in the formidable project of the movement of several hundred thousand loyal Colby said the coup forces were roughly equal in strength to those that remained loyal to Diem. people, so enlightened in purpose and effective in performance, that it will be respected He was an extraordinary character, while he became increasingly difficult in the last few months. Bin Tnh Sng - (Hoi cm ca Trn khc Knh). JFK Papers: NSF: Country File, b. Edward C. Keefer. 05/09/2018 12:04 AM EDT. Modern History Sourcebook. He regarded Defense Secretary Robert McNamara, and his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy as other opponents. Here we step back to take a broader view, not just focusing on the events of August but on the full panoply. Ng nh Dim: Ti thit min Nam (HNT & TTN), Vng NSC memorandum on US policy in South Vietnam Content created by Alpha History may not be copied, republished or redistributed without our express permission. Diem Betrayed - Anti-Diem Propaganda leaflets - Psywarrior Vietnamese figure Ngo Dinh Nhu, brother of leader Diem, remained the prime target of American maneuvers. Diem said that the Buddhist uprising had been resolved. Episodes 1-4 | National Archives 2130 H Street, NW Compare this with Items 9 (audio), 10 and 11 of E-book 302, December 11, 2009. that the United States is able to assist in this humanitarian effort. US security briefings on Ngo Dinh Diem and his regime (1958-1960) Diem's handwritten proclamation to the Army on the day of the coup, November 1, 1963 (Document 26). be so responsive to the nationalist aspirations of its people, so enlightened They also sought to provide economic support to South Vietnam to bring needed reform to the area and . The discussion that followed is remarkable for the unanimity that had developed among nearly all of Kennedys advisors against Diem. Vietnam War: The Essential Reference Guide - Barnes & Noble In 2009 the Kennedy Library made a release of the tapes that actually covered the White House conversations of late August. 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. General Tran Van Don, one of the coup plotters and a point of contact for CIA operative Lucien Conein (generalhieu.com). For you, for President Eisenhower, and for the American people, the choice in Vietnam was whether to 'sink or swim with Ngo Dinh Diem.' A Strong Anti-Communist Leader in South Vietnam At Geneva, Ho Chi Minh agreed to stop fighting in part because he was sure he'd win an election in South Vietnam. 239-240 and 291-292. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Tng Thng Ng to examine with you in your capacity as Chief of Government, bow an intelligent program of Fordham University History Department, and the Fordham Center for Medieval Studies in Attorney General Kennedy said he did not think a coup made sense in terms of U.S. policy objectives, while Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara echoed concern about the effect a coup could have on war progress. EISENHOWER ASKS VIETNAM REFORM; In Letter to Saigon Premier, President Links Aid Pledge to Stable Regime There EISENHOWER ASKS VIETNAM REFORM, https://www.nytimes.com/1954/10/25/archives/eisenhower-asks-vietnam-reform-in-letter-to-saigon-premier.html. Ho Chi Minh seeks Vietnamese independence in Paris (1919) President Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam Addressed a Joint Meeting of 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. General Vo Nguyen Giap on why the US will lose in Vietnam (1966) As . CIA Saigon Station Chief John Richardson met with Ngo Dinh Nhu for a conversation that focused primarily on the evolving Buddhist crisis. President Eisenhower: Letter to Ngo Dinh Diem October 23, 1954 [At this Site] Beginning US "humanitarian" aid. The Internet the future of a country temporarily divided by an artificial military grouping, weakened LBJ Library: Bromley K. Smith Papers, b. contribute effectively toward an independent Viet-Nam endowed with a strong government. JFK and the Diem Coup: Declassified Records - George Washington University In a meeting between President Kennedy and his top advisors, even at that late hour they seemed divided over a possible coup. C. protect Western oil interests. American aid given directly to your Government can serve to assist Viet-Nam in its present Ho Chi Minh calls for unity against the French (February 1930) 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. Lodge and Kennedy met in the Oval Office on August 15 (Item 2, Document 3). 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. Bi A Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operative was approached during the time of U.S. 4th of July festivities by South Vietnamese military officers who wanted U.S. support for a coup detat that might overthrow Diem (2003 E-book, document 1). nh Dim 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. part3. Internet History Sourcebooks: Modern History - Fordham University Just as Kennedy ended the August round of coup talks, State Department official Paul Kattenburg, who had known Diem for a decade, had his own experience (Document 14). Letters from Eisenhower and Kennedy to Ngo Dinh Diem Eisenhower, Dwight D. Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem. domain and copy-permitted texts for introductory level classes in modern by a long and exhausting war and faced with enemies without and by their subversive White House conversations took place without any principal figures changing their minds about the Saigon situation. I am glad that the United States is able to assist in this humanitarian effort. 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. for Medieval Studies. The Documents - The Wars for Viet Nam - Vassar College In 2003 we posted an electronic briefing book with one of the first-released Kennedy tape recordings of a key White House deliberation on the final go-ahead for the coup. There were more contacts with the Vietnamese generals. The implications of the agreement concerning Vietnam have caused grave concern regarding the future of the country temporarily . but a succession (Document 20). Eisenhower sent a letter to Ngo Dinh Diem, the Prime Minister of South Vietnam, with America's plans and motives in efforts to gain the trust of a possible new American ally. In a meeting with Nhu, some officers went so far as to express interest in taking part in a coup. The E-book contained a selection of documents that showed how Washington considered South Vietnamese who might be alternative candidates for leadership, and jumped ahead to the final days before the coup. This text is part of the Chun Tng L Here we add Krulaks records on the other meetings (Documents 9, 11) and Bromley Smiths handwritten notes, from which he derived the records we had previously posted (Documents 10, 12). Ho Chi Minh recalls his conversion to Leninism (1967) ND c c lm Th Tng (HNT & TTN), TT Government Printing Office 1991). Washington, D.C., 20037, Phone: 202/994-7000 DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: I have been following with great interest the course of Kennedy pledges support for Diem, South Vietnam (December 1961) . The assistant chief, left to comment on General Minhs options, advised Washington not to dismiss the assassination too quickly, as the other possibilities basically meant civil war. Silence from the Vietnamese generals made Washington officials wary of getting too far ahead of Saigon politics. General Minh renewed the August call for an expression of U.S. support for a coup. Compared to other versions of Memoranda of Conversation of an August 27 meeting between Kennedy and his aides following William Colbys briefing, this rendition by Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Victor Krulak on behalf of the Joint Chiefs of Staff illuminates new details. I am, accordingly, instructing the American Ambassador to Viet-Nam to examine Seymour Hersh breaks the story of the My Lai killings (1969) A US general reflects on US, North Vietnamese tactics (1984) Rust; fromRust's articleon Conein inStudies in Intelligence (cia.gov). . Ministers of Vietnam, October 23, 1954. Ci His methods and policies, particularly his persecution of South Vietnam's Buddhist population, were divisive and controversial. own continuing efforts, will contribute effectively toward an independent A report into French atrocities in Vietnam (1933) [4] Accounts of the CIA meetings with General Khiem on September 16 (CIA Saigon cable 0940) and 26 (Saigon cable 1222) appear in FRUS, IV, pp. Nhu was killed along with his brother onNovember 2, 1963. Luke A. Nichter, For more information, contact The White Houses response to the Geneva declaration (July 1954) [1] The next day, INR went ahead to craft a paper on The Problem of Nhu (Document 17), where analysts cited South Vietnamese opinions that Nhu had become the dominant power in Saigon, exercising an overriding, immutable influence over Diem.. Phan Boi Chau on Vietnams awakening (1914) On this date, President Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam addressed a Joint Meeting of Congress. At the same time, there was a growing view within the South Vietnamese government that Nhu was disliked, hated, feared, or distrusted at all levels in the bureaucracy, the military establishment and urban elite circles., JFK Papers: NSF: Country File, b.200, f.: Vietnam 10/610/14/63, CIA Reports.. President Eisenhower: Letter to Ngo Dinh Diem, October 23, 1954 - Sites Ho Chi Minh appeals to the American people (May 1964) All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. 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. 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. National Defense University: Maxwell D. Taylor Papers, Vietnam series, Chapter XXIII, T-172-69. In our 2003 and 2009 postings, and the 2013 update, the story of what Kennedy and his officials actually decided about the Saigon coup in August was at the heart of our inquiry. nhng n anh ln (Nguyn Tng Phong), Phn He co-authored today's posting with Archive Fellow John Prados. The implication is that Mike [Forrestal] is.. V Although the IHSP seeks to follow all applicable copyright law, Fordham University is not Viet Minh call to arms against the Japanese (March 1945) DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: I have been following Decisions had yet to be made in Washington. to maintain in the event such aid were supplied. McNamara and Taylors report on South Vietnam (October 1963) General Taylors recommendations for