Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1955-1957, Vietnam, Volume I McCone shot back that the best line was no line. standards of performance it would be able to maintain in the event such aid were supplied. by a long and exhausting war and faced with enemies without and by their subversive I am glad 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. Here we present Roger Hilsmans record of that meeting from State Department files (Document 24). If you do reduplicate the document, indicate the source. for Medieval Studies.The IHSP recognizes the contribution of Fordham University, the Minh identified the principal plotters, assured the CIA man a coup would take place in the near future, and outlined several possible coup options. Letter from President At one point Ambassador Lodge personally assured General Tran Van Don that CIA operative Conein was speaking authoritatively for the U.S. While the details of their deaths were inconclusive, the mood in Saigon was jubilant. Suite 701, Gelman Library Primary Source. The US Congress Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (August 1964) 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. 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. This supplemented the earlier electronic briefing book. After his country's . contribution to the welfare and stability of the Government of Viet-Nam. 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. Assassination Records Review Board release, document 157-10014-10227. Primary Source. We strive for accuracy and fairness. President Kennedy acted mostly as moderator. subversive collaborators within. 24, f.: Meetings on Vietnam, August-November 1963.. US security briefings on Ngo Dinh Diem and his regime (1958-1960) CIA Saigon Station Chief John Richardson met with Ngo Dinh Nhu for a conversation that focused primarily on the evolving Buddhist crisis. 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. a de facto rule and political ideology which they abhor, are being fulfilled. 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. For more information, please visit our FAQ or Terms of Use. Ng nh Dim: Th thch u tin (HNT & TTN) All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Medieval Sourcebook, and other medieval components of the project, are located at PDF Chapter 3 'Sink or Swim, with Ngo Dinh Diem' - University of Houston President Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam Addressed a Joint Meeting of The Caravelle Manifesto criticises Diem and his regime (April 1960) [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. 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. 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. University Press of Kansas, 2009 b cng sn st hi ti Hu. Government of Viet-Nam. JFK Papers: NSF: Country File: b. Kennedy reported that Lodge and Harkins said that the generals in Saigon did not seem very enthusiastic for a coup. 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. 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. 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. State visit by Ngo Dinh Diem to the United States - Wikipedia honor the ARVN Heoes. Instead, JFK spoke not of opposing a coup, but of not conducting one just because the New York Times was pushing italmost a repeat of what he had expressed to Lodge in their meeting 10 days earlier (Document 3). 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. Diem's anti-communism attracted the Americans. The Sourcebook is a collection of public domain and 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. 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). civilians murdered in Hue City in 1968. McNamara and Ball also agreed that there was much to do to prepare for a coup; once the U.S. agreed to back it, the major challenge was to see that it was successful. American History Unit 8: Quiz 3 Flashcards | Quizlet . 1) how does this document President Dwight Eisenhower: Letter to Modern History Sourcebook, Fordham University Center He also wanted to see something on Lodge actually talking with Diem. On the morning of October 24, Don saw Conein at Tan Son Nhut airport. The National Security Archive has participated in these debates by introducing important new evidence and interpretation. 2130 H Street, NW The receptions during the visit were in large part organized by the American . JFK Papers: NSF: Country File, b. John F. Kennedy Library: JFK Papers: National Security File; Country File, b. DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: I have been following Cu Nolting conceded that Nhualso a man of integrityhad become a liability, but he rejected the proposition the Vietnamese generals would carry out a coup. Colonel Robert Heinl: The Collapse of the Armed Forces (1971) He actually reached Saigon two days after their conversation (August 23, Washington date). A US report on Soviet aid to North Vietnam (November 1965), US MACV memo on winning the Vietnam War (September 1965) 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. C. protect Western oil interests. 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. 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. 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. @table of contents. The cycle of meetings opened on Monday, August 26, after the Hilsman cable had been sent and when the object was whether to confirm the instruction it had contained. President Eisenhower's Letter to Ngo Dinh Diem, President of the 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. [6] Document 18 is the record of Coneins encounter with General Duong Van Minh on October 5. with you in your capacity as Chief of Government, bow an intelligent program The implications of the agreement concerning Viet-Nam have caused grave concern regarding the future Ngo Dinh Diem decrees the death sentence (May 1959) Conscription of Vietnamese peasants for service in World War I (1916) Diem agreed but believes he should have enough troops of his own to carry out his own defense. President Eisenhower authorized CIA agents to undermine Mohammad Mossadegh's political power to Select one: A. apply the domino theory to the Middle East. Kennedy said his two top officials in Saigon should build up the coup forces, since at present it did not look as though they could successfully topple Diem. 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. One day later, Ambassador Lodge received the infamous DepTel 243, the Hilsman cable (2003 E-book, Document 2; E-book 302, Document 1). Hoa Tng Nh (Trng Ph Th) Ngo Dinh Diem (1901-63) was the United States-backed leader of South Vietnam from 1954. Nhu was killed along with his brother onNovember 2, 1963. A US intelligence briefing on the situation in Vietnam (August 1974) contribute effectively toward an independent Viet-Nam endowed with a strong government. Rather than revisit all of that debate, here we want to touch on a few points, presenting nuances in the form of the Thomas Hughes notes (Document 6) and meetings with Diem and Nhu that were taking place within this timeframe (Documents 8, 14, 15), amplifying the evidence. 202-994-7000 ornsarchiv@gwu.edu. Hilsman dominated the discussion, with Taylor doubting whether Saigon could get along without Diem, and McNamara sought assurances on four points. Home | Ancient History Sourcebook | Medieval Sourcebook | Modern History Sourcebook | Byzantine Studies Page Letters from Eisenhower and Kennedy to Ngo Dinh Diem Eisenhower, Dwight D. Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem. . Nguyn Vn Thiu the Government of Viet-Nam in developing and maintaining a strong, viable 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 . Flying from Hawaii on President Dwight Eisenhower's private plane, Columbine III, and greeted at National Airport by the President, Diem received full military honors including a 21-gun salute. His methods and policies, particularly his persecution of South Vietnam's Buddhist population, were divisive and controversial.