Tell President Kennedy that I take all his suggestions very seriously and wish to carry them out but it is a question of timing. authorized the new South Vietnamese leader to reject the all-Vietnamese elections that were to be held by 1956, committed the United States to the security of Indochina by organizing the Southeast . John F. Kennedy Library: JFK Papers: National Security File; Country File, b. No upvoted answer; Users; Ask a Question; Vietnam English Radio; why did the south vietnamese military leaders overthrow diem. [45][53][54] nh was humiliated and embarrassed, having promised his colleagues he would be successful. [78] There are varying accounts of Quyn's death. While the details of their deaths were inconclusive, the mood in Saigon was jubilant. The casualties were light: 9 insurgents killed and 46 wounded, 4 dead and 44 injured Presidential Guards. The Fall of Diem (1963) - Encyclopedia.com | Free Online Encyclopedia [17], The key turning point came shortly after midnight on 21 August, when Nhu's ARVN Special Forces raided and vandalized Buddhist pagodas across the country, arresting thousands of monks and causing a death toll estimated to be in the hundreds. [79], One of Dim's aides called nh but was told that nh was not there. [35] The other generals were still suspicious of nh and whether he would betray them to the palace. LBJ Library: Bromley K. Smith Papers, b. why did the south vietnamese military leaders overthrow diem - Vietnam Silence from the Vietnamese generals made Washington officials wary of getting too far ahead of Saigon politics. By that I was saying that, if Diem was removed we would have not one coup . The visits all confirmed what INR had said in its Problem of Nhu memorandum (Document 17). [27], Tuyn's group had many officers who were members of the opposition Vit Nam Quc Dn ng and i Vit Quc Dn ng,[23] who had been discriminated against on issues of promotions, which were preferentially given to members of the regime's secret Cn Lao Party, a secret Catholic organisation responsible for maintaining Dim's grip on power. [60] Another objective of the public relations stunt was to give the public a false impression of the strength of the Ng regime. "[128], Trn Vn Hng, a civilian opposition politician who was jailed in 1960 for signing the Caravelle Manifesto that criticised Dim, said: "The top generals who decided to murder Dim and his brother were scared to death. This request put the Kennedy administration in a difficult position, as the provision of an airplane would publicly tie it to the coup. Quan was Minh's deputy, and Lm was commander of Dim's Civil Guard. The pair had a robust argument and Dim asked the commanders to visit him the palace to negotiate and work on a reform plan. Nhu claimed he was prepared to join them which could have been an effort to unmask the coup plotters and their grievances rather than a genuine statement of support. Dim and Nhu overheard him and fled to the nearby Catholic Church of St. Francis Xavier (104507N 1063914E / 10.752N 106.654E / 10.752; 106.654). Minh had also dispatched an APC and four jeeps to Gia Long to transport Dim and Nhu back to JGS headquarters for the ceremonial handover of power during a nationally televised event witnessed by international media. JFK Papers: Kennedy Tapes, Tape/Conversation 104/A-40/004; transcription by Luke Nichter. n replied that they were going into battle, and Harkins nodded, unaware that they were entering Saigon. Large spontaneous street demonstrations took place. "It's all right, I know about it." [105], Both North Vietnam and the VC were caught off guard by the events in Saigon. Now, if I can be of any help on that, I'm prepared to send my driver with an officer of mine to escort you to safety. "[109] He further went on to anticipate what he termed a "Gtterdmmerung in the palace". The United States did not want Diem and Nhu to form a government in exile and Roger Hilsman had written earlier that "Under no circumstances should the Nhus be permitted to remain in Southeast Asia in close proximity to Vietnam because of the plots they will mount to try to regain power. On August 27 Ambassador Nolting took center stage. What happened to the leader of South Vietnam in 1963? - Travel in you South Vietnam - Wikipedia Ngo Dinh Diem [6] Document 18 is the record of Coneins encounter with General Duong Van Minh on October 5. [98], To stop the loyalist forces near the palace from escaping, armoured and artillery units commanded by Colonel Thiu placed their tanks and howitzers shoulder-to-shoulder, in preparation for the shelling of the Cng Ha barracks of the Presidential Guard, located near the palace. . Otherwise his supporters would gradually rally and organise and there would be civil war." Lodge reported the following exchange to Washington:[97]. The principle chiefs of security and the secret police, on which mainly depended the protection of the regime and the repression of the revolutionary movement, have been eliminated, purges. But Diem was far from an ideal partner: Suspicious of anyone but his immediate family, he often frustrated American policy makers. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. n ordered another general to tell reporters that the brothers had died in an accident. [83][84] The generals were well aware of the threat that Tung posed; they had discussed and agreed on his elimination during their planning,[85][86] having contemplated waging an offensive against Tung's special forces. 4, f.: Vietnam 9/119/20/63 [II]. Xun told them it was selected to protect them from "extremists". For security reasons, the surrounding streets were regularly sealed after sunset; the building had several bunkers and an intricate tunnel system, including a half-block long escape route to the basement of the City Hall. "[50] During this period, nh claimed he was "a great national hero". The United States subsequently became more heavily involved in Vietnam as it tried to stabilize the South Vietnamese government and beat back the communist rebels that were becoming an increasingly powerful threat. While Colby emphasized that Saigon had stabilized, Kennedy asked numerous questions about the likelihood of success should the disaffected generals move forward with a coup attempt. [63] The plotters neutralised many Dim loyalists in this manner, most notably Colonel Tung, who was taken away by Captain Nguyn Vn Nhung, Minh's bodyguard. [126] Lodge initially backed the false story disseminated by the generals, believing that they had shot themselves. Center for National Security Studies FOIA request. [2] Rufus Phillips, Why Vietnam Still Matters: An Eyewitness Account of Lessons Not Learned. November 1, 2013, Kennedy Considered Supporting Coup in South Vietnam, August 1963 [67] The three men were standing as they talked, and n, overcome by nerves, chewed his gum "like a threshing machine", and could not stand still, frequently changing his footing as he talked. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. Around 20:00 the night before, Dim and Nhu hurriedly packed American banknotes into a briefcase. A fake "counter-coup" was to follow, whereby Tung's men, having left Saigon on the pretext of fighting the Viet Cong (VC), as well as nh's forces, would triumphantly re-enter Saigon to reaffirm the Dim regime. Dim: Some units have made a rebellion and I want to know what is the attitude of the US? ISBN: 978-0-7006-1690-9, Vietnam: The History of an Unwinnable War, 1945-1975 Kennedy and Lodge discussed the kinds of challenges Lodge was likely to face upon arrival, and how he proposed to deal with the Diem government. Ambassador Lodge was sending home his CIA station chief. Oval Office, August 15, 1963 (Photo: Abbie Rowe; JFK Library,AR8072-A). 1963 South Vietnamese coup d'tat - Wikipedia 2130 H Street, NW The encirclement would prevent Cao from storming the capital to save Dim as he had done during the 1960 coup attempt. [1] Thomas L. Hughes, telephone interview, September 12, 2020. The brothers' hands were tied behind their backs[citation needed]. [121][122] Kennedy's reaction did not draw unanimous sympathy. It was with this gun that they committed suicide. Who were Vietnam War leaders? - The Vietnam War Despite their distrust of nh, the Ng brothers told them this was not the case and that they would promote him. [131], Conein asserted that Minh's humiliation by the Ng brothers was a major motivation for ordering their executions. The generals then phoned Gia Long Palace with an ultimatum. After . The issue was brought to a head when Dim scheduled a referendum for October 1955, which was rigged by his brother Nhu, and proclaimed himself the President of the newly created Republic of Vietnam. One of Nhu's objectives was to trick dissidents into joining the false uprising so that they could be identified and eliminated. Yale University Press, 2020 Dim made no reply. JFKL: Roger Hilsman Papers, b. He reasoned that Minh had been embarrassed by arriving at the presidential residence in full ceremonial military uniform to take power, only to find an empty building. "[126] Minh later blamed Thiu for the assassinations. They'll complain that we're not fighting the war. While the United States publicly disclaimed any knowledge of or participation in the planning of the coup that overthrew Diem, it was later revealed that American officials met with the generals who organized the plot and gave them encouragement to go through with their plans. . nh told Tung that the fake coup needed to employ an overwhelming amount of force. [90] General Khang, the commander of the marine brigade, was also put under arrest for remaining loyal to Dim, as was the head of the RVNAF Khc Mai, and the National Police chief. While a popular proposal in Washington had been to somehow separate Diem from Nhu, Hughes explained why it would be difficult to achieve that: Diem and Nhu were more inseparable than ever. [79], After the loyalists were taken away, Minh read the coup proclamation and his objectives and taped it and asked the other officers to sign the papers. [39][41] Mu helped Minh to secure the cooperation of General Nguyn Khnh,[40] who commanded the II Corps that oversaw the Central Highlands of the country, and Colonel Nguyn Vn Thiu,[40] who commanded the 5th Division based just outside the capital in Bin Ha. The criticism of the killings caused the officers to distrust and battle one another for positions in the new government. This shows that Nhu, even when calm, as Richardson observes, obsessed with Buddhists spreading propaganda and hiding communist agents among their monks at some of the most important pagodas. The Vietnamese used military and political tactics to push and expel the French from their lands. 