By the time John F. Kennedy was president, the situation seemed hopeful for a momentlong enough for JFK to think of Vietnam as a sort of laboratory where he could try out tactics and techniques. The purpose of this offer is to assist the Government of Viet-Nam in developing and ISBN: 978-0-7006-1690-9, Vietnam: The History of an Unwinnable War, 1945-1975 Trn Vn Hng, Thiu Tng Phm Eisenhower wrote to South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem and promised direct assistance to his government. Tng nim C There were more contacts with the Vietnamese generals. 735-736. 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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. It was noted that in less than three years a chaotic situation resulting from years of war had been changed into one of progress and stability. Rusk said that a cable should be sent to Lodge to assess the proposed coup and whether the U.S. should try to more actively exert influence. It hopes that such aid, combined with your own continuing efforts, will contribute effectively toward an independent Viet-Nam endowed with a strong government. 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. disassembling Kennedy's firm but cautious action in the Cuban missile crisis resulted in the _________ of Russian missiles. DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: I have been following We do not reproduce this here because we presented it in both the previous electronic briefings on this subject. It hopes that such aid, combined with your own continuing efforts, will contribute effectively toward an independent Viet-Nam endowed with a strong government. JFK Papers: NSF: Country File: b. aggression through military means. . Ed. Author Luke A. Nichter found the document in the Vietnamese archives. with great interest the course of developments in Viet-Nam, particularly On the morning of October 5, Lucien Conein, acting as intermediary, met with Gen. Duong Van Big Minh. On November 1 we have the PICL which shows the coup underway (Document 25). Secretary of State Dean Rusk proposed that regular meetings of the group be conducted similar to the Cuban Missile Crisis meetings of the Ex Comm. Some of these materials first appeared in earlier National Security Archive E-books and are added here to provide the larger context of events. embassy.[9]. in the formidable project of the movement of several hundred thousand loyal A Viet Cong guerrilla tells of the Tet offensive (1968) Nhu claimed that Ngo Dinh Diem himself approved the pagoda raids against the Buddhists in response to demands made by South Vietnamese army officers for Diem to deal with recent political agitation in Saigon. While Diem had not yet surrendered, the coup plotters planned to set up a civilian government as soon as the coup was over. Decisions had yet to be made in Washington. EISENHOWER'S LETTER TO NGO DINH DIEM, October 23, 1954 Dear Mr. President; I have been following with great interest the course of developments in Vietnam, particularly since the conclusion of the conference at Geneva. Eisenhower's letter of support to Ngo Dinh Diem (October 1954) An American press report on the Binh Xuyen (April 1955) Ngo Dinh Diem explains why he rejects national elections (July 1955) Le Duan: 'The path of revolution in the South' (1956) Ngo Dinh Diem addresses a joint session of the US Congress (1957) V Hanoi Jane Fondas broadcast from North Vietnam (August 1972) SOURCE: Department of State Bulletin. An American ally against communism in Asia, Diem embarked on a two-week visit to the United States. Diem said that the Buddhist uprising had been resolved. Washington, DC, November 1, 2020President John F. Kennedy was more disposed to support the removal of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem in late 1963 than previously appeared to be the case, according to a recently released White House tape and transcript. the source. hc t mt s tun tit (TS Lm L Trinh), Cu JFK Papers: NSF: Country File, b. With the exception of primary sources, all content on this website is Alpha History 2018. Letter from President Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem, President of the Council of Ministers of Vietnam, October 23, 1954 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. So he pledged support to an emerging leaderNgo Dinh Diema devout Catholic and fervent anti-French, anti-Communist nationalist. Today's posting also features a dramatic handwritten proclamation on November 1, 1963, from the doomed Diem demanding thatthe South Vietnamese Army follow his orders. According to Coneins report to CIA Headquarters, he did not address Harkins comments but assured Don that Lodge would speak to Harkins. On August 27 Ambassador Nolting took center stage. 