Pham Van Dong on Geneva, Vietnamese independence (July 1954) b mt c tit l sau 40 nm (T Gn) nhng n anh ln (Nguyn Tng Phong), Phn Xin vui lng lu bt tng nim n cc v Anh Hng ca QLVNCH Modern History Sourcebook. TT hc t mt s tun tit (TS Lm L Trinh) Although the IHSP seeks to follow all applicable copyright law, Fordham University is not Tng Thng December 11, 2009, The Last Brahmin: Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. and the Making of the Cold War We have been exploring ways and means Johnson justifies involvement in Vietnam (April 1965) The National Security Archive is committed to digital accessibility. [5] But almost simultaneously in Saigon, the CIA electrified Washington when operative Lucien Conein ran into General Tran Van Don at the airport and the two held a meeting that night where the ARVN officer affirmed that the generals now had a specific plan, and Don got Conein to agree to meet the top plotter several days later. 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. 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. Ambassador to South Vietnam, Henry Cabot Lodge, August 15, 1963. Ci As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Rusk, McNamara urge US involvement in Vietnam (November 1961) 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. Among the items we present here are the audio and transcript of the president instructing his ambassador; notes taken during the key week by Thomas L. Hughes, director of the State Departments Bureau of Intelligence and Research; the handwritten notes on White House meetings by NSC staff deputy Bromley K. Smith; a wider selection of meeting notes from General Krulak; the CIA summary of meetings between its officers and the Vietnamese generals; a selection of CIA field reports, including the early October Vietnamese mention of assassination and the CIA reaction to that; and several items from the immediate period of the coup and assassination, including a desperate appeal for aid from President Diem even as the coup against him was underway. A Viet Cong member reflects on its approach to war (1985) the Fordham University Center 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. He was an extraordinary character, while he became increasingly difficult in the last few months. 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. I am glad that the United States is able to assist in this humanitarian effort. General Taylors recommendations for Vietnam (November 1961) 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. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1991, p. 212 (hereafter cited as FRUS with page number). Ng nh Dim: Giai on cc k gy cn (HNT & TTN) The contact, and the meeting which followed, tipped the Americans to Nhus maneuvers to create channels to Hanoi, reminded them that coup plans still existed, and informed CIA that the generals were awaiting Diems response to their demands for cabinet-level positions in the South Vietnamese government (Document 13).[4]. The coup would take place in a window of late October-early November. CIA Saigon Station Chief John Richardson met with Ngo Dinh Nhu for a conversation that focused primarily on the evolving Buddhist crisis. Washington, D.C., 20037, Phone: 202/994-7000 Ngha Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2008, pp. President Kennedy decided to replace his ambassador to Saigon, Frederick E. Nolting, and appointed Henry Cabot Lodge to that position. Vietnam War: The Documents - 1 JFK Papers: NSF: Country File: b. 204, f.: Vietnam: Subjects: Top Secret Cables (Tab C) 10/3-10/27/63.. Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem, President of the Council of Ministers of Vietnam, October 23, 1954 DEAR MR. with great interest the course of developments in Viet-Nam, particularly since the conclusion of the conference at Geneva. [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. 735-736. Tng Thng Ng Among the findings from the present posting or from our several Diem E-books taken together are the following: Vietnam perplexed American leaders from Franklin D. Roosevelt on. 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. One can see the flurry of activity in August, during the first serious discussion of a coup shortly after Lodges arrival in Saigon. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Text of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution approved by the U.S. Congress, August 7th, 1964. 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. Secretary of State Dean Rusk remarked that were on the road to disaster, posing the alternatives as whether to move U.S. troops into Vietnam or get our resources out. When South Vietnamese military officers renewed their contacts with CIA operatives in early October, the Vietnamese immediately raised the option of assassination. General Vo Nguyen Giap on why the US will lose in Vietnam (1966) 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. 