This document summarizes the rise and fall of Ngo Dinh Diem as leader of South Vietnam supported by the United States. It describes how Diem initially seemed competent but lost favor by persecuting Buddhists, undermining the war effort. As a result, the US did not stop an ARVN coup against Diem, throwing Vietnam into instability and frustrating the war. The document provides historical context on South Vietnam as a corrupt French client state propped up by criminal groups like the Binh Xuyen prior to Diem's ascent to power.
The Vietnam War was a conflict between South Vietnam, supported by the United States, and North Vietnam, supported by Communist groups like the Soviet Union and China. It began in 1955 and lasted until 1975, with U.S. involvement peaking in the 1960s. The war spread through Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. It started as a rebellion against the U.S.-backed Diem government in South Vietnam and grew into a wider war between North and South Vietnam. Over 58,000 U.S. troops were killed in the long and bloody conflict.
The Vietnam War was a conflict between North Vietnam and South Vietnam that lasted from 1955 to 1975. It began as a war between Vietnam and France, which led to the country being divided along the 17th parallel in 1954. This division created North Vietnam, backed by Communist China and the Soviet Union, and South Vietnam, backed by the United States. Despite peace agreements, fighting continued and grew until the United States directly intervened in 1965. After years of heavy casualties and domestic opposition, the US withdrew from Vietnam in 1973, and North Vietnam captured South Vietnam's capital in 1975, reunifying the country under communist rule.
The document provides an overview of the foreign policies of various US presidents from George Washington to Richard Nixon. It summarizes key events and doctrines such as the Monroe Doctrine, Roosevelt Corollary, Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, Cold War policies under Kennedy and escalation of US involvement in Vietnam under Johnson and Nixon's Vietnamization strategy.
This document provides background information on key figures from the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties in the early United States, including George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. It discusses their roles in the Revolutionary War and founding of the country, as well as their differing views that led to the formation of the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties. The document also provides historical context on major battles and events of the Revolutionary War, as well as the debts incurred.
Ho chi minh americas most capable foe martin catinomartincatino
This presentation discusses the strategic leadership capabilities of Ho Chi Minh. The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Henley Putnam University, and are completely those of the author.
Vietnam President Richard Nixon and the war 15 April 2015NeilCharlesGardner
This document provides details on key events in the Vietnam War during Richard Nixon's presidency from 1969-1974. It discusses Nixon's policy of "Vietnamization" to gradually withdraw US troops while increasing the role of South Vietnamese forces. It also examines the impact of the 1968 Tet Offensive in turning US public opinion against the war and forcing negotiations to end US involvement in Vietnam.
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd president of the United States. He took office in 1945 after Franklin Roosevelt died. As president, Truman faced major decisions including dropping the atomic bombs on Japan to end WWII, starting NATO and the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, and fighting communism through policies like the Truman Doctrine. He won an unlikely reelection victory in 1948. During his second term, Truman sent troops to Korea and fired General MacArthur, faced accusations of communism from Senator McCarthy, and oversaw the rebuilding of the White House. After leaving office in 1953, Truman worked to establish his presidential library and later died in 1972.
The Vietnam War was a conflict between South Vietnam, supported by the United States, and North Vietnam, supported by Communist groups like the Soviet Union and China. It began in 1955 and lasted until 1975, with U.S. involvement peaking in the 1960s. The war spread through Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. It started as a rebellion against the U.S.-backed Diem government in South Vietnam and grew into a wider war between North and South Vietnam. Over 58,000 U.S. troops were killed in the long and bloody conflict.
The Vietnam War was a conflict between North Vietnam and South Vietnam that lasted from 1955 to 1975. It began as a war between Vietnam and France, which led to the country being divided along the 17th parallel in 1954. This division created North Vietnam, backed by Communist China and the Soviet Union, and South Vietnam, backed by the United States. Despite peace agreements, fighting continued and grew until the United States directly intervened in 1965. After years of heavy casualties and domestic opposition, the US withdrew from Vietnam in 1973, and North Vietnam captured South Vietnam's capital in 1975, reunifying the country under communist rule.
The document provides an overview of the foreign policies of various US presidents from George Washington to Richard Nixon. It summarizes key events and doctrines such as the Monroe Doctrine, Roosevelt Corollary, Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, Cold War policies under Kennedy and escalation of US involvement in Vietnam under Johnson and Nixon's Vietnamization strategy.
This document provides background information on key figures from the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties in the early United States, including George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. It discusses their roles in the Revolutionary War and founding of the country, as well as their differing views that led to the formation of the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties. The document also provides historical context on major battles and events of the Revolutionary War, as well as the debts incurred.
Ho chi minh americas most capable foe martin catinomartincatino
This presentation discusses the strategic leadership capabilities of Ho Chi Minh. The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Henley Putnam University, and are completely those of the author.
Vietnam President Richard Nixon and the war 15 April 2015NeilCharlesGardner
This document provides details on key events in the Vietnam War during Richard Nixon's presidency from 1969-1974. It discusses Nixon's policy of "Vietnamization" to gradually withdraw US troops while increasing the role of South Vietnamese forces. It also examines the impact of the 1968 Tet Offensive in turning US public opinion against the war and forcing negotiations to end US involvement in Vietnam.
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd president of the United States. He took office in 1945 after Franklin Roosevelt died. As president, Truman faced major decisions including dropping the atomic bombs on Japan to end WWII, starting NATO and the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, and fighting communism through policies like the Truman Doctrine. He won an unlikely reelection victory in 1948. During his second term, Truman sent troops to Korea and fired General MacArthur, faced accusations of communism from Senator McCarthy, and oversaw the rebuilding of the White House. After leaving office in 1953, Truman worked to establish his presidential library and later died in 1972.
The document discusses the historical roots and causes of the Vietnam War. It notes that Vietnam has a long history of resisting foreign domination and fighting for independence, having been ruled by China for over 1000 years and later occupied by France. Nationalism, anti-colonialism, and civil wars within Vietnam contributed to the conflict. The document outlines the various foreign powers that have had a military presence in Vietnam, demonstrating its strategic importance, and provides historical context on Vietnam's struggles against Chinese and French rule prior to the Vietnam War.
1) The document discusses the history of US involvement in Vietnam from the 1950s through the 1960s, including supporting South Vietnam against communist North Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh's rise to power.
2) It describes key events like the Geneva Accords that divided Vietnam in 1954, the Viet Cong insurgency against the South Vietnamese government, and the overthrow and death of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem in 1963 with US support.
3) The document analyzes the escalating US military presence and involvement in Vietnam under presidents Kennedy and Johnson as both attempted to prevent the spread of communism in Southeast Asia.
The document discusses the United States entry into World War I in 1917 and its involvement in the war, including the establishment of the Committee on Public Information to promote propaganda for the war, the implementation of the draft, and the impact of the war on various groups. It also covers Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points, the American war effort, and the aftermath of the war including the Treaty of Versailles and Wilson's failure to get the treaty ratified by the US Senate.
- George Washington was unanimously elected as the first President of the United States and helped establish precedents for the office, including a two-term limit. His cabinet included both Federalists like Alexander Hamilton and Anti-Federalists like Thomas Jefferson.
