After fighting the Japanese and aiding the Allied war cause during the Second World War, the Vietnamese declared their independence in a document based on the American-with even American President Franklin Roosevelt arguing against French re-intervention before his death-Declaration of Independence. Famine broke out in 1945 with Ho Chi Minh, the leader of the post-independent Vietnam, organizing and ensuring relief efforts in the northern half of the country with help from the pro-independence forces known as the Viet Minh. In September 1945, the French re-invaded the country, resulting in low levels of conflict. However, by 1949 the conflict intensified as the French used financial and military support from the United States, along with troops from throughout the empire, to intensify the conflict with Vietnam. Minh responding by obtaining support from the Soviet Union and China. After amassing weapons and forces, Viet Minh was able to decisively defeat the French at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. The resulting independence split the country between the communist North and the American-supported South. Following the Gulf of Tonkin incident, in which a US destroyer clashed with a North Vietnamese vessel, the war escalated. The American forces increased their presence throughout the country and bombed the North while the Viet Minh forces increased their attacks on the south, especially during the Tet Offensive. The Paris Peace Accord in 1973 finally brought the conflict to an end after over thirty years of fighting. Between one and four million Vietnamese soldiers and civilians were killed in this conflict, along with 58,220 American servicemen. The violence also spilled over to Cambodia where it helped give rise to the genocidal Khmer Rouge. Furthermore, the war increased the division between the Soviets and the Chinese as the Americans sought to befriend the Chinese following the war.