Before the United States decided to increase its involvement in the Vietnam War, France waged a seven year war (1946 to 1954) against Ho Chi Minh and his Vietnamese resistance movement. This conflict (sometimes called the First Indochina War) came about because the Vietnamese had tired of French rule, but the French refused to give up their colonies in Indochina. Although the United States remained neutral at first, the Cold War soon began to intensify and U.S. politicians became more and more anxious to halt the spread of communism. At first, President Truman authorized covert support for the French, but by 1950 the U.S. was openly providing financial support for the French war effort. By 1954, the French had been badly defeated and Vietnam was divided into North and South, with the northern half going to Ho Chi Minh who was not satisfied with this partial victory and remained determined to unite North and South Vietnam under communist rule. From that point forward, U.S. involvement would continue to grow until hostilities eventually resumed.