- Hamilton implemented an ambitious economic plan that established the Bank of the United States and led to tensions between the Federalist and Anti-Federalist parties. The Whiskey Rebellion demonstrated the new government's ability to enforce tax collection.
- The 1796 election saw John Adams defeat Thomas Jefferson, resulting in the first opposing-party presidency. Foreign relations issues with Britain and France exacerbated divisions between the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties.
President Harry S. Truman faced many challenges both domestically and abroad during his presidency from 1945-1953. Some of his key accomplishments included establishing the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan to provide aid to countries threatened by communism, orchestrating the Berlin Airlift when the Soviets blockaded Berlin, creating NATO as a military alliance against the Soviet Union, and ordering U.S. troops to intervene in the Korean War. At home, he advanced civil rights and enacted some aspects of his Fair Deal agenda, though faced opposition from Congress. Overall, Truman demonstrated strong leadership in navigating the difficult post-war period and complex challenges of the early Cold War.
The Vietnam War began as a conflict between North and South Vietnam following their division in 1954. The U.S. initially sent advisors and then troops to support South Vietnam against communist North Vietnam and Viet Cong forces. Despite massive U.S. bombing and troop deployments, the Tet Offensive in 1968 showed the war was not going well. Growing domestic opposition led to U.S. withdrawal under Nixon and the fall of South Vietnam to communist forces in 1975. The human and financial costs for the U.S. and Vietnam were immense. The war left deep scars and lessons about the difficulties of asymmetric warfare.
- Aaron Burr served as Vice President under Thomas Jefferson from 1801-1805 and had a long political rivalry with Alexander Hamilton.
- Their rivalry stemmed from Burr defeating Hamilton's father-in-law for a Senate seat in 1791 and Hamilton's support for Jefferson over Burr in the 1800 presidential election.
- This came to a head in 1804 when Burr fatally shot and wounded Hamilton in a duel, after which Burr was indicted for murder and later tried for treason for an alleged plot against the United States.
Ho Chi Minh emerged as a voice for Vietnamese independence while living in France during World War I. He helped found the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930 and the Viet Minh in 1941. After World War II, the Viet Minh seized control of Hanoi and declared an independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam with Ho Chi Minh as president. He would lead North Vietnam for 25 years in its struggle for reunification against South Vietnam and its ally the United States.
The document summarizes key political events in 20th century East Asia, including:
1) Japan gaining control over German territories in China after WWI, angering Chinese nationalists.
2) Chiang Kai-shek leading the Nationalists to gain control of parts of China and ruthlessly suppress communists.
3) Japan's invasion of Manchuria putting pressure on the Nationalists and allowing communists an advantage.
4) Mao leading the Long March to escape Nationalist attacks and reestablish the communist capital.
5) China intervening in the Korean War and the Sino-Soviet split deteriorating their alliance in the 1950s.
1. Ho Chi Minh emerged as a voice for Vietnamese independence in the early 20th century and helped found the Indochinese Communist Party and Viet Minh, a nationalist front organization.
2. During World War II, the Viet Minh seized control of northern Vietnam and declared independence after the Japanese surrender, though the French failed to recognize Vietnamese independence.
3. The Viet Minh led the struggle against French colonial rule and had popular support in rural areas, while most of its leadership later joined the Vietnamese Communist Party.
The Vietnam War was a conflict between communist North Vietnam supported by China and the Soviet Union against capitalist South Vietnam supported by the United States and other anti-communist countries. The war began in 1955 and lasted until 1975, with the United States gradually increasing its involvement and sending over half a million troops to Vietnam to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam. After nearly 20 years of fighting, North Vietnam defeated South Vietnam and unified the country under communist rule. Over 58,000 American soldiers were killed and over 300,000 wounded during the long and divisive war.
The document provides a historical overview of Vietnam from 1945 to 1979, including key events and figures. It describes Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh fighting French colonization after World War 2 and their eventual victory in 1954. It then discusses the US increasing involvement against the communist North, escalating bombing campaigns and troop levels. Public opinion turned as the war dragged on without clear success. The US withdrew in 1973 and North Vietnam reunited the country under communist rule in 1975.
Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States and led the Democratic-Republican party. As a strict constructionist, Jefferson believed in a limited federal government and states' rights. However, as President he expanded presidential power through actions like the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the country, and funding the Lewis and Clark Expedition. While Jefferson took actions beyond his strict interpretation of the Constitution, they helped establish US territory and claims to the West.
After the ratification of the Constitution, President George Washington took his first steps in establishing the new government by signing the Judiciary Act of 1789 to create the Supreme Court and establishing the initial three Executive Departments. However, differences soon emerged between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson on the role and power of the federal government, leading to the formation of the first political parties - the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. As these early administrations faced challenges with Native American relations, foreign affairs with Britain and France, and internal dissent, the divisions between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans continued to grow.
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States, taking office in 1945 after Franklin Roosevelt died. He led the country through the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. As a senator from Missouri, he gained a reputation for honesty and fiscal responsibility. As president, he made the difficult decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan and oversaw the creation of the United Nations. However, his presidency was also challenged by tensions with the Soviet Union and unpopular decisions around the Korean War. After leaving office in 1953, he retired to Independence, Missouri where he later died at the age of 88.
The document provides an overview of key events and issues during the establishment of the new American government following the Revolutionary War. It discusses how Washington and his cabinet established the executive and judicial branches, differing views between Hamilton and Jefferson that led to the formation of political parties, and foreign policy challenges such as relations with Native Americans and conflicts with Britain and France.
John Adams served two terms as vice president under George Washington and narrowly won the 1796 presidential election over Thomas Jefferson. As president, Adams faced difficulties like inheriting Washington's cabinet loyal to Hamilton. He attempted to remain neutral during conflicts between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. The passage of the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts hurt Adams' popularity and he lost reelection in 1800 to Thomas Jefferson.
During the Federalist Era from 1789-1801, George Washington's administration established the foundations of the new federal government by creating cabinet positions and passing the Bill of Rights. Alexander Hamilton implemented a financial plan that established the country's financial system but also caused partisan divisions between his Federalist Party and Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party. Foreign policy disputes between the parties were exacerbated by the French Revolution, leading to a peaceful transfer of power from the Federalists to Jefferson and the Republican Party in 1801.
Woodrow Wilson became President in 1912 after Democrats nominated him as a progressive reformer. He defeated Republican incumbent President Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt, who ran as a third party candidate. As President, Wilson ushered in significant progressive reforms like the Federal Reserve Act and lowering tariffs. In foreign policy, he believed in promoting American values abroad but tried to maintain neutrality in World War I for as long as possible to avoid entering the war. However, German submarine attacks on passenger ships eventually helped push public opinion towards supporting entering the war on the side of the Allies.
This document summarizes U.S. policy toward Vietnam from 1940-1950. It argues that U.S. policy was ambiguous and inconsistent, with President Roosevelt personally advocating independence for Vietnam but ultimately accepting French rule due to British opposition and strategic priorities. While Roosevelt discussed establishing an international trusteeship, the U.S. assured France of sovereignty over its colonies after the war. This allowed France to reestablish control over Vietnam in 1945 despite the rise of the Viet Minh independence movement, shaping the future conflict there.