Vietnam (November 1961) The Henry G. Sanders Web Site -- Vietnam Washington: Government Printing Office, 1991, p. 212 (hereafter cited as FRUS with page number). While the forces at the disposal of the coup plotters remained inferior to those commanded by Diem and Nhu, if the U.S. were to back a coup attempt it was important that it was successful. Ngo Dinh Nhu, brother of President Diem, and Madame Nhu. Ng nh Dim: Th thch u tin (HNT & TTN) Add all page(s) of this document to activity: The 1954 Geneva Accords had called for a temporary partition of Vietnam at the 17th Parallelcreating a Communist state in the North and a French-backed non-Communist state in the South. A big issue, then and since, has been the so-called Hilsman Telegram, or, more formally, Department Telegram (DepTel) 243, which instructed U.S. While Diem had promised outgoing U.S. aid will be met by performance on the part of the Government of Viet-Nam in undertaking articles will be added later. One of themthe easiest, Minh saidwas to assassinate two of Diems brothers while keeping Diem himself as a figurehead. 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. Photo undated(peacehistory-usfp.org). View Full Article in Timesmachine , See the article in its original context from. In one case we also had a record made by a senior Pentagon participant, Major General Victor Krulak. Full text is unavailable for this digitized archive article. 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. On the morning of October 5, Lucien Conein, acting as intermediary, met with Gen. Duong Van Big Minh. PFC Meadlo on his role in the killings at My Lai (November 1969) Through September and October, even as Washington sought to make its point by considering evacuation of U.S. nationals, withdrawals of American troops, and halting CIA aid to South Vietnamese Special Forces, President Kennedy tried to understand the situation better. North Vietnamese peace proposal (June 1971) Kennedy wanted Lodge to make a personal assessment. Such a government would, I hope, be so responsive to the nationalist aspirations of its people, so enlightened in purpose and effective in performance, that it will be respected both at home and abroad and discourage any who might wish to impose a foreign ideology on your free people. October 23, 1954. Compare this with Document 10 here, and Items 9 (audio), 10 and 11 of E-book 302. 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. It hopes that such aid, combined with your own continuing efforts, will contribute effectively toward an independent Viet-Nam endowed with a strong government. New documents and extracts will be added regularly. granted for electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational the specific electronic form of the document is copyright. 05/08/1957 ARC Identifier: 542189 Item from Record Group 342: Records of U.S. Air Force Commands, Activities, and Organizations, 1900 - 2000 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. File : Ngo Dinh Diem at Washington - ARC 542189.jpg Nhu continued his plotting, which eventually led to a plan to launch government raids against the most important Buddhist pagodas in Saigon and Hue (Document 5). who's Who in South Vietnam | American Experience | PBS If you do reduplicate the document, indicate the source. President Eisenhower complimented President Ngo Dinh Diem on the remarkable achievements of the Republic of Viet-Nam under the leadership of President Ngo Dinh Diem since he took office in July 1954. DocsTeach is a product of the National Archives education division. Letter From Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem - The Vietnam War In addition, Minh said it was vital that American foreign aid would continue to flow after a coup. 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. Ngo Dinh Diem - 1046 Words | Bartleby 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. 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. mi nm ngm ngi (Trng Phu' Th) If you do reduplicate the document, indicate At one point Ambassador Lodge personally assured General Tran Van Don that CIA operative Conein was speaking authoritatively for the U.S. The inauguration speech of Duong Van Minh (April 1975) 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. Vietnam War documents The suicide note of Hanoi governor Hoang Dieu (1882) Ng nh Dim: Ti thit min Nam (HNT & TTN), Ci These materials reveal that Lodge already held nuanced views on the situation in South Vietnam and had already met with South Vietnamese representatives in the U.S., who happened to be the parents of Ngo Dinh Nhus wife. JFK Papers: Kennedy Tapes, Tape/Conversation 104/A-40/004, Audio recording of President John F. Kennedy conversation with U.S. The coup against Diem has been a much-debated passage in the history of the American war in Vietnam. [3] State cable, DepTel 412, EYES ONLY, September 15, 1963. This website is created and maintained by Alpha History. Similarly, Alleged Assassination Plots quotes two CIA cables sent to Saigon, respectively, on October 5 and 6, of which only the latter message seems to exist in the public domain (DIR 73661, here presented as Document 19). Noam Chomsky on the meaning of Vietnam (1975), Richard Nixon unveils a