1, formally suspending the 1956 constitution and detailing the structure and duty of the interim government. LBJ Library: Bromley K. Smith Papers, b. He represented the Pagoda Raids as some sort of victory for Diem, absolved Nhu of responsibility for them, pictured Diem as a man of integrity who had tried to carry out all the promises he had made to the United States, and framed Vietnamese Buddhism as manipulated by Cambodia. [97], Shortly after 16:00, Dim telephoned JGS headquarters. One of my officers will ride in the front seat of my limousine with the chauffeur. The generals sabotaged the younger officers by ordering one of their key regiments into the countryside to fight the communists. Ambassador to South Vietnam Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., stated that it was U.S. policy[5] not to try to stop it. From this point on, the United States moved step by step to become more directly and heavily involved in the fight against the communist rebels. JOHN KENNEDY, VIETNAM AND THE OVERTHROW OF DIEM - Diary of a Heartland The quote has been used in virtually every account of the Diem coup written since that time. Vietnam War Leaders - Vietnam War Facts Kennedys associates concluded early on that Ngo Dinh Nhu had to go. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2008, pp. "[132], The reaction to the coup was mixed. [52], In a press conference soon after, nh claimed to have saved South Vietnam from "foreign adventurers", a euphemism for the United States. They felt Dim's removal was a blunder on the part of the Americans. But it was too late. Wiki User 2011-09-13 13:26:46 This answer is: Study guides World War 2 24 cards Why was the Atlantic Charter important Which nations signed a nonaggression pact with germany How did the. Vin "broke down completely" and took off his insignia and handed it to Minh in resignation. University Press of Kansas, 2009 To prevent a Communist takeover What did Congress do after the North Vietnamese attack in the gulf of Tonkin? [137], 104533N 1063945E / 10.75918N 106.662498E / 10.75918; 106.662498, Rebel troop movements in and around Saigon, Arrest and assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem, Reaction to the 1963 South Vietnamese coup, Arrest and assassination of Ng nh Dim, Ci cht o Tho: ty vin mt Tng Thng bi git, "The Overthrow of Ngo Dinh Diem, MayNovember, 1963", "Ellen Hammer, 79; Historian Wrote on French in Indochina", "South Viet Nam: Revolution in the Afternoon", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1963_South_Vietnamese_coup_d%27tat&oldid=1160489507, Military Revolutionary Council takes power; political prisoners released, Ng nh Cn arrested; tried and executed in May 1964, The Republic of Vietnam weakened and becomes increasingly dependent on the United States. The ARVN officers had a meeting intended to exile Dim and Nhu, having promised the Ng brothers safe passage out of the country into an "honorable retirement". This was so that troops could move freely through the streets, which would be carrying less traffic. JFK Library: John Newman Papers, Notebook, August 24-31, 1963.. Assassination Records Review Board release, document 177-10001-10466. nh found out, further straining his relationship with the palace. They also blew up government buildings, and took control of the national post office and Radio Saigon. The palace was surrounded by walls of around 2.1m, and defended by 150 troops of the Presidential Guard. "[113], Dunn claimed Lodge put Dim on hold to inform Conein where the brothers werethey had sneaked out of the palace so that the generals could capture them. The generals wanted and needed to finish the operation quickly with as little hand-to-hand combat as possible, as they knew that both factions would have to put aside their differences and regroup to fight the communists after the coup, and because a drawn out mini-civil war would only allow the communists to take over the countryside while the ARVN fought in the capital. which constituted an appreciable support for the regime have been dissolved, eliminated. The Americans also pressured the generals to give Th a prominent role so as to give the impression of civilian rule. To promote democracy in South Vietnam, To prevent a Communist takeover What did Congress do after the North Vietnamese attack int he Gulf of Tonkin? The tension released by the downfall of the regime sparked off celebrations similar to Tt (Lunar New Year) celebrations. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, v. IV: Vietnam, August-December 1963. Vietnam War - Ngo Dinh Diem and formation of the Viet Cong Mu later accompanied the ranking general in the plot, Dng Vn Minh, on recruitment campaigns. L: You have certainly done your duty. [30] Mu enlisted the help of Khim following Tuyn's departure into exile. Lodge did not report the conversation to Washington, so it was widely assumed that the pair last spoke on the previous afternoon when the coup was just starting. [32][33] Tho and Mu's group resumed plotting, intending to move on 24 October and they recruited a total of 3000 men. In the countryside, Catholics were de facto exempt from performing corve labor, and in some rural areas, it was claimed that Catholic priests led private armies against Buddhist villages. In the meantime, RVNAF transport planes dropped rebel leaflets over Saigon, asking the population to rally to the anti-Dim cause. The other generals remained worried that nh might switch sides and go through with the second part of Nhu's fake coup. C, a central Vietnamese, was afraid that Cao, a Mekong Delta native would recognise his fake southern accent, and realize that he was impersonating Phat, another southerner. Hilsman dominated the discussion, with Taylor doubting whether Saigon could get along without Diem, and McNamara sought assurances on four points. Why did South Vietnamese military leaders overthrow Diem? They emphasized, we believe that Vietnam is not faced with any serious shortage of effective non-Communist leadership. Thomas L. Hughes, INRs director, remains proud today of the list his experts assembled in 1963. Today, the National Security Archive is posting for the first time materials from U.S. and Vietnamese archives that open the window into this pivotal event a little bit wider. As I told you only this morning, I admire your courage and your great contributions to your country. The two men headed for a restaurant on Saigon's outskirts, and the shooting took place along the way. If you experience a barrier that affects your ability to access content on this page, let us know via ourContact form. Many Buddhists defied the ban and a protest was ended when government forces opened fire. D: I am trying to reestablish order. Three marine battalions in tanks and armored cars had moved toward the Saigon city center to spearhead the revolt, and some of the 7th Division had arrived from the Mekong Delta to cut the main road from the south into Tn Sn Nht Air Base. Dim: No, I cannot agree to fleeing, because this is all a tempest in a teapot; it's a couple of hothead generals who don't speak for the army, and I know that the real troops are loyal to me and will soon have this all straightened out. He had lost American support. [61] During the orchestrated chaos of the first coup, the disguised loyalists would riot and in the ensuing mayhem, kill the leading coup plotters, such as Generals Dng Vn Minh, Trn Vn n, L Vn Kim and junior officers that were helping them. General Tran Van Don, one of the coup plotters and a point of contact for CIA operative Lucien Conein (generalhieu.com). Between 1954 and 1963 South Vietnam was a nominally democratic republic, propped up by American political and financial support. . The US government would not allow the aircraft to land in any country, unless that state was willing to grant asylum to Diem. Not all of the senior officers attended the meeting. [107] Conein reported that the generals had never indicated that assassination was on their minds, since an orderly transition of power was a high priority in achieving their ultimate aim of gaining international recognition. Taylor wrote a lengthy report afterwards which argued the generals had little stomach for government and had been neutralized. JFK Papers: NSF: Country File, b. The former ambassador argued that no one other than Diem could keep South Vietnam together. There was still time to pull back. Another story holds that Dim reportedly said "We have always been together during these last years. The recorded pledges made at JGS were also played. The PICL of November 2 (Document 27) records that Diem and Nhu had been killed. Its participation in the overthrow of the Diem regime signaled a growing impatience with South Vietnamese management of the war. Dim's voice was loud enough that Lodge's aides could hear the message from a distance. Bobby Kennedy spoke little in the August meetings and was absent from the August 26 session, when anger over the Hilsman cable should have been most focused. When security officials noticed the troop movements, a panicked young officer telephoned Nhu, who serenely said. I will never leave according to the request of rebellious generals or of an American ambassador. The National Security Archive is committed to digital accessibility. [7] Dissidents, both communist and nationalist, were jailed and executed in the thousands, and elections were routinely rigged. Nhu spoke out in response to signals that the U.S. planned to cut foreign aid, dismissing the speculation by saying that South Vietnam had sufficient reserves to operate for twenty years. JFK Papers: NSF: Country File, b. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. McCone said he discouraged Kennedy from supporting a coup unless a suitable replacement for Diem was identified. 