Kelli Backman has over 10 years of experience in higher education admissions, marketing, and management. She is currently the Director of Admissions at Bryan College of Health Sciences, where her initiatives have increased enrollment from 400 to over 700 students. She leads teams, develops programs, and oversees recruitment, communications, and the implementation of new technology systems to support admissions.
O documento descreve os serviços, preços, locais e promoções de uma empresa de carros compartilhados. Os serviços incluem veículos compartilhados que podem ser solicitados e levados até a residência do cliente. Os preços variam de R$3,00 por km para pacotes individuais até descontos de 15% para pacotes acima de 500km, sujeitos a alterações de custo. As cidades focadas são comerciais ou turísticas como Eunápolis, Ilhéus e Porto Seguro. As promoções incluem public
The document discusses the historical roots and causes of the Vietnam War. It notes that Vietnam has a long history of resisting foreign domination and fighting for independence, having been ruled by China for over 1000 years and later occupied by France. Nationalism, anti-colonialism, and civil wars within Vietnam contributed to the conflict. The document outlines the various foreign powers that have had a military presence in Vietnam, demonstrating its strategic importance, and provides historical context on Vietnam's struggles against Chinese and French rule prior to the Vietnam War.
1) The document discusses the history of US involvement in Vietnam from the 1950s through the 1960s, including supporting South Vietnam against communist North Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh's rise to power.
2) It describes key events like the Geneva Accords that divided Vietnam in 1954, the Viet Cong insurgency against the South Vietnamese government, and the overthrow and death of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem in 1963 with US support.
3) The document analyzes the escalating US military presence and involvement in Vietnam under presidents Kennedy and Johnson as both attempted to prevent the spread of communism in Southeast Asia.
The document discusses the United States entry into World War I in 1917 and its involvement in the war, including the establishment of the Committee on Public Information to promote propaganda for the war, the implementation of the draft, and the impact of the war on various groups. It also covers Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points, the American war effort, and the aftermath of the war including the Treaty of Versailles and Wilson's failure to get the treaty ratified by the US Senate.
- George Washington was unanimously elected as the first President of the United States and helped establish precedents for the office, including a two-term limit. His cabinet included both Federalists like Alexander Hamilton and Anti-Federalists like Thomas Jefferson.
- Hamilton implemented an ambitious economic plan that established the Bank of the United States and led to tensions between the Federalist and Anti-Federalist parties. The Whiskey Rebellion demonstrated the new government's ability to enforce tax collection.
- The 1796 election saw John Adams defeat Thomas Jefferson, resulting in the first opposing-party presidency. Foreign relations issues with Britain and France exacerbated divisions between the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties.
President Harry S. Truman faced many challenges both domestically and abroad during his presidency from 1945-1953. Some of his key accomplishments included establishing the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan to provide aid to countries threatened by communism, orchestrating the Berlin Airlift when the Soviets blockaded Berlin, creating NATO as a military alliance against the Soviet Union, and ordering U.S. troops to intervene in the Korean War. At home, he advanced civil rights and enacted some aspects of his Fair Deal agenda, though faced opposition from Congress. Overall, Truman demonstrated strong leadership in navigating the difficult post-war period and complex challenges of the early Cold War.
The Vietnam War began as a conflict between North and South Vietnam following their division in 1954. The U.S. initially sent advisors and then troops to support South Vietnam against communist North Vietnam and Viet Cong forces. Despite massive U.S. bombing and troop deployments, the Tet Offensive in 1968 showed the war was not going well. Growing domestic opposition led to U.S. withdrawal under Nixon and the fall of South Vietnam to communist forces in 1975. The human and financial costs for the U.S. and Vietnam were immense. The war left deep scars and lessons about the difficulties of asymmetric warfare.
- Aaron Burr served as Vice President under Thomas Jefferson from 1801-1805 and had a long political rivalry with Alexander Hamilton.
- Their rivalry stemmed from Burr defeating Hamilton's father-in-law for a Senate seat in 1791 and Hamilton's support for Jefferson over Burr in the 1800 presidential election.
- This came to a head in 1804 when Burr fatally shot and wounded Hamilton in a duel, after which Burr was indicted for murder and later tried for treason for an alleged plot against the United States.
Ho Chi Minh emerged as a voice for Vietnamese independence while living in France during World War I. He helped found the Indochinese Communist Party in 1930 and the Viet Minh in 1941. After World War II, the Viet Minh seized control of Hanoi and declared an independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam with Ho Chi Minh as president. He would lead North Vietnam for 25 years in its struggle for reunification against South Vietnam and its ally the United States.
The document summarizes key political events in 20th century East Asia, including:
1) Japan gaining control over German territories in China after WWI, angering Chinese nationalists.
2) Chiang Kai-shek leading the Nationalists to gain control of parts of China and ruthlessly suppress communists.
3) Japan's invasion of Manchuria putting pressure on the Nationalists and allowing communists an advantage.
4) Mao leading the Long March to escape Nationalist attacks and reestablish the communist capital.
5) China intervening in the Korean War and the Sino-Soviet split deteriorating their alliance in the 1950s.
1. Ho Chi Minh emerged as a voice for Vietnamese independence in the early 20th century and helped found the Indochinese Communist Party and Viet Minh, a nationalist front organization.
2. During World War II, the Viet Minh seized control of northern Vietnam and declared independence after the Japanese surrender, though the French failed to recognize Vietnamese independence.
3. The Viet Minh led the struggle against French colonial rule and had popular support in rural areas, while most of its leadership later joined the Vietnamese Communist Party.
The Vietnam War was a conflict between communist North Vietnam supported by China and the Soviet Union against capitalist South Vietnam supported by the United States and other anti-communist countries. The war began in 1955 and lasted until 1975, with the United States gradually increasing its involvement and sending over half a million troops to Vietnam to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam. After nearly 20 years of fighting, North Vietnam defeated South Vietnam and unified the country under communist rule. Over 58,000 American soldiers were killed and over 300,000 wounded during the long and divisive war.
The document provides a historical overview of Vietnam from 1945 to 1979, including key events and figures. It describes Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh fighting French colonization after World War 2 and their eventual victory in 1954. It then discusses the US increasing involvement against the communist North, escalating bombing campaigns and troop levels. Public opinion turned as the war dragged on without clear success. The US withdrew in 1973 and North Vietnam reunited the country under communist rule in 1975.
Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States and led the Democratic-Republican party. As a strict constructionist, Jefferson believed in a limited federal government and states' rights. However, as President he expanded presidential power through actions like the Louisiana Purchase, which doubled the size of the country, and funding the Lewis and Clark Expedition. While Jefferson took actions beyond his strict interpretation of the Constitution, they helped establish US territory and claims to the West.
After the ratification of the Constitution, President George Washington took his first steps in establishing the new government by signing the Judiciary Act of 1789 to create the Supreme Court and establishing the initial three Executive Departments. However, differences soon emerged between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson on the role and power of the federal government, leading to the formation of the first political parties - the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. As these early administrations faced challenges with Native American relations, foreign affairs with Britain and France, and internal dissent, the divisions between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans continued to grow.
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States, taking office in 1945 after Franklin Roosevelt died. He led the country through the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. As a senator from Missouri, he gained a reputation for honesty and fiscal responsibility. As president, he made the difficult decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan and oversaw the creation of the United Nations. However, his presidency was also challenged by tensions with the Soviet Union and unpopular decisions around the Korean War. After leaving office in 1953, he retired to Independence, Missouri where he later died at the age of 88.