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. LBJ Library: Bromley K. Smith Papers, b. By Tillman Durdinspecial To the New York Times. Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. to examine with you in your capacity as Chief of Government, bow an intelligent program of The South Vietnamese demands for American support became more insistent in the second half of August, 1963, and the posting presented the National Security Council (NSC) and State Department records of a series of White House meetings and other U.S. deliberations over a coup in Saigon. Don was furious that a different, subordinate ARVN officer, talking of a different coup, had been discouraged by U.S. military group commander General Paul D. Harkins, while word of that had reached President Diem. White House conversations took place without any principal figures changing their minds about the Saigon situation. On this date, President Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam addressed a Joint Meeting of Congress. George Ball argued that Nhu in the ascendant was impossible to live with, making the coup imperative, but the questions were mooted that day when the Vietnamese generals postponed their coup plot. Robert McNamara proposes increases in US troops (July 1965) I am glad A Christian Vietnamese named Ngo Dinh Diem had been in the United States between 1950 and 1954, and there he had met Cardinal Francis Spellman and Senator John F. Kennedy. National Security Archive: George McT. Ridenhour's Confession This collection of Vietnam War documents has been selected and compiled by Alpha History authors. In a follow-up meeting the next day, another briefing by William Colby summarized the scene in Saigon. The Saigon government was headed by President Ngo Dinh Diem, an autocratic, nepotistic ruler who valued power more than either his relations with the Vietnamese people or progress in fighting the communists. Kennedys associates concluded early on that Ngo Dinh Nhu had to go. McCone said he discouraged Kennedy from supporting a coup unless a suitable replacement for Diem was identified. TT On this day in 1957, Ngo Dinh Diem, president of South Vietnam, addressed a joint meeting of Congress during a two-week visit to the United States. Hoa Tng Nh (Trng Ph Th) 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. Permission is Lodge had an active role in disentangling one of the most important obstacles to the coup when the South Vietnamese were moving into position. your free people. 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. Kennedy's views on removing Diem become more explicit in a tape recording of his meeting with newly-appointed Ambassador to Saigon Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., in mid-August 1963, just before Lodge set out for Saigon. Forrestal also commented, without further elaboration, that others had not been privy to the latest Lodge-JFK private communications. that the United States is able to assist in this humanitarian effort. Don asserted that all plans were complete and had been checked and re-checked. Subscribers may view the full text of this article in its original form through TimesMachine. Washington, D.C., 20037, Phone: 202/994-7000 In turn, Conein challenged Don to produce proof that the coup group was actually authentic. Washingtons last opportunity to back out of the Saigon coup occurred on October 29, when President Kennedy gathered his advisers to go over the ground one more time. It hopes that such aid, combined with your 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. 204, f.: Vietnam: Subjects: Top Secret Cables (Tab C) 10/3-10/27/63.. Cross examination of Lieutenant William Calley (1970) Diem's handwritten proclamation to the Army on the day of the coup, November 1, 1963 (Document 26). Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen. So he pledged support to an emerging leaderNgo Dinh Diema devout Catholic and fervent anti-French, anti-Communist nationalist. JFKPapers: NSF: Country File: b. By that I was saying that, if Diem was removed we would have not one coup . Primary Source. Compare this with Document 11 here, and with Items 9 (audio), 10 and 11 in E-book 302. No The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is located at the History Department of Fordham University, New York. Oval Office, August 15, 1963 (Photo: Abbie Rowe; JFK Library,AR8072-A). The purpose of this offer is to assist 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. Kennedy wanted Lodge to make a personal assessment. While Lodge was still in transit to Vietnam, Diem declared martial law and his military forces raided the Buddhist pagodas that were believed to be sheltering those behind the latest anti-government protests. In a meeting between President Kennedy and his top