While Diem had not yet surrendered, the coup plotters planned to set up a civilian government as soon as the coup was over. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Text of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution approved by the U.S. Congress, August 7th, 1964. Internet History Sourcebooks: Modern History - Fordham University who's Who in South Vietnam | American Experience | PBS Hanoi Jane Fondas broadcast from North Vietnam (August 1972) 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. We have since continued to collect material, and Luke Nichters presentation of the Kennedy-Lodge tape from mid-August offers a good opportunity to revisit the coup. US security briefings on Ngo Dinh Diem and his regime (1958-1960) 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). "I was shocked by the death of Ngo Dinh Diem. Roger Hilsman-Michael Forrestal, Potential Kennedy-Diem Letter, September 12, 1963. Ngo Dinh Diem - Vietnam War While Diem had promised outgoing U.S. The implications of the agreement concerning . The purpose of this offer is to assist the Government of Viet-Nam in developing and maintaining a strong, viable state, capable of resisting attempted subversion or aggression through military means. Unlike Nolting, who saw no possible candidates, the State Departments Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) produced an extensive list (Document 16). John Prados: 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. 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. National Security Archive: George McT. Medieval Sourcebook, and other medieval components of the project, are located at Reprinted from [6] Document 18 is the record of Coneins encounter with General Duong Van Minh on October 5. President Kennedy meets with newly-appointed Ambassador to South VietnamHenry Cabot Lodge. Bromley Smith again took notes of another meeting held that afternoon. If you would like to contribute or suggest a document for inclusion here, please, Vietnam War memory quiz events 1946-1964, Vietnam War memory quiz events 1965-1975, Vietnam War memory quiz terms and concepts (I), Vietnam War memory quiz terms and concepts (II), Edict of Emperor Minh Mang against Christians in Vietnam (1833), The suicide note of Hanoi governor Hoang Dieu (1882), Augustine Heard, an American traveller, reports on Indochina (1886), Anonymous poem about French oppression in Vietnam (1900), Phan Boi Chau on Vietnams awakening (1914), Conscription of Vietnamese peasants for service in World War I (1916), Ho Chi Minh seeks Vietnamese independence in Paris (1919), Ho Chi Minh condemns French imperialism (1920), Ho Chi Minh on founding the Inodchinese Communist Party (1930), A report into French atrocities in Vietnam (1933), Ho Chi Minh recalls his conversion to Leninism (1967), Ho Chi Minh calls for unity against the French (February 1930), Viet Minh call to arms against the Japanese (March 1945), Ho Chi Minhs declaration of independence (September 1945), The US recognises self-governing Vietnam (February 1950), Final declaration of the Geneva Conference on Indochina (July 1954), Pham Van Dong on Geneva, Vietnamese independence (July 1954), The White Houses response to the Geneva declaration (July 1954), Eisenhowers 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), US security briefings on Ngo Dinh Diem and his regime (1958-1960), Ngo Dinh Diem decrees the death sentence (May 1959), The Caravelle Manifesto criticises Diem and his regime (April 1960), Eisenhower praises the progress in South Vietnam (October 1960), John F. Kennedys inauguration speech (January 1961), John F. Kennedy addresses the UN on Vietnam (September 1961), Rusk, McNamara urge US involvement in Vietnam (November 1961), General Taylors recommendations for Vietnam (November 1961), Kennedy pledges support for Diem, South Vietnam (December 1961), Kennedy responds to a question on Vietnam (February 1962), Program of the National Liberation Front or Viet Cong (1962), A US report on the Buddhist crisis in South Vietnam (July 1963), Cable 243 discusses the removal of Ngo Dinh Diem (August 1963), McNamara and Taylors report on South Vietnam (October 1963), NSC memorandum on US policy in South Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh appeals to the American people (May 1964), The US Congress Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (August 1964), US Senate debate on the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (August 1964), McGeorge Bundy memo on attacking North Vietnam (February 1965), Johnson justifies involvement in Vietnam (April 1965), Robert McNamara proposes increases in US troops (July 1965), A CIA report on