The document provides an overview of key events and issues during the establishment of the new American government following the Revolutionary War. It discusses how Washington and his cabinet established the executive and judicial branches, differing views between Hamilton and Jefferson that led to the formation of political parties, and foreign policy challenges such as relations with Native Americans and conflicts with Britain and France.
John Adams served two terms as vice president under George Washington and narrowly won the 1796 presidential election over Thomas Jefferson. As president, Adams faced difficulties like inheriting Washington's cabinet loyal to Hamilton. He attempted to remain neutral during conflicts between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans. The passage of the controversial Alien and Sedition Acts hurt Adams' popularity and he lost reelection in 1800 to Thomas Jefferson.
During the Federalist Era from 1789-1801, George Washington's administration established the foundations of the new federal government by creating cabinet positions and passing the Bill of Rights. Alexander Hamilton implemented a financial plan that established the country's financial system but also caused partisan divisions between his Federalist Party and Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party. Foreign policy disputes between the parties were exacerbated by the French Revolution, leading to a peaceful transfer of power from the Federalists to Jefferson and the Republican Party in 1801.
Woodrow Wilson became President in 1912 after Democrats nominated him as a progressive reformer. He defeated Republican incumbent President Taft and former President Theodore Roosevelt, who ran as a third party candidate. As President, Wilson ushered in significant progressive reforms like the Federal Reserve Act and lowering tariffs. In foreign policy, he believed in promoting American values abroad but tried to maintain neutrality in World War I for as long as possible to avoid entering the war. However, German submarine attacks on passenger ships eventually helped push public opinion towards supporting entering the war on the side of the Allies.
This document summarizes U.S. policy toward Vietnam from 1940-1950. It argues that U.S. policy was ambiguous and inconsistent, with President Roosevelt personally advocating independence for Vietnam but ultimately accepting French rule due to British opposition and strategic priorities. While Roosevelt discussed establishing an international trusteeship, the U.S. assured France of sovereignty over its colonies after the war. This allowed France to reestablish control over Vietnam in 1945 despite the rise of the Viet Minh independence movement, shaping the future conflict there.
Kelli Backman has over 10 years of experience in higher education admissions, marketing, and management. She is currently the Director of Admissions at Bryan College of Health Sciences, where her initiatives have increased enrollment from 400 to over 700 students. She leads teams, develops programs, and oversees recruitment, communications, and the implementation of new technology systems to support admissions.
O documento descreve os serviços, preços, locais e promoções de uma empresa de carros compartilhados. Os serviços incluem veículos compartilhados que podem ser solicitados e levados até a residência do cliente. Os preços variam de R$3,00 por km para pacotes individuais até descontos de 15% para pacotes acima de 500km, sujeitos a alterações de custo. As cidades focadas são comerciais ou turísticas como Eunápolis, Ilhéus e Porto Seguro. As promoções incluem public
Ievgenii Narovlianskyi - Ruby is not just a gemSeniorDevOnly
Ievgenii Narovlianskyi is a Software Developer in SeniorDevOnly AS, who has lot of experience developing large and small web systems of different kinds using Ruby language.
Ruby is an awesome choice for those who are looking for fast development of rather complex systems.
In this lecture Ievgenii showed the audience some examples of solving common tasks with Ruby, made short overview of nowadays Ruby developer's market and also tried to answer the main "holywar" question 'Why Ruby but not some other language?'
Este documento describe la Tecnología de Información y Comunicación (TIC) como herramientas que facilitan el proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje entre docentes y estudiantes. Las TIC incluyen dispositivos electrónicos, software, comunicación e internet, y permiten gestionar recursos educativos como buscar, almacenar, procesar y socializar información. Las TIC se utilizan en el rol del docente para lograr ser un mediador del aprendizaje y apoyar objetivos, contenidos, actividades y evaluación.
This document provides steps for creating multiple vCards, which includes selecting "create another vCard", filling out the entire form, selecting "next step", choosing a theme, uploading a picture, and selecting "finish registration".
Les indications géographiques comme propriété intellectuelle: protéger la rép...ExternalEvents
http://www.fao.org/in-action/quality-and-origin-program/en
Les indications géographiques comme propriété intellectuelle: protéger la réputation des produits de qualité, MP. Rizo, Organisation Mondiale de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OMPI) (french)
Michael C. Bennett has over 30 years of experience in technical fields including IT systems administration, biomedical engineering, and electronics. He has administered networks in both military and civilian healthcare settings, installing and configuring operating systems and servers. Bennett also has experience repairing various medical equipment, computers, and navy systems. He is pursuing an associate's degree in IT systems administration from Madison College with a background that includes a bachelor's degree in business and an associate's in electronics technology.
Thanks to Vladimir Kozhaev for coming talking about DRAKON. Presentation, followed up with Live coding demonstrating how to visualize recruitment process.
AppsGenii Technologies provides quality website and app development services for iPhone, iPad, Android, Blackberry, Windows and cross-platform apps. They aim to interact with increasing demands for apps while providing the best app developers. Their dedicated team focuses on design, usability, functionality and execution throughout development phases. AppsGenii offers responsive services to help businesses transform using their software and app development expertise.
El documento define la evaluación formativa como un proceso sistemático para recolectar información durante el aprendizaje y mejorar los resultados. Tiene como objetivo identificar el progreso y estancamiento de los estudiantes para replantear el proceso de aprendizaje. La evaluación formativa provee retroalimentación continua a los estudiantes para que tomen acciones correctivas y mejoren su desempeño.
عرض تقديمي عن نظام إدارة التعلم الالكتروني Moodle lms
محاور العرض:
مقدمة عن نظام إدارة التعلم الالكتروني.
الفرق بين LMS و CMS .
مكونات نظام إدارة التعلم الالكتروني.
ما هو Moodle.
مميزات Moodle .
استعراض خدمات المستخدم.
استعراض أدوات المعلم.
فريق العمل.
طريقة العمل والتنفيذ.
بواسطة علي عبد القادر الشوربجي
ماجستير تكنولوجيا التعليم
مدير نظم ادارة التعلم الالكتروني
The Vietnam War Essay
The Vietnam War Essay
Essay on The Vietnam War
Essay on The Vietnam War
Essay on Vietnam
Essay on The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War Essay
US Negotiations with the Republic of South Vietnam Case #338Stewart Lawrence
This document provides background on the political and military crisis facing South Vietnam in early 1961 under President Ngo Dinh Diem. It describes how Diem's increasingly corrupt and autocratic rule had created widespread discontent in cities while a communist insurgency backed by North Vietnam was gathering strength in rural areas. The deepening crisis confronted the new Kennedy administration with decisions around intervening militarily, increasing aid, or pursuing a negotiated settlement. It also discussed applying pressure on Diem to reform or potentially removing him from power.
Early Vietnam involved France rejecting Vietnam's post-WWII independence and an 8-year struggle ensuing. The US initially sided with France but grew concerned about communist expansion. This led the US to financially support France in Vietnam as part of containing communism. By 1954, Vietnam was partitioned, but the US feared communist victory in unification elections and backed South Vietnam's leader Diem instead. This divided Vietnam and marked the US replacement of France in fighting communism in Southeast Asia.