advisors, even at that late hour they seemed divided over a possible coup. Gi nh Mnh (T Gn - Si Gn Nh), CS Kattenburg reported he was hardly able to speak more than once or twice in what was primarily a one-sided monologue by Diem who said he was ready to die even while vigorously defending the policies of his government over the previous months. Ngo Dinh Diem addresses a joint session of the US Congress (1957) JFK Was More Inclined toward Regime Change than Earlier Believed, Newly Released JFK Tape and President's Intelligence Checklists Fill in Gaps in Record, South Vietnamese Leader's Notes Published for First Time, Written Hours before Assassination, Edited by John Prados and But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! John Kerry anti-war testimony to the US Senate (April 1971) v. t. e. Ng nh Dim, the President of South Vietnam, made a state visit to the United States, the main ally of his government, in 1957. purposes and personal use. 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. needed reforms. Ho Chi Minh recalls his conversion to Leninism (1967) Kennedy, John F. Kennedy to Ngo Dinh Diem. Lodge warned how difficult it could be to control such an event, noting that Madame Nhus mother believed that she, along with Diem and Nhu, were all going to be assassinated., LBJ Library: Ball Papers, b.7, f.: Vietnam I (1/15/62-10/4/63.. At the State Department, W. Averell Harriman and George Ball agreed that Lodge ought to delay his arrival in Saigon until the situation had calmed somewhat (Document 4). a de facto rule and political ideology which they abhor, are being fulfilled. part3. Assassination Records Review Board release, document 157-10014-10227. The Caravelle Manifesto criticises Diem and his regime (April 1960) That encounter actually took place at that very time (Document 8). ideology on your free people. At the same time, there was infighting within the ranks of the South Vietnamese army officers, and the latest turmoil is likely to be only the first phase in a new wave of instability. November 15, 1954, pp.735-736. Other History Sourcebooks: African | East Asian | Indian | Islamic |Jewish | Lesbian and Gay | Science | Women's | Global, Letter to Ngo Dinh Diem, October 23, 1954, Letter from President Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem, President of the Council of Kennedy was personally aware of the pro-Diem views of Frederick E. Nolting, Lodges predecessor as ambassador, strengthening the impression that he included Nolting in White House deliberationsand personally engaged him in colloquy about Saigon eventspartly to build a case that all sides in this debate had been heard. Anonymous poem about French oppression in Vietnam (1900) I am, accordingly, instructing the American Ambassador to Viet-Nam Compare this to Items 6 (audio), 7 and 8 of E-book 302, December 11, 2009. nh Dim WASHINGTON, May 11-- Following is the text of a joint statement issued today by President Eisenhower and President Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam at the conclusion of their talks: View Full . Tng Thng Ci [8] This quote appears in the Church Committees interim report on Alleged Assassination Plots Involving Foreign Leaders (p. 221), as well as the note card we present here, compiled by committee staffer Rhett Dawson on June 29, 1975. Noam Chomsky on the meaning of Vietnam (1975), Richard Nixon unveils a policy of Vietnamisation (November 1969) to give assurances as to the standards of performance it would be able The coup would take place in a window of late October-early November. providing web space and server support for the project. the Fordham University Center JFK Papers: Kennedy Tapes, Tape/Conversation 104/A-40/004, Audio recording of President John F. Kennedy conversation with U.S. President Eisenhower: Letter to Ngo Dinh Diem October 23, 1954 [At this Site] Beginning US "humanitarian" aid. Since then, however, some officers turned against the movement once the political aims of some Buddhist leaders became more apparent, blaming the Diem government for being ineffective in dealing with the problem. b mt c tit l sau 40 nm (T Gn) Eisenhower asked Kennedy: "Suppose they try to . Our mission is to engage, educate, and inspire all learners to discover and explore the records of the American people preserved by the National Archives. In 1963, he became leader of South Vietnam after a coup in which Diem. It hopes that such aid, combined with your own continuing efforts, will The implications of the agreement concerning Vietnam have caused grave concern regarding the future of the country temporarily . 