Viet Cong weaknesses and vulnerabilities (July 1965), A US report on Soviet aid to North Vietnam (November 1965), US MACV memo on winning the Vietnam War (September 1965), Le Duan reminds agents in the South of tactics (November 1965), General Vo Nguyen Giap on why the US will lose in Vietnam (1966), Lyndon Johnson on the political aims of the Vietnam War (June 1966), A Viet Cong guerrilla tells of the Tet offensive (1968), An Australian press report on the Tet offensive (February 1968), A US reporter discusses South Vietnamese military weaknesses (1973), A US general reflects on US, North Vietnamese tactics (1984), A Viet Cong member reflects on its approach to war (1985), Robert McNamara reflects on Americas failures in Vietnam (1995), A journalist reports on the fragging of US officers (January 1972), Ridenhour letter to Congress exposing My Lai (March 1969), Quotations about the massacre at My Lai hamlet (1968), Seymour Hersh breaks the story of the My Lai killings (1969), PFC Meadlo on his role in the killings at My Lai (November 1969), Cross examination of Lieutenant William Calley (1970), Cross examination of Captain Ernest Medina (1970), Muhammad Ali explains his refusal to fight in Vietnam (March 1967), Martin Luther Kings Beyond Vietnam speech (April 1967), An American draft-dodger explains his actions (1967), Robert F. Kennedys Kansas State University speech (March 1968), John Kerry anti-war testimony to the US Senate (April 1971), Hanoi Jane Fondas broadcast from North Vietnam (August 1972), Noam Chomsky on the meaning of Vietnam (1975), Richard Nixon unveils a policy of Vietnamisation (November 1969), A broadcast by Viet Cong propagandist Hanoi Hannah (April 1970), Nixon announces deployment of US troops in Cambodia (April 1970), North Vietnamese peace proposal (June 1971), US news report on the Paris peace agreement (January 1973), Excerpts from the Paris Peace Accords (January 1973), The War Powers Act curtails the presidents authority to wage war (November 1973), A US intelligence briefing on the situation in Vietnam (August 1974), South Vietnams president Nguyen Van Thieu resigns (April 1975), The inauguration speech of Duong Van Minh (April 1975), US news report on the imminent fall of Saigon (April 1975), President Ford on Americas post-Vietnam recovery (April 1975). 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. [2] Rufus Phillips, Why Vietnam Still Matters: An Eyewitness Account of Lessons Not Learned. The IHSP is a project independent of Fordham University. 198, f.: Vietnam, 7/21-7/31/63.. . When South Vietnamese military officers renewed their contacts with CIA operatives in early October, the Vietnamese immediately raised the option of assassination. At the same time, Nhu ordered soldiers to fire upon Americans and other foreigners involved in acts intended to be hostile toward South Vietnam. Program of the National Liberation Front or Viet Cong (1962) Diem agreed to the needed reforms stipulated as a precondition for receiving aid, but he never actually followed through on his promises. You can navigate days by using left and right arrows. 204, f.: Vietnam Subjects: Top Secret Cables (Tab C) 10/3-10/27/63.. On October 24 (Document 23) Conein met again with Don, who confirmed that Harkins had admitted his error in seeming to oppose a coup. [3] State cable, DepTel 412, EYES ONLY, September 15, 1963. Hilsman dominated the discussion, with Taylor doubting whether Saigon could get along without Diem, and McNamara sought assurances on four points. The American government viewed South Vietnam's situation as a cry for President Eisenhower: Letter to Ngo Dinh Diem, October 23, 1954 - Sites Compare to Documents 18 and 19, and the audioclip in the E-book of November 5, 2003. President Kennedy acted mostly as moderator. [1] Thomas L. Hughes, telephone interview, September 12, 2020. In an extraordinary series of notes made by Diem during the coup from his bunker under Gia Long Palace, discovered by Luke Nichter in November 2016 at National Archives II in Ho Chi Minh City, Diem struggled to regain control. your free people. Reprinted from The Department of State Bulletin (November 15, 1954), pp. 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. Eisenhowers letter of support to Ngo Dinh Diem (October 1954) Kennedy pledges support for Diem, South Vietnam (December 1961) All Rights Reserved. He co-authored today's posting with Archive Fellow John Prados. 