Early involvement in Vietnam began with France colonizing the region and rejecting Vietnam's declaration of independence after World War 2. The US initially supported France but grew concerned about communist influence in the region. Throughout the 1950s, the US increased financial support to help France maintain control, but Vietnam's independence movement strengthened. This led to the partitioning of Vietnam in 1954 along the 17th parallel. However, tensions and conflict continued between North and South Vietnam throughout the 1960s as the US replaced France and aimed to prevent the spread of communism in Southeast Asia.
What was the causes of the Vietnam war What was the causes of .pdfrajkumarm401
What was the causes of the Vietnam war?
What was the causes of the Vietnam war?
Solution
The causes of the Vietnam War were derived from the symptoms, components and consequences
of the Cold War. The causes of the Vietnam War revolve around the simple belief held by
America that communism was threatening to expand all over south-east Asia
The US entered the conflict in South Vietnam based on the much maligned \"Domino Theory\"
concept. From the perspective of the Nation\'s leader, this was a very real threat both in terms of
nation\'s falling one by one to communism and with regards to the resultant impacts.
The most significant driver for US involvement in South Vietnam was the Korean War. It
established the notion of a \"civil war\" in which the northern communists were extensively
supported by outside forces and that a conventional invasion was the greatest threat.
On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea. The US and its allies spent three years
fighting a very brutal war against the North Koreans, the Chinese and the Soviets. Eventually, it
ended in a stalemate. By definition, on June 25, 1950, this was a civil war.However, by the time
the US entered the Vietnam conflict, there was ample near term historical precedence for the
spread of communism.
In 1954, Vietnamese communist forces defeat the French which leads to the 1954 Geneva
convention in which the region was divided into North and South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
In 1959, the government of Laos collapses and the Pathet Lao (communist forces backed by the
North Vietnamese) begin to fight for control of the country. A civil war backed by external
communist forces.
It was evident to the US and its allies that communism was spreading throughout the region.
Each state which fell served as a launch point for communist operations in nearby countries
(China into Korea and Vietnam, China and North Vietnam into Laos and Cambodia). Therefore
to prevent further spread to allies to include Thailand and Japan among others, communism had
to be contained.
Based on the results of communist rule in the countries that fell, it seems the concerns were
genuine. South Vietnam asked for help from its SEATO allies and the US responded as it should
under treaty obligation.
The argument that this was civil war substantially underplays the assistance the North
Vietnamese received from the Chinese and Soviets. It was as much a civil war as the Korean
War was.
Some 1.5 million Chinese were executed during the land reforms and counter-revolutionary
executions following the Chinese victory in 1948. In the early 1960s, following the Great Leap
Forward, approximately 2.5 million people were executed, Up to 1 million people were executed
or died in concentration camps in North Korea by the start of the US involvement in Vietnam.
Between 1953 and 1956, the Land reform in North Vietnam carried out by the Communists
resulted in the deaths, by various estimates, of almost 200,ooo landowners via public kanga.
What the video at httpswww.youtube.comwatchv=XgW0o-Ui94k a.docxtwilacrt6k5
The document provides a detailed historical overview of the Vietnam War from US involvement under President Eisenhower through the fall of Saigon in 1975. It discusses the reasons for initial US support of French colonial rule in Vietnam and the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954. The temporary division of Vietnam and failed elections are covered. Escalating US involvement under Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon is summarized, including the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, bombing campaigns, troop surges, the Tet Offensive, Vietnamization policy, and Paris Peace Accords. The summary concludes with the capture of Saigon and fall of South Vietnam to the North in April 1975.
What the video at httpswww.youtube.comwatchv=XgW0o-Ui94k and a.docxtwilacrt6k5
What the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgW0o-Ui94k and answer the questions below based upon your understanding of the war and the content of the video.
1. Why did the French request assistance from the United States in Southeast Asia?
2. How is the Domino Theory related to the containment policy?
3. How did President Kennedy attempt to stop the expansion of communism into Vietnam?
4. After which event did President Johnson dramatically increase the number of US troops deployed to Vietnam?
a. Why do historians call into questions President Johnson’s justification for sending more troops to Vietman?
5. Who advocated the policy of Vietnamization? Why did this policy fail?
6. How did the Vietnam conflict end?
The Cold War in Vietnam
Vietnam Before US Intervention Previous
Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia had been a French colony since the late 19th century. During World War II, however, Japan occupied French Indochina. After Japan's defeat, France tried to re-establish control, but met opposition from the Viet Minh.
After World War II, neither France nor England wanted to see the end of their colonial empires. England was anxious to control Burma, Malaya, and India. France wanted to rule Indochina. Under Franklin Roosevelt, the United States sought to bring an end to European colonialism. As he put it, condescendingly: “There are 1.1 billion brown people. In many Eastern countries they are ruled by a handful of whites and they resent it. Our goal must be to help them achieve independence. 1.1 billion potential enemies are dangerous.”
But under Harry Truman, the United States was concerned about its naval and air bases in Asia. The U.S. decided to permit France into Indochina to re-assert its authority in Southeast Asia. The result: the French Indochina War began.
From the beginning, American intelligence officers knew that France would find it difficult to re-assert its authority in Indochina. The French refused to listen to American intelligence. To them, the idea of Asian rebels standing up to a powerful Western nation was preposterous.
Although Truman allowed the French to return to Indochina, he was not yet prepared to give the French arms, transportation, and economic assistance. It was not until anti-communism became a major issue that the United States would take an active role supporting the French. The fall of China, the Korean War, and the coming of Joe McCarthy would lead policymakers to see the French War in Vietnam, not as a colonial war, but as a war against international communism.
Beginning in 1950, the United States started to underwrite the French war effort. For four years, the United State.
The Tet Offensive of 1968 was a major turning point in the Vietnam War. The North Vietnamese launched surprise attacks against South Vietnamese cities and even Saigon during Tet, the Vietnamese lunar new year holiday. This caught the U.S. off guard and contradicted their claims that they were winning the war. Images of the battle on television undermined support for the war at home. Although the U.S. and South Vietnam repelled the attacks, the offensive shifted perceptions and eroded confidence in the war effort. It marked a major escalation by North Vietnam and led to reevaluations of U.S. strategy and involvement in the conflict.
The roots of the Vietnam conflict stemmed from France's colonial rule over Indochina prior to World War 2. After Japan took control during the war, Vietnamese nationalists led by Ho Chi Minh fought them using guerrilla tactics. When Japan withdrew in 1945, Ho declared Vietnam independent but France tried to regain control, fighting Ho's Viet Minh forces until their defeat in 1954. The country was then divided into communist North Vietnam ruled by Ho and US-supported South Vietnam. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the US increasingly supported South Vietnam based on fears of communism spreading, but South Vietnam was corrupt and unpopular while North Vietnam and the Viet Cong gained popularity and strength.
The document provides background on the American involvement in the Vietnam War. It discusses France's colonial rule over Vietnam and its eventual defeat, leading to the partitioning of Vietnam into North and South Vietnam. It then outlines the rise of Ngo Dinh Diem as leader of South Vietnam and increasing American military advisors. It describes the escalating American involvement under presidents Kennedy and Johnson, including massive bombing campaigns and increasing troop levels under General Westmoreland. A major turning point was the 1968 Tet Offensive, which showed the limitations of Westmoreland's strategy and undermined public support for the war in the United States.