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. Viet Cong Program, 1962 [At this Site] Charles de Gaulle: France's Attitude Toward US Policy in Vietnam 1964 [At this Site] Tonkin Gulf Incident 1964 [At Yale] [Internet Archive version here] The Tonkin Bay Resolution 1964 [At this Site] TT When, that May, Ngo Dinh Diems government got into a political confrontation with Vietnamese Buddhists, American frustration increased. [7] CIA, Saigon cable 1447, October 5, 1963, cited in Thomas L. Ahern, CIA and the House of Ngo: Covert Action in South Vietnam, 1954-1963. 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. 735-736. Lodge spoke with Harkins on the afternoon on October 23. He actually reached Saigon two days after their conversation (August 23, Washington date). by a long and exhausting war and faced with enemies without and by their After Conein had provided assurance to Big Minh that the U.S. would not thwart a coup, General Tran Van Don asked Conein why General Paul Harkins, Commander, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), said the day before that it was the wrong time for a coup and that the planners should desist in their efforts. JFK Library: John Newman Papers, Notebook, August 24-31, 1963.. CIA Director Colby described a Saigon situation that pictured the pro-regime forces as stronger than the plotters. By this juncture, 1963, that optimism had evaporated and Kennedy felt that obstructionists in Saigon were losing ground against a communist insurgency. Ho Chi Minh calls for unity against the French (February 1930) They spoke with academic Vietnam experts, the CIA station chief, and President Diem. Step-by-step explanation As discussed in the chapter titled "The United States and Vietnam" by Anderson, the letter written by President Dwight Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem on October 23, 1954 provides evidence to support the notion that the United States' link with Vietnam changed through time. A US reporter discusses South Vietnamese military weaknesses (1973) That post included a selection of essential documents, including the CIA briefing where the agencys director, John McCone, informed the president of the initial approaches by South Vietnamese plotters to CIA officers. Enter a date in the format M/D (e.g., 1/1), President Eisenhower pledges support to South Vietnam, How the Vietnam War Ratcheted Up Under 5 U.S. Presidents, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-s-president-pledges-support-to-south-vietnam, Richard Burton buys Elizabeth Taylor a diamond, President Truman declares war with Germany is officially over, Western Union completes the first transcontinental telegraph line, James Brown records breakthrough Live at the Apollo album, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid opens in wide release, Marv Albert faces sentencing in sexual assault case. At this late date Bobby Kennedy still opposed the coup and Maxwell Taylor sided with him, while other officials looked ahead to the composition of a future Saigon government, or focused on tactics or the balance of forces on the coup and palace sides. General Minh renewed the August call for an expression of U.S. support for a coup. Presenting his credentials to Diem on August 26 (Document 8), Ambassador Lodge got 10 minutes to explain the role of public opinion in setting U.S. policy, advising that the Saigon leader release Buddhist prisoners, after which Diem minimized the importance of Buddhists, then treated him to a two-hour harangue on his family and South Vietnam as an underdeveloped country. Center for National Security Studies FOIA request. The Archive is indebted to Dr. Roland Popp, researcher at the Swiss Military Academy ETH Zurich, for Documents 9 and 11. John Prados: There was still time to pull back. agreement concerning Viet-Nam have caused grave concern regarding the future The experience of Americans in South Vietnam established that. A big issue, then and since, has been the so-called Hilsman Telegram, or, more formally, Department Telegram (DepTel) 243, which instructed U.S. for Medieval Studies.The IHSP recognizes the contribution of Fordham University, the by a long and exhausting war and faced with enemies without and by their subversive In Krulaks record of the same meeting (Document10), figures like Robert McNamara, George Ball, Averell Harriman were more forceful figures with the latter most going so far as to say that the U.S. will lose South Vietnam if there is not a successful coup to topple the Diem government. 198, f.: Vietnam, 7/21-7/31/63.. ISBN:978-0-3002-1780-3, William Colby and the CIA: The Secret Wars of a Controversial Spymaster From: President Eisenhower To: Ngo Dinh Diem Date: October 23, 1954 Dear Mr. President: I have been following with great interest the course of developments in Vietnam, particularly since the conclusion of the conference at Geneva. Compare this with Document 10 here, and Items 9 (audio), 10 and 11 of E-book 302. 