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. US news report on the Paris peace agreement (January 1973) These lists frequently overlooked Vice President Nguyen Ngoc Tho, who would ordinarily have been Diems constitutional successor. Deputy Director of the Office of Southeast Asian Affairs, Bureau of Far Eastern Affairs, Department of State, Paul Kattenburg met with President Diem for three hours on August 28. As we demonstrated in our 2009 E-book the reality was more complex. TT ISBN:978-0-3002-1780-3, William Colby and the CIA: The Secret Wars of a Controversial Spymaster Step-by-step explanation . President Eisenhower's Letter to Ngo Dinh Diem, President of the A US reporter discusses South Vietnamese military weaknesses (1973) [6] CIA Saigon cable 1385, October 3, 1963, ibid., p. 354. of a country temporarily divided by an artificial military grouping, weakened [8] McCone ordered Saigon station to drop the suggestion, and the next day Colby reinforced that order with another (Document 19). 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). Retrieved From http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/psources/ps_eisenhower.html / (Original Work published oct. 23 1954). nguyn vi C TT Ng nh Dim (Phan Thit) American History Unit 8: Quiz 3 Flashcards | Quizlet Ed. John F. Kennedy addresses the UN on Vietnam (September 1961) This text is part of the 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. this page, Compare this with Document 11 here, and with Items 9 (audio), 10 and 11 in E-book 302. nhng n anh ln (Nguyn Tng Phong), Phn v cc ng bo nn nhn the future of a country temporarily divided by an artificial military grouping, weakened that the United States is able to assist in this humanitarian effort. 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. President Kennedy decided to replace his ambassador to Saigon, Frederick E. Nolting, and appointed Henry Cabot Lodge to that position. US Defence pamphlet: Know Your Enemy: the Viet Cong (March 1966) University Press of Kansas, 2009 The Cold War (1945-1963): Eisenhower and the Cold War: 1954-1960 As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. since the conclusion of the conference at Geneva. part3. President, if I was manager of a baseball team, [and] I had one pitcher, Id keep him in the box whether he was a good pitcher or not. Kattenburg got the impression the man had a growing neurosis. That encounter actually took place at that very time (Document 8). 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. 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. more pictures and Again, the 2003 E-book presented an array of materials on these events (Documents 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28), ranging from Kennedys White House sessions to monitor events, to the CIA daily situation reports, to a cable relating several versions of how Diem and Nhu died, to a CIA retrospective analysis of press coverage of the deaths. maintaining a strong, viable state, capable of resisting attempted subversion or Press Release of Letter from President Dwight Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem The Internet Silence from the Vietnamese generals made Washington officials wary of getting too far ahead of Saigon politics. Following the Geneva Convention, President Eisenhower and the United States supported Ngo Dinh Diem. President John F. Kennedy was more disposed,than previously understood, to support actions that might change the leadership in South Vietnam. Military opponents coalesced around General Maxwell D. Taylor, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and included General Krulak; while another center of opposition included CIA Director John McCone and his responsible division chief, William E. Colby. the source. hc t mt s tun tit (TS Lm L Trinh), Cu 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. Ci LBJ Library: Bromley K. Smith Papers, b. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, v. IV: Vietnam, August-December 1963. Joint Statement Following Discussions With President Diem of Viet-Nam Eisenhower believed "losing" South Vietnam to communism would be a strategic, economic, and humanitarian disaster. Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem, President of the Council of Ministers of Vietnam, providing web space and server support for the project. The National Security Archive is committed to digital accessibility. Kennedy responds to a question on Vietnam (February 1962) DIEM'S DEATH 'SHOCKED' KENNEDY - The Washington Post Letter From Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem - The Vietnam War to permit our aid to Viet-Nam to be more effective and to make a greater Ministers of Vietnam, October 23, 1954. ND c c lm Th Tng (HNT & TTN) Lodge spoke with Harkins on the afternoon on October 23. One of themthe easiest, Minh saidwas to assassinate two of Diems brothers while keeping Diem himself as a figurehead.