An American draft-dodger explains his actions (1967) A Viet Cong guerrilla tells of the Tet offensive (1968) We have been exploring ways and means 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. Episodes 1-4 | National Archives NSC memorandum on US policy in South Vietnam o chnh m st TT Ng nh Dim (Aladin Nguyen), Phng Central Intelligence Agency: Center for the Study of Intelligence, 2000 (declassified February 19, 2009), p. 195. Following the Geneva Convention, President Eisenhower and the United States supported Ngo Dinh Diem. McGeorge Bundy memo on attacking North Vietnam (February 1965) Description: U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles (from left) greet South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem at Washington National Airport. The tapes of the White House meetings on August 26, 27, and 28, along with written records of those meetings made by NSC notetaker Bromley K. Smith and State Department official Roger A. Hilsman are available in the earlier postings, along with one record by General Victor H. Krulak. August deliberations had the effect of enabling top U.S. officials to rehearse all the arguments for and against a coup, but they left Washington with its policy problemthe intractability of Saigon leaders closed off the potential for progress in Vietnam. the Fordham University Center since the conclusion of the conference at Geneva. Eisenhower asked Kennedy: "Suppose they try to . Nhng Ho Chi Minhs declaration of independence (September 1945) That was the sense of the Hilsman cable, and of the follow-up instruction sent after the August round of coup talk. The Government of the United States expects that this aid will be met by performance on the part of the Government of Viet-Nam in undertaking needed reforms. Primary Source. The Documents The Final Declarations of the Geneva Conference July 21, 1954; The American Response to the Geneva Declarations July 21, 1954; Protocol to the SEATO Treaty September 8, 1954; Eisenhower's Letter of Support to Ngo Dinh Diem October 23, 1954; Excerpts from Law 10/59 May 6, 1959; Le Duan, "Duong Loi Cach Mang Mien Nam" [The Path of Revolution in the South], circa 1956 Johnson justifies involvement in Vietnam (April 1965) Cross examination of Lieutenant William Calley (1970) But it was too late. Nolting conceded that Nhualso a man of integrityhad become a liability, but he rejected the proposition the Vietnamese generals would carry out a coup. and political ideology which they abhor, are being fulfilled. November 1, 2013, Kennedy Considered Supporting Coup in South Vietnam, August 1963 239-240 and 291-292. At the same time, Nhu ordered soldiers to fire upon Americans and other foreigners involved in acts intended to be hostile toward South Vietnam. On the morning of October 24, Don saw Conein at Tan Son Nhut airport. Your recent requests for aid to assist in the formidable project of the movement of several hundred thousand loyal Vietnamese citizens away from areas which are passing under a de facto rule and political ideology which they abhor, are being fulfilled. Kennedy, John F. Kennedy to Ngo Dinh Diem. Despite promising to establish a free, Western-style democratic republic, Diem's leadership was far from democratic. aid will be met by performance on the part of the Government of Viet-Nam in undertaking Neither message, nor the McCone quote, appears in the Foreign Relations of the United States for example, and only the October 6 cable is in a study the agencys Inspector General subsequently did of the Diem coup. Bromley Smith again took notes of another meeting held that afternoon. Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. providing web space and server support for the project. This website is created and maintained by Alpha History. 328 (April 6, 1965) 242 Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense: Excerpt from Memorandum for President Lyndon Johnson (April 21, 1965) 244 Ho Chi Minn: Letter to Lyndon Johnson (February 15, 1967) 245 Internet History Sourcebooks: Modern History - Fordham University 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. (BS Tn Tht Thin), Ngha Lodge and Kennedy met in the Oval Office on August 15 (Item 2, Document 3). domain and copy-permitted texts for introductory level classes in modern Former Ambassador Frederick Nolting seemed to be the lone dissenting voice, arguing that Diem was the only figure who could hold South Vietnam together. No the institutional owner, and is not liable as the result of any legal action. Vietnam War documents Xin vui lng lu bt tng nim n cc v Anh Hng ca QLVNCH While in support themselves, Lodge and Harkins did not feel as though U.S. support had gone so far that the only option was to have a coup. JFKL: Roger Hilsman Papers, b. In this letter, President Eisenhower offered South Vietnamese President Diem financial support and encouraged him to make "needed reforms" to broaden his government and make it more representative. US Senate debate on the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (August 1964) Colby said the coup forces were roughly equal in strength to those that remained loyal to Diem. The Henry G. Sanders Web Site -- Vietnam Ultimately his refusal to make any substantial changes to meet the needs of the people led to extreme civil unrest and eventually a coup by dissident South Vietnamese generals in which Diem and his brother were murdered. On October 23, Don had another get-together with CIAs Conein (Document 21) where he demanded assurances on the U.S. stance and the intelligence officer was able to answer in a way that satisfied Washington guidelines. The American government viewed South Vietnam's situation as a cry for President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Letter to Ngo Dinh Diem Lodge began with a summary of his conversation the night before with Than Thi Nam Tran, wife of Vietnamese Ambassador to the U.S. Tran Van Chuong, and mother of Madame Nhu. Ngo Dinh Diem - 1046 Words | Bartleby FRUS, IV, pp. Dear Mr. President: I have been following with great interest the course of developments in Viet-Nam, particularly since the conclusion of the conference at Geneva. Tng Thng Ng I am, accordingly, instructing the American Ambassador to Viet-Nam to examine with you in your capacity as Chief of Government, bow an intelligent program of American aid given directly to your Government can serve to assist Viet-Nam in its present hour of trial, provided that your Government is prepared to give assurances as to the standards of performance it would be able to maintain in the event such aid were supplied.
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