The Vietnam War lasted from 1954 to 1975 and consisted of three phases. Phase 1 was a war of independence against the French which ended in French defeat in 1954. This led to the partitioning of Vietnam into communist North Vietnam and democratic South Vietnam. Phase 2 saw escalating American military involvement under presidents Kennedy and Johnson following the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. Despite escalation, the US struggled against Vietnamese guerrilla forces. Phase 3 was the Vietnamese Civil War from 1973-1975, which resulted in a final North Vietnamese victory and reunification of Vietnam under communist rule.
Ho Chi Minh was born in Vietnam in 1890 and received a modern education in France. He embraced communism and became a founding member of the French Communist Party. In 1941, he returned to Vietnam to lead the Viet Minh independence movement against French and Japanese occupiers, receiving support from the U.S. Office of Strategic Services. After World War 2, Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnamese independence but France sought to reestablish colonial control, provoking war with the Viet Minh led by General Vo Nguyen Giap. This led to the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, which marked a major defeat for France in Indochina.
The document summarizes the history of Vietnam from 208 BC to 1963, including periods of rule by China, periods of independence, and periods of rule by France and Japan. It discusses key events like the Geneva Conference which divided Vietnam along the 17th parallel, and the rise of Ho Chi Minh and Ngo Dinh Diem as leaders of North and South Vietnam respectively. It also summarizes US involvement under Truman, Eisenhower, and Kennedy, including their support of France and South Vietnam due to fears of communist expansion.
The Vietnam War lasted from 1954 to 1975 and involved military escalation by the United States in an attempt to prevent South Vietnam from falling to communist control. It began as a war of independence against the French and resulted in the partition of Vietnam into communist North Vietnam and democratic South Vietnam. Despite massive U.S. military involvement and bombing campaigns, the U.S. struggled against Vietnamese guerrilla tactics and growing domestic anti-war sentiment. This led to the withdrawal of U.S. troops and the eventual defeat of South Vietnam in 1975.
1. Alexander Fischer
History 600-CIA
The CIA in South Vietnam: “A great place to have a war”
Thesis:
Considered the best candidate able to fulfil the power void created by the United State’s
defeat of the corrupt French client State in Vietnam, President Diem was thought to be the answer
to the US’s attempts to battle communism in Vietnam; however, he lost favor during his persecution
of Vietnam’s Buddhist population, which impaired the war against the communists and worsened
relations with the nation which had brought him to power; as a result, the US neither warned, nor
stopped the ARVN general’s coup against Diem, which forced it to work with unstable and
unreliable subsequent military regimes which threw Vietnam into years of political and socio-
economic instability, further frustrating the war effort.
Introduction:
The First Indochina War, which lasted from 1946-1954, further exasperated underlying
problems within France’s subordinate, corrupt, and problematic client state in South Vietnam;
witnessing the increasingly corrupt and weak nature of the French client state, the United States’
goal was to supplant the pro-French regime, led by Bao Dai, with someone whom they believed was
a pro-American reformer, namely in Ngo Dinh Diem. Diem, in the beginning, would prove himself
to be a rather competent reformer considering the situation he was given; however, as he began to
attempt to increase his power and force his religious views onto others, he fell out of favor with the
US and the people of Vietnam, resulting in a coup against him that would destabilize Vietnam for
years to come.
Contextualizing the beginning of Diem’s Rule:
Vietnam as a subjugated, corrupt French client state (1950-1954):
2. To understand the context which allowed Diem to be installed in power, it is necessary to
understand how the corrupt French client state associated with, and was propped up by, crooked and
ethically questionable organizations. France had many economic interests in Southeast Asia and had
operated in Vietnam since the 19th
century, apart from the interruption of French governance during
WWII. This interruption, in part, forced France to institute and rely on a French client state which
helped France maintain its rule over Vietnam. As communism rose in popularity and threatened
French interests, one such organization that was essential to France’s fight against the Viet Minh
was the Binh Xuyen.
A few years removed from being a divided and ragtag criminal gang, under their new leader
Bay Vien, the Binh Xuyen were able to turn their knowledge of urban counterintelligence and
security forces into a benefit for the French.1
Soon after, and in return, the French ceded policing
parts of Saigon-Cholon to the Binh Xuyen. To further the war effort and completely remove the
Viet Minh from Saigon, the French needed to increasingly cede control to the Binh Xuyen. For the
French, this alliance was especially troublesome as the Binh Xuyen had worked and were allies
with the Viet Minh only months earlier. Bao Dai, former emperor and then-current head of state,
complicated the matter further by authorizing the Binh Xuyen and other non-communist forces to
be incorporated into the struggling and thinly-spread French Army and Vietnamese National Army.
The Vietnamese National Army (VNA) was also known as and later called the Army of the
Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). Similarly, Vietnamese religious sects, the Cao Dai and Hoa Hao
were also incorporated into the VNA. The Cao Dai, Hoa Hao, and Binh Xuyen comprised part of
the French United Front, and in the summer of 1954, the three organizations controlled
approximately one-third of the territory and population in South Vietnam.2
1
Alfred W. McCoy, The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade, 2nd
rev ed.,
(Brooklyn, NY: Lawrence Hill Books, 1991), pp.152-153.
2
Jessica Chapman, Cauldron of resistance: Ngo Dinh Diem, the United States, and 1950s southern
Vietnam, (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2013), pp. 74.
2
3. The Bien Xuyen as a former crime organization was now legally legitimized, and the French
client state increasingly relied on organizations like the Bien Xuyen to further their political and
economic interests. In order to bring in more revenue to fund their multifaceted operations, in the
1950s the Binh Xuyen bribed and commandeered their way into being awarded “one of the most
profitable casinos in Asia and perhaps in the world.3
”
The Binh Xuyen’s economic exploits were another example of the corrupt and problematic
client state the French ran. Included in the Binh Xuyen’s seedy economic exploits were prostitution
and the Saigon opium trade, the latter of which was originally controlled and operated by the French
government itself. World War II interrupted and ended official French government involvement in
the opium trade. In its place, the French covert intelligence organizations, the French elite in
Vietnam, and the Corsican Mafia took over where the French government left off and helped further
all of these economic interests. The opium trade helped to fund the French war effort and
clandestine operations against the pro-communist Viet Minh from North Vietnam. Some portion of
these economic exploits went to members of the French alliance including the Corsican Mafia, Bao
Dai, prominent cabinet members, and the French 2eme
Bureau. The Binh Xuyen held up their end by
assisting the French and 2eme
Bureau in “countering the growing power of the nationalist parties,
keeping the Viet Minh terrorists off the streets, and battling the American CIA for control of South
Vietnam.4
”
After Mao Zedong’s communist takeover in China over US-supported Chiang Kai-shek,
China began sending aid to help their fellow communists in North Vietnam. As the US witnessed
France’s increasingly desperate situation, America saw fit to increase their own aid to France and
South Vietnam. However, in 1954 the French troops were defeated by Ho Chi Minh and his
Vietnamese army at the battle of Dien Bien Phu, which unofficially ended the war. With the French
3
McCoy, The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade, pp.154.
4
Ibid., pp. 152.