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. According to Coneins report to CIA Headquarters, he did not address Harkins comments but assured Don that Lodge would speak to Harkins. part3. The Government of the United States expects that this aid Nguyn Vn Thiu In a meeting between President Kennedy and his top advisors, even at that late hour they seemed divided over a possible coup. For more information please refer to our Terms of Use. That was the climate in which ARVN General Tran Thien Khiem asked CIA for a meeting. Vn Press Release of Letter from President Dwight Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem Modern History Sourcebook, Fordham University Center Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Please bookmark Letter from President Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem, President of the Council of Ministers of Vietnam, October 23, 1954. Subscribers may view the full text of this article in its original form through TimesMachine. National Defense University: Maxwell D. Taylor Papers, Vietnam, Chapter XXIII, T-172-68. Home | Ancient History Sourcebook | Medieval Sourcebook | Modern History Sourcebook | Byzantine Studies Page be so responsive to the nationalist aspirations of its people, so enlightened the institutional owner, and is not liable as the result of any legal action. [3] At the same time Lodge was involved in a spat with the CIA over changing its station chief in Saigon. American History Unit 8: Quiz 3 Flashcards | Quizlet A US reporter discusses South Vietnamese military weaknesses (1973) 202-994-7000 ornsarchiv@gwu.edu. Nhu ordered that ARVN soldiers be instructed to open fire on any foreigners involved in provocative acts., American officials differed on who might follow Diem and Nhu in leading Saigon. Noam Chomsky on the meaning of Vietnam (1975), Richard Nixon unveils a policy of Vietnamisation (November 1969) A journalist reports on the fragging of US officers (January 1972), Ridenhour letter to Congress exposing My Lai (March 1969) The George Washington University agreement concerning Viet-Nam have caused grave concern regarding the future I am glad 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. several hundred thousand loyal Vietnamese citizens away from areas which are passing under 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. . (JFK Papers: NSF: Country File, b. 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. 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). While Diem had not yet surrendered, the coup plotters planned to set up a civilian government as soon as the coup was over. JFK Papers: NSF: Country File, b. I am glad that the United States is able to assist in this humanitarian effort. Colonel Robert Heinl: The Collapse of the Armed Forces (1971) Cross examination of Lieutenant William Calley (1970) Robert McNamara proposes increases in US troops (July 1965) Thomas L. Hughes Papers, Courtesy of Thomas Hughes. In one case we also had a record made by a senior Pentagon participant, Major General Victor Krulak. Ambassador Lodge was sending home his CIA station chief. Ngo Dinh Diem decrees the death sentence (May 1959) JFKPapers: NSF: Country File: b. aggression through military means. Ng nh Dim: Th thch u tin (HNT & TTN), TT 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. Cross examination of Captain Ernest Medina (1970), Muhammad Ali explains his refusal to fight in Vietnam (March 1967) Ng nh Dim: Giai on cc k gy cn (HNT & TTN), TT Lodge set Harkins straight that the United States, while not initiating any coup, was to avoid any action that thwarted or opposed a coup. JFK sent a succession of study groups to SaigonHuntington Sheldon of the CIA, Robert McNamara plus Maxwell Taylor, General Krulak plus Joseph Mendenhallall to report to him. Despite promising to establish a free, Western-style democratic republic, Diem's leadership was far from democratic. Vietnamese citizens away from areas which are passing under a de facto 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 . 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. 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. 336-346. By Tillman Durdinspecial To the New York Times. more pictures and Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Current one is: October 24. Letter from President Vietnam War documents for Medieval Studies. honor the ARVN Heoes. State visit by Ngo Dinh Diem to the United States - Wikipedia 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. Decisions had yet to be made in Washington. b mt c tit l sau 40 nm (T Gn), Nhng DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: I have been following with great interest the course of 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 collaborators within. Bi President Kennedy acted mostly as moderator. and political ideology which they abhor, are being fulfilled. 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. They also sought to provide economic support to South Vietnam to bring needed reform to the area and . Le Duan reminds agents in the South of tactics (November 1965) JFK Library: Roger Hilsman Papers: Country File, b. Viet Minh call to arms against the Japanese (March 1945) Under Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy, the USA had given millions of dollars to prop up the French in Vietnam, and had sent military advisers to support Ngo Dinh Diem's corrupt, anti-communist . 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. Taylor wrote a lengthy report afterwards which argued the generals had little stomach for government and had been neutralized. While Diem had promised outgoing U.S. 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. Such a government would, I hope, be so responsive to the nationalist aspirations of its President Eisenhower authorized CIA agents to undermine Mohammad Mossadegh's political power to Select one: A. apply the domino theory to the Middle East. The Henry G. Sanders Web Site -- Vietnam We have been exploring ways and means to permit our aid to Viet-Nam to be more effective and to make a greater contribution to the welfare and stability of the government of Viet-Nam. John F. Kennedy Library: JFK Papers: National Security File; Country File, b. On the evening of September 7, Ngo Dinh Nhu called a meeting of all senior South Vietnamese military commanders in the Saigon area. The quote has been used in virtually every account of the Diem coup written since that time. 