4, f.: Vietnam 9/119/20/63 [II]. Despite promising to establish a free, Western-style democratic republic, Diem's leadership was far from democratic. 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. 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. Cuc Step-by-step explanation Pham Van Dong on Geneva, Vietnamese independence (July 1954) [8] McCone ordered Saigon station to drop the suggestion, and the next day Colby reinforced that order with another (Document 19). Eisenhower's Letter of Support to Ngo Dinh Diem, October 23, 1954 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. These lists frequently overlooked Vice President Nguyen Ngoc Tho, who would ordinarily have been Diems constitutional successor. Harriman again said that the U.S. would lose South Vietnam if the coup fails, which was necessary because the political situation was bound to disintegrate further under Diem. According to Lodges report of the two-hour discussion, many of the points he raised were nearly verbatim with those he discussed with Kennedy on August 15 including the importance of U.S. public opinion, the role of Madame Nhu, and the recent unrest in Saigon. Such a government would, I hope, be so responsive to the nationalist aspirations of its 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. I have been unable to find the claimed McCone quote in any contemporary record. This text is part of the Internet Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, v. IV: Vietnam, August-December 1963. A report into French atrocities in Vietnam (1933) Internet Following that there is a relative lull, then contact picks up again in early October when the coup forces were more potent and prepared to make their final push. As we demonstrated in our 2009 E-book the reality was more complex. Years later, when the Church Committee was investigating the CIA (in 1975), McCone quoted himself telling John F. Kennedy, in precise words that he remembered very clearly, Mr. He had no time to acclimate. December 11, 2009, The Last Brahmin: Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. and the Making of the Cold War CIA operative Lucien Conein, who was a liaison to the generals leading up to the coup, in an undated photo from the 1960s (Credit: William J. D. inhibit the growth of radical Islam. t. e. Ng nh Dim ( / djm / [1] or / zim /; [2] Vietnamese: [ n jm] ( listen); 3 January 1901 - 2 November 1963) was a South Vietnamese politician who was the final prime minister of the State of Vietnam (1954-1955), and then served as the first president of South Vietnam ( Republic of Vietnam) from 1955 until he . While it was too soon to know the outcome, it appeared that Big Minh had gained the backing of all major combat units. He also wanted to see something on Lodge actually talking with Diem. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1991, p. 212 (hereafter cited as FRUS with page number). The Government of the United States expects that this aid This supplemented the earlier electronic briefing book. hour of trial, provided that your Government is prepared to give assurances as to the Kennedy reported that Lodge and Harkins said that the generals in Saigon did not seem very enthusiastic for a coup. Your recent requests for aid to assist Program of the National Liberation Front or Viet Cong (1962) JFKL: Roger Hilsman Papers, b. The received history on this is that Hilsman, Harriman, and NSC staffer Michael Forrestal advocated going ahead with a coup, while other factions opposed it. McNamara and Taylors report on South Vietnam (October 1963) US Senate debate on the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (August 1964) According to recollections by DCI John McCone, made in the course of interviews conducted by the Church Committee in 1975, he met with President John F. Kennedy and Attorney General Robert Kennedy on or around October 5 after Conein reported that Big Minh discussed a possible assassination plan. Nhng The mention of assassination occurred at a key moment for the U.S. in Saigon. They agreed that the coup plotters would deal only with Conein in the future. (BS Tn Tht Thin), Ngha Seymour Hersh breaks the story of the My Lai killings (1969) to permit our aid to Viet-Nam to be more effective and to make a greater Edict of Emperor Minh Mang against Christians in Vietnam (1833) Ngo Dinh Diem head of the South Vietnamese government Khrushchev Russian premier backed The Central Intelligence Agency ______ the Bay of Pigs invasion of Castro's Cuba. Quotations about the massacre at My Lai hamlet (1968) 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. Diem's anti-communism attracted the Americans. 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.
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