3
4. defeat came a slow understanding by the French government and French elite that their economic
interests in Southeast Asia would also need to come to an end. By increasingly relying on American
aid, and by authorizing criminal gangs and religious groups free reign politically, economically, and
militarily/policing, the French showed how fragmented and weak their control over Vietnam really
was. This allowed, or forced, the US to seize control of political power in Saigon, as the US
attempted to find a candidate to support who would further US interests and not allow communism
to spread.
From one problem to the next: American involvement in Vietnam and Diem’s ascent to power
(1954-55):
In the months following the end of the war, the Geneva Conference of 1954 was signed,
ending official military conflict between France and North Vietnam. These proceedings formally
divided Vietnam between the communist North and anti-communist South temporarily, contingent
on the outcome of the 1956 elections. However, the United States only observed the proceedings,
and thus, did not sign the subsequent treaty or participate in negotiations. Oddly enough, the United
States’ involvement in the region would not decrease as a result of their abstention at Geneva;
rather, its involvement would slowly increase after the conference. Refusing to sign the treaty was
likely a strategic move by the US, as they would not be bound by any of the rules or promises
agreed to by the countries at the conference. Nonetheless, US involvement began by assisting the
French in switching their focus to the anti-communist South and by helping resettle many Catholic
and anti-communist refugees coming from the North.5
Although the two countries seemed peaceful
on the surface, as the French slowly decreased their involvement in Vietnam and the Americans
began to increase their involvement, a quiet battle was fought for influence over the newly
independent state.
5
Special to The New York Times, "Text of Eisenhower-Diem Statement," New York Times (1923-
Current File), May 12, 1957.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/113929595?accountid=465.
4
5. The problems between the French and the Americans began as the French wanted to adhere
to the conditions set at Geneva, but the Americans believed that doing so would allow the
communists in North Vietnam to seize control without a fight.6
The French had propped up their
client state, as previously mentioned, through its United Front. To secure their interests, the US
utilized the CIA, including agents like Colonel Edward Lansdale, in order to defeat this United
Front. Lansdale seized power from the French by offering large amounts of funding to the ARVN
which secured their loyalty and support during the incredibly violent proxy war against the United
Front in Saigon. After the proxy war in Saigon, the French United Front (consisting of the Binh
Xuyen in addition to the Hoa Hao and Cai Dao religious sects) was largely defeated. Afterwards,
Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem had a much clearer path to power, and did so through his regime’s
electoral fraud. During this election, the only political party allowed to actively campaign was
Diem’s own Can Lao party. Diem’s regime essentially criminalized dissent as well as alternative
options of other candidates like Bao Dai.
In October of 1955, Diem assumed the role of head of state and named himself President of
South Vietnam. The high hopes the US originally had were relatively short lived as Diem was not
as amenable to US interests and influence as originally thought. From the outset, Diem attempted to
make his nation self-sufficient and less reliant on foreign influence and aid. Diem attempted socio-
economic, educational, political, and land reform. However, at the same time, Diem attempted to
increase his own power, and was strongly biased towards his own Catholic and Confucian roots.
Diem’s biases were evident by an exceedingly disproportionate number of Catholic villages
receiving domestic and foreign aid, compared to Buddhist villages.7
However, the election fraud
and religious persecution did not immediately stop US support nor aid in the short-term. Although
6
"Focus on Diem," New York Times (1923-Current File), May 15, 1955.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/113436888?accountid=465.
7
Seth Jacobs, Cold War Mandarin: Ngo Dinh Diem and the Origins of America's War in Vietnam,
1950–1963, (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006), pp.91.
5
6. Diem caused headaches for the CIA and the White House; it was once progress in the war effort
slowed and as Diem seemed to be increasingly more concerned with antagonizing the non-Catholic
populace of South Vietnam, than fighting the war against the communists, that a coup of their once
ideal candidate seemed increasingly realistic.
In sum, both France and the United States contributed to the situation in Vietnam which led
to the creation of a problematic, morally and ethically questionable, and authoritarian governmental
regime.
Context:
Diem’s early rule and US & CIA aid (1955-1960):
Over a year after the Conference at Geneva, Col. Lansdale’s work in supplanting French
political power allowed Diem to be installed as the President of South Vietnam in October of 1955.
From 1955 to 1963 the US increased its presence and involvement more and more as the Diem
regime made slow progress towards the war effort and fight against communism. The United States
was optimistic and confident that the installation of Diem would begin to turn the tide against
communism in Vietnam.8
However, this mistaken hope was only amplified as the US funneled
military and civilian aid, personnel and advisors, and carried out covert and clandestine operations
organized by the CIA, all in an effort to improve the war against the communists.
In hopes of furthering the war effort and assisting Diem strengthen the ARVN, by 1956,
President Eisenhower provided Diem with over 900 US advisors. In 1957, “for the current fiscal
year fiscal aid from the United States to South Vietnam, exclusive of military assistance, is[was]
about $250,000,000” (equivalent to $2,142,436,594 in today’s USD).9
Similarly, the CIA provided
8
Special to The New York Times, "U.S. DISAVOWS AIM OF SAVING BAO DAI; AGAIN
BACKS DIEM," New York Times (1923-Current File), May 07, 1955.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/113342139?accountid=465.
9
Russel Baker Special to The New York Times, "Eisenhower Greets Vietnam President, Extols
Patriotism," New York Times (1923-Current File), May 09, 1957.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/113937521?accountid=465.
6
7. financial, political, paramilitary, and police support and training; such as, millions of dollars in
financial aid, creating South Vietnam’s political parties and secret police, and producing popular
movies, and literature (including an astrological magazine which predicted that the stars were in
Diem’s favor).10
The CIA quite literally built, trained, and supported a new infrastructure for South
Vietnam and its government. Some of this was paid for through their collaboration with local
warlords; picking up where the French left off, by selling opium to fund their clandestine
operations. However, to the US, it seemed that the amount of aid had little effect on the conduct of
the Diem regime. Although Diem did usher in some reform under his rapidly increasing autocratic
rule, and while some failed, much of his reformist policies that were enacted were done so in self-
interest. Towards the end of Diem’s rule, his regime was plagued by continued domestic crises.
These crises were perpetuated by Diem and his brother, Vice President and Chief of the Secret
Police Ngo Dinh Nhu, seemingly out of the blue and without cause. Nevertheless, the brothers were
both quite culpable in antagonizing the non-Catholic populace. For example, in 1963 the New York
Times wrote, “visions of ultimate victory are obscured by the image of a secretive, suspicious,
dictatorial regime. American officers are frustrated and irritated by the constant whimsical meddling
of the President and his brother…11
” Substantiating this further, the Times mentions that the
“President lacks peasant backing…President Ngo Dinh Diem is well aware of the importance of
securing the countryside…the Vietnamese President seems incapable of winning the loyalty of his
people.12
” Nonetheless, as time went on, it became apparent that he would refuse outside assistance
as he believed he would win them over in his own way.
Crises under Diem (1960-1963):
10
Tim Weiner, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, 1st
ed., (New York, NY: Anchor Books,
2007), pp. 243.
11
Homer Bigart, "Vietnam Victory Remote Despite U.S. Aid to Diem," New York Times (1923-
Current File), Jul 25, 1962.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/116212290?accountid=465.