policy of Vietnamisation (November 1969) Primary Source. The War Powers Act curtails the presidents authority to wage war (November 1973) undertaking needed reforms. TWO LETTERS TO NGO DINH DIEM EISENHOWER'S LETTER TO NGO DINH DIEM October 23, 1954 (Department of State Bulletin, November 15, 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. Hoa Tng Nh (Trng Ph Th) Ng nh Dim: Giai on cc k gy cn (HNT & TTN) more pictures and Internet 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. B. hinder an alliance between Iranian and Vietnamese communists. Letter from President 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 . [5] Joint Chiefs of Staff Memorandum, General Maxwell D. Taylor and Secretary Robert C. McNamara-President John F. Kennedy, October 2, 1963. [6] Document 18 is the record of Coneins encounter with General Duong Van Minh on October 5. Letter from President Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem, President of the Council of Ministers of Vietnam, October 23, 1954. rule of State Bulletin (November 15, 1954), pp. embassy.[9]. They spoke with academic Vietnam experts, the CIA station chief, and President Diem. This supplemented the earlier electronic briefing book. Taylor wrote a lengthy report afterwards which argued the generals had little stomach for government and had been neutralized. D. inhibit the growth of radical Islam. 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. 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. I am, accordingly, instructing the American Ambassador to Viet-Nam 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. SAIGON, Vietnam, Oct. 24 -- In a letter to Premier Ngo Dinh Diem, President Eisenhower has expressed the hope that "indispensable reforms" would be carried out by South Vietnam in. Lyndon Johnson on the political aims of the Vietnam War (June 1966) Nhu commented that the South Vietnamese military officers, many of whom were Buddhist themselves, started off in sympathy with the Buddhists following the uprising that occurred in Hue on May 8. President Eisenhower then reminded Diem that his territory is protected by SEATO. The purpose of this offer is to assist the Government of Viet-Nam in developing and The coup would take place in a window of late October-early November. Another consistent theme among American planners was that there was no clear frontrunner, and it was unclear whether the next government would be civilian or whether it would share power with the military for a time. Step-by-step explanation Vn Robert McNamara reflects on Americas failures in Vietnam (1995) New Light in a Dark Corner: Evidence on the Diem Coup in South Vietnam An American draft-dodger explains his actions (1967) Eisenhower made it clear to Diem that U.S. aid to his government during Vietnams hour of trial was contingent upon his assurances of the standards of performance [he] would be able to maintain in the event such aid were supplied. Eisenhower called for land reform and a reduction of government corruption. 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] Lodge told Diem that he knew little about Vietnam but hoped to advise him on American affairs. The IHSP is a project independent of Fordham University. 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. Eisenhower's Letter of Support to Ngo Dinh Diem, October 23, 1954 - The The Department The implications of the agreement concerning Viet-Nam have caused grave concern regarding the future of a country temporarily divided by an artificial military grouping, weakened by a long and exhausting war and faced with enemies without and by their subversive collaborations within. He had returned to consult with JFK about the coup, learned while en route that Kennedy had been killed, and instead briefed LBJ while still in his EOB office (along with Dean Rusk, Robert McNamara, and George Ball). The United States' changing connection with Vietnam is demonstrated by the letters from Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy to President Ngo Dinh Diem, as Anderson's chapter "The United States and Vietnam" in-depth examines. McCone said he felt that Kennedy agreed. Oval Office, August 15, 1963 (Photo: Abbie Rowe; JFK Library,AR8072-A). The National Security Archive is committed to digital accessibility. A CIA report on Viet Cong weaknesses and vulnerabilities (July 1965) The online tool for teaching with documents, from the National Archives, Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. The George Washington University 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) Bi JFK Papers: NSF: Country File, b. 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. On October 24 (Document 23) Conein met again with Don, who confirmed that Harkins had admitted his error in seeming to oppose a coup. this page, Harkins, a long-time friend of Lodges from their upbringing in Massachusetts and shared time in the U.S. Army, expressed regret for his remarks and said he would inform Don that his comments did not reflect official U.S. Government policy. 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. Vn Ph ISBN:978-0-3002-1780-3, William Colby and the CIA: The Secret Wars of a Controversial Spymaster
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