 It was called the "dirty war" ("la sale guerre") by supporters of the Left in France and intellectuals (including Jean-Paul Sartre) during the Henri Martin affair in 1950.When it became clear that France was becoming involved in a long drawn-out and so far not very successful war, the French government tried to negotiate an agreement with the Viet Minh.They offered to help set up a national government and promised that they would eventually grant Vietnam its independence.