204, f.: Vietnam: Subjects: Top Secret Cables (Tab C) 10/3-10/27/63.. Nhu had begun weekly meetings with the generals of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) where he himself had introduced the subject of a coupas he told the CIA, it was a psychoanalytic technique which might induce the ARVN officers to reveal their intentions. CIA electronic reading room; declassified July 24, 2015. [140] The White House fostered the impression that the coup was purely Vietnamese and claimed to have no knowledge of it. The CIA learned of a talk he had had with ARVN commanders in the Saigon area where Nhu asserted that a cutoff of foreign aid would not be a problem because South Vietnam had enough foreign currency reserves to continue for 20 years. The generals, remembering that he bought time for loyalists to come to his aid during the 1960 coup attempt by stalling the coup with talks and a false promise of reform and power-sharing, turned down his suggestion. All of Dim's ministers were forced to resign, and no further reprisals were taken. [127] Lodge showed no alarm in public, congratulating n on the "masterful performance" of the coup and promising diplomatic recognition. As Quyn prepared to go to the palace to alert the Ng brothers, his deputy shot him dead on the Bin Ha highway. Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. For eight years, the people of Vietnam have suffered under the rotten, nepotic Diem regime, but now the armed forces have come to their rescue. Kennedy became more specific when he said, The time may come, though, weve gotta just have to try to do something about Diem, and I think thats going to be an awfully critical period. While never directly speaking about a coup, Kennedy signaled that he was willing to accept regime change under certain circumstances. Forced to kneel over two freshly dug holes, the brothers were shot into their graves and buried. On October 24 (Document 23) Conein met again with Don, who confirmed that Harkins had admitted his error in seeming to oppose a coup. The US government must take full responsibility before the world for this miserable matter. 35+ YEARS OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACTION, FOIA Advisory Committee Oversight Reports, The Diem Coup After 50 Years John F. Kennedy and South Vietnam, 1963, Kennedy Considered Supporting Coup in South Vietnam, August 1963, The Last Brahmin: Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. and the Making of the Cold War, William Colby and the CIA: The Secret Wars of a Controversial Spymaster, Vietnam: The History of an Unwinnable War, 1945-1975, The Ghosts of Langley: Into the CIA's Heart of Darkness. During his trip the Saigon situation escalated as Nhu went ahead to launch the raids on the Buddhist pagodas he had already planned. December 11, 2009, The Last Brahmin: Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. and the Making of the Cold War why did the south vietnamese military leaders overthrow diem. Had you heard this? 198, f.: Vietnam 8/21-8/30/63.. 6 years, 319 days. He had lost American support What was President Johnson's objective in Vietnam? [82], Wearing red scarves for identification,[94] the rebel marines caught the loyalists off guard and took over control of the building of the Interior Ministry and the National Police headquarters. White House conversations took place without any principal figures changing their minds about the Saigon situation. [62] Buddhist and student dissident leaders would also be targeted. Vice PresidentJohnson,Ngo Dinh Diem,and Ambassador Frederick Nolting in South Vietnam's Presidential Palace in 1961(Wikipedia). Director of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research Thomas L. Hughes made notes of White House conversations with National Security Council staff member Michael Forrestal and Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs Roger Hilsman during August 24-28, 1963, which he referred to as coup planning week. Vietnam took up most of the discussions, including criticism of Nhus explanation for the series of events that led to the pagoda raids which Forrestal said was what he wanted us to hear. They agreed that the Diem government could not survive another 12 months. We present both the audio of that meeting and a transcription of it crafted by Luke Nichter. On November 1 we have the PICL which shows the coup underway (Document 25). "[128], Lodge thought Xun was partly culpable, asserting that "Dim and Nhu had been assassinated, if not by Xun personally, at least at his direction. Government Printing Office 1991). By that time Secretary McNamara and General Taylor were in Saigon on their fact-finding mission. Contrary to fears expressed at the October 29 White House meeting, when the coup began on November 1, President Diem and his forces were fairly quickly corralled in the Gia Long Palace. Once American policymakers became aware that the coup plotters considered assassination a potential part of their plan they proceeded very carefully. He said that tanks were required "because armour is dangerous". July 1954 [88] nh's prediction that Vin would acquiesce was incorrect. They used artillery and flamethrowers and it fell by daybreak after Dim finally gave the order to the Presidential Guard to surrender. [105], When I Corps commander General Cao Tr was informed that coup was imminent, he left Hu on 29 October for Nng so that he would be away from Ng nh Cn, who ruled central Vietnam from Hue for his family.
