The Killing of the Diems
Under the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his administration's "domino theory", the United States supported the administration of President Ngo Dinh Diem in South Vietnam. Diem was a devout Roman Catholic and a fervent anti-communist. When the conflict between North and South Vietnam accelerated in 1959, the military advisers placed in Vietnam stressed their concern that the population was turning towards the communists.
When John F. Kennedy became President, his administration initially remained committed to the same cold war policy of the two previous administrations. Kennedy was determined to "draw a line in the sand" and prevent a communist victory in Vietnam. Although there were apparent problems with Diem and his regime, his administration was determined to support Diem because, in the words of Vice-President Lyndon Johnson, "Diem's the only boy we got out there."
But the quality of the South Vietnamese military remained poor. Bad leadership, corruption, and political promotions all contributed to the ineptness. The frequency of guerrilla attacks rose as the insurgency gathered steam.
At the Battle of Ap Bac on January 2, 1963, a small band of Viet Cong beat off a much larger and better equipped South Vietnamese force. The South Vietnamese were led in that battle by Diem's most trusted General Huynh Van Cao, a Catholic who had been promoted due to religion and fidelity rather than skill. Kennedy's advisers began to conclude that Diem was incapable of defeating the communists and might even make a deal with Ho Chi Minh.
Discontent with Diem's policies increased greatly with the shooting of majority Buddhists who were protesting against the ban on the Buddhist fla. This resulted in mass protests. Diem's elder brother Ngo Dinh Thuc was the Archbishop of Huế who blurred the separation between church and state. Buddhist pagodas were being demolished by Catholic paramilitaries throughout Diem's rule. Diem refused to make concessions to the Buddhist majority or take responsibility for the deaths. On August 21, 1963, government forces raided Buddhist pagodas across Vietnam, causing widespread damage and destruction and killing hundreds.
A conflict arose in Kennedy's administration. The State Department was in favor of encouraging a coup, while the Defense Department favored Diem. Diem's younger brother Nhu, who controlled the secret police and special forces was seen as the man behind the Buddhist repression and more generally the architect of the Ngo family's rule.
The CIA was in contact with generals planning to remove Diem. They told these generals that the United States would not oppose such a move nor punish the generals by cutting off aid. On November 2, 1963, President Diem was overthrown and executed, along with his brother.
When Kennedy was informed of the coup, according to witnesses he "rushed from the room with a look of shock and dismay on his face." He had not approved Diem's murder and this illustrates the ongoing conflict between Kennedy and his military. U.S. ambassador to South Vietnam, Henry Cabot Lodge, invited the coup leaders to the embassy and congratulated them. Ambassador Lodge informed Kennedy that "the prospects now are for a shorter war".
Following the coup, chaos ensued. Hanoi took advantage of the situation and increased its support for the guerrillas. South Vietnam entered a period of extreme political instability, as one military government toppled another in quick succession. Increasingly, each new regime was viewed as a puppet of the Americans.
Kennedy tried to refocus U.S. efforts on "winning over the hearts and minds" of the population. The military leadership in Washington, however, was hostile to any role for U.S. advisers other than conventional troop training. General Paul Harkins, the commander of U.S. forces in South Vietnam, predicted victory by Christmas 1963. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963 and Vietnam was now in the hands of Lyndon Johnson, who was more in accord with to the point of view of the Defence Department and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
When John F. Kennedy became President, his administration initially remained committed to the same cold war policy of the two previous administrations. Kennedy was determined to "draw a line in the sand" and prevent a communist victory in Vietnam. Although there were apparent problems with Diem and his regime, his administration was determined to support Diem because, in the words of Vice-President Lyndon Johnson, "Diem's the only boy we got out there."
But the quality of the South Vietnamese military remained poor. Bad leadership, corruption, and political promotions all contributed to the ineptness. The frequency of guerrilla attacks rose as the insurgency gathered steam.
At the Battle of Ap Bac on January 2, 1963, a small band of Viet Cong beat off a much larger and better equipped South Vietnamese force. The South Vietnamese were led in that battle by Diem's most trusted General Huynh Van Cao, a Catholic who had been promoted due to religion and fidelity rather than skill. Kennedy's advisers began to conclude that Diem was incapable of defeating the communists and might even make a deal with Ho Chi Minh.
Discontent with Diem's policies increased greatly with the shooting of majority Buddhists who were protesting against the ban on the Buddhist fla. This resulted in mass protests. Diem's elder brother Ngo Dinh Thuc was the Archbishop of Huế who blurred the separation between church and state. Buddhist pagodas were being demolished by Catholic paramilitaries throughout Diem's rule. Diem refused to make concessions to the Buddhist majority or take responsibility for the deaths. On August 21, 1963, government forces raided Buddhist pagodas across Vietnam, causing widespread damage and destruction and killing hundreds.
A conflict arose in Kennedy's administration. The State Department was in favor of encouraging a coup, while the Defense Department favored Diem. Diem's younger brother Nhu, who controlled the secret police and special forces was seen as the man behind the Buddhist repression and more generally the architect of the Ngo family's rule.
The CIA was in contact with generals planning to remove Diem. They told these generals that the United States would not oppose such a move nor punish the generals by cutting off aid. On November 2, 1963, President Diem was overthrown and executed, along with his brother.
When Kennedy was informed of the coup, according to witnesses he "rushed from the room with a look of shock and dismay on his face." He had not approved Diem's murder and this illustrates the ongoing conflict between Kennedy and his military. U.S. ambassador to South Vietnam, Henry Cabot Lodge, invited the coup leaders to the embassy and congratulated them. Ambassador Lodge informed Kennedy that "the prospects now are for a shorter war".
Following the coup, chaos ensued. Hanoi took advantage of the situation and increased its support for the guerrillas. South Vietnam entered a period of extreme political instability, as one military government toppled another in quick succession. Increasingly, each new regime was viewed as a puppet of the Americans.
Kennedy tried to refocus U.S. efforts on "winning over the hearts and minds" of the population. The military leadership in Washington, however, was hostile to any role for U.S. advisers other than conventional troop training. General Paul Harkins, the commander of U.S. forces in South Vietnam, predicted victory by Christmas 1963. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963 and Vietnam was now in the hands of Lyndon Johnson, who was more in accord with to the point of view of the Defence Department and the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
And the rest, as they say, is history.