S. Army in Vietnam (Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, 1985), 173–187; Richard M. Leighton, Strategy, Money, and the New Look, 1953–1956, History of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Volume III (Washington, D.C.: Historical Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense, 2001), 524–526. After future visits, O’Daniel concludes that his assessments were optimistic and that the French likely demonstrated more energy and activity for his benefit. By late 1953, few other American officials agree with the optimism of O’Daniel’s reports.