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. Nhus attempts to fend off criticism or ingratiate himself with Washington failed. Tucked away in Roger Hilsmans papers, a portion of which were deposited later at the Lyndon Johnson Presidential Library, was a CIA-created timetable of Agency contacts with South Vietnamese generals from August 23 through October 23. 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. Your recent requests for aid to assist in the formidable project of the movement of Back at the embassy Lodge confronted Harkins over his intervention with the South Vietnamese officer (Document 22). The Diem Coup After 50 Years John F. Kennedy and South Vietnam, 1963 Silence from the Vietnamese generals made Washington officials wary of getting too far ahead of Saigon politics. 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. Diem was Catholic, and in 1945 the communists in Vietnam had imprisoned him and then exiled him to Chiang Kai-shek's China. Changing the day will navigate the page to that given day in history. (BS Tn Tht Thin), Ngha Eisenhowers letter of support to Ngo Dinh Diem (October 1954) Letter From Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem - The Vietnam War JFK Papers: Kennedy Tapes, Tape/Conversation 104/A-40/004, Audio recording of President John F. Kennedy conversation with U.S. JFK Papers: Kennedy Tapes, Tape/Conversation 104/A-40/004; transcription by Luke Nichter. 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. subversive collaborators within. maintaining a strong, viable state, capable of resisting attempted subversion or By this juncture, 1963, that optimism had evaporated and Kennedy felt that obstructionists in Saigon were losing ground against a communist insurgency. With the exception of primary sources, all content on this website is Alpha History 2018. Unlike Nolting, who saw no possible candidates, the State Departments Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) produced an extensive list (Document 16). V Other records published today, including NSC notes of White House meetings and CIA field reports from South Vietnam, allow for a broader look at the coup period and the roles of on-the-ground officials such as the CIA's Lucien Conein and Ambassador Frederick Nolting. Compare this redaction with the one on page 626 of Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, v. III, Vietnam, January-August 1963. Hoping that forces from the south would liberate Saigon, as had occurred during the coup attempt in 1960, Diem ordered all armed forces and paramilitary units to rise up to join me in fighting off the traitors. Diem would be killed within a matter of hours. that the United States is able to assist in this humanitarian effort. 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. domain and copy-permitted texts for introductory level classes in modern 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. 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. 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. TT nhng n anh ln (Nguyn Tng Phong), Nhng Lodge and Kennedy met in the Oval Office on August 15 (Item 2, Document 3). 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). While Minh said he did not expect U.S. support for a coup, he wanted to ensure that no effort would be made to thwart a change in government. In addition, Minh said it was vital that American foreign aid would continue to flow after a coup. Lodge spoke with Harkins on the afternoon on October 23. the specific electronic form of the document is copyright. ISBN: 978-1-6209-7088-1, National Security Archive Colby said the coup forces were roughly equal in strength to those that remained loyal to Diem. 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. in purpose and effective in performance, that it will be respected both Cht ca TT Ng nh Dim (Aladin Nguyen), Cuc Eisenhower believed "losing" South Vietnam to communism would be a strategic, economic, and humanitarian disaster. The next day, Nolting added that the notion of a coup was based on a bad principle and would set a bad precedent, a statement that impressed National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy (Documents 11, 12). 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. JFK Library: John Newman Papers: Notebook, August 24-31, 1963.. Compare this with Items 9 (audio), 10 and 11 of E-book 302, December 11, 2009. JFK Papers: NSF: Country File, b. These lists frequently overlooked Vice President Nguyen Ngoc Tho, who would ordinarily have been Diems constitutional successor. So he pledged support to an emerging leaderNgo Dinh Diema devout Catholic and fervent anti-French, anti-Communist nationalist. 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. The PICL of November 2 (Document 27) records that Diem and Nhu had been killed. Compare this to Items 6 (audio), 7 and 8 of E-book 302, December 11, 2009. Compare this with Document 11 here, and with Items 9 (audio), 10 and 11 in E-book 302. a leaflet calling for the people to rise up against the oppressor Diem; A letter to the Vietnamese Army telling them that Diem is just carrying on French colonialism; a 41-page document alleging Diem crimes against the people; and a leaflet that said "For the past eight years our land . 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. 204, f.: Vietnam: Subjects: Top Secret Cables (Tab C) 10/3-10/27/63.. Unless otherwise indicated the specific electronic form of the document is copyright. nh Dim ND c c lm Th Tng (HNT & TTN), TT aid will be met by performance on the part of the Government of Viet-Nam in undertaking by a long and exhausting war and faced with enemies without and by their 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.

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