12
Ibid., Bigart, "Vietnam Victory Remote Despite U.S. Aid to Diem."
7
8. Many US officials considered Diem, from the beginning of his rule, the best candidate to
lead South Vietnam over a coterie of corrupt or pro-French candidates. In fact, Diem must be
credited to some extent for his aptitude in solving the many difficulties facing South Vietnam when
his regime was brought to power. Diem was able to resolve the refugee crisis from the North,
establish and consolidate his regime’s control, pacify the problems with sects like the Binh Xuyen,
and remove the Viet Cong from major cities like Saigon. Diem must also be credited for bringing
security to South Vietnam to allow for economic stability and advances in education. Diem was
well aware of the importance of being less dependent on US aid. Less successful reforms included
his land reform, resettlement, and obviously, his religious policies. Over time, his regime was
responsible for the many crises which frustrated the US and forced US officials to look elsewhere
for candidates to lead Vietnam. Many of Diem’s reforms were based largely on winning over the
peasantry and those who lived in the countryside, even though those were the same people he
simultaneously antagonized during the crises.
Diem and his brother well understood the need to win over the peasantry in order to win the
war. At the same time, Diem considered himself Catholic along with the rest of the members of his
family, and as a result, there would always remain some sort of a disconnect between his regime
and the largely Buddhist populace of Vietnam. This disconnect was due to Vietnam having a
Buddhist majority estimated to be about “70 to 80 percent Buddhist.13
” Therefore, it is difficult to
comprehend the reasoning for the atrocities committed against the Buddhists by Diem’s regime.
The crises began small enough. Diem’s regime occasionally exposed their Catholic biases; for
example, Diem had the distribution of weapons provided to village self-defense militias (intended to
repel communist forces) only given to village Catholics, and, similarly, other villages attempted to
13
"The Situation In South Vietnam – SNIE 53-2-63," The Pentagon Papers, Gravel ed. (Boston,
MA: Beacon Press, 1971), pp. 729–733.
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pentagon2/doc125.htm
8
9. convert en masse in order to receive aid or avoid being apart of Diem’s resettlement programs.14
Nothing was perfect during Diem’s regime. In 1960 there was an attempted coup on Diem,
and the New York Times reported in December of 1961 that the US was considering recalling its
ambassador in addition to withdrawing US aid.15
However, the major crises carried out under Diem
all occurred in 1963, as tensions with Buddhists reached their peak, so did tensions with the US. In
May 1963, the ARVN shot at and launched grenades into a crowd of protesting Buddhists in Hue.
They had been protesting against a rarely-enforced ban on flying the Buddhist flag, and wished to
fly their flag on Phat Dan day (the celebration of the birth of Gautama Buddha).16
Diem refused to
accept his government’s role in the incident, instead blaming the Viet Cong, even as the US and the
world refuted Diem’s refusal.
The protests against Diem would not end there. Later that month, over 500 monks protested
against such treatment at the National Assembly in Saigon. On June 3, Vietnamese police and
ARVN troops poured chemicals on the heads of praying Buddhist protestors in Hue; 67 people were
hospitalized. American officials did not believe a coup was necessary just yet. Still, the crisis
seemed like it could not get worse when, on June 11, the now-infamous event of the Buddhist monk
sitting down and immolating himself in the middle of Saigon occurred; an act of protest that drew
attention to the situation in Vietnam from around the world. In July 1963, the New York Times
wrote, that the protests “…have had a catalytic effect on the nation,” and that “since the Hue
incident a Buddhist priest and an eminent writer have committed suicide to protest Government
repression. Two weeks ago, Government police attacked American newsmen. This last week the
Saigon police clubbed and jailed hundreds of demonstrators.” America’s main worries were what
14
Joseph Buttinger, Vietnam: A Dragon Embattled, (New York: Praeger, 1967), pp. 993.
15
Nathaniel Peffer, "To Save South Vietnam," New York Times (1923-Current File), Dec 06, 1961.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/115303420?accountid=465.
16
Hedrick Smith Special to The New York Times, "SAIGON UNREST STIRS U.S.," New York
Times (1923-Current File), Jul 21, 1963.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/116430631?accountid=465.
9
10. effect the protests might have on the war effort against the communists and the popularity of the
government in Saigon. As the article went onto state, “For 10 weeks, American diplomats have
urged President Diem to offer the Buddhist leaders a quick and generous peace. Instead he has
drawn ‘into the bosom of his family,’ as one official put it…Washington’s principal worry is that
the Buddhist crisis may upset the vital war against the Communists in which the United States has
invested 12,000 soldiers and roughly $500,000 a year…Washington is empathic in declaring that it
will not become involved in any string-pulling to change Governments in Saigon.17
”
Finally, on August 18, the protests reached an arguable climax as the Buddhists held a mass
protest of about 15,000 people at Xa Loi Pagoda, Saigon’s largest Pagoda. Three days later, in
response to these protests Diem’s brother, Nhu, ordered ARVN Special Forces troops to execute a
series of synchronized attack on a number of Buddhist pagodas in South Vietnam. Over 1,400
Buddhists were arrested, and even more were killed or disappeared. Troops also confiscated the
charred heart of Thich Quang, the Buddhist monk who had immolated himself in Saigon. Diem and
his regime again denied responsibility but the US had grown tired of Diem’s constant headaches.
The US government believed “that the South Vietnamese Government had violated pledges
on the Buddhist crisis and that the Vietnamese military chiefs were innocent of responsibility for
assault on pagodas…the Buddhist protest movement is understood to affect deeply the Kennedy
Administration’s evolving policy of encouraging Vietnamese military chiefs to reach for power…
peace (is) out of the question as long as Ngo Dinh Nhu, chief of secret police..retains his vast
power.18
” State (Cable) 243 from the Kennedy administration to the US Ambassador to South
Vietnam, Henry Cabot Lodge Jr, furthered this sentenment: Nhu must be removed from power and
to look for alternatives to Diem’s rule if he did not initiate reforms.19
The Kennedy administration
17
Ibid., Smith, "SAIGON UNREST STIRS U.S."
18
Tad Szulc Special to The New York Times, "U.S. SPURNS DENIAL BY DIEM ON CRISIS,"
New York Times (1923-Current File), Aug 29, 1963.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/116552816?accountid=465.
19
“The Overthrow of Ngo Dinh Diem, May–November, 1963,” The Pentagon Papers (Gravel ed.),
10
11. had already begun to attempt to rid themselves of their Diem troubles; meanwhile, the CIA was
trying to ensure that the Diem regime would not see 1964.
Conduct:
The coup d’état against President Diem (October & November 1963):
The Kennedy administration was preparing and seriously discussing plans to remove Diem
as early as June 1963, while the Diem administration was beginning to carry out their religious
persecution against the Buddhists. On July 4, the ARVN generals notified Ambassador Lodge’s
trusted liaison officer and CIA operative, Lucien Conein, that they were beginning preparations for
their plot against Diem. Conein had infiltrated and worked with the South Vietnamese government,
and as such, he was trusted by the ARVN generals not to expose their plans. Moreover, Conein
provided (at least) $42,000 in cash to the ARVN generals plotting against Diem.20
In response to the repression of the Buddhists and attacks on the pagodas, the US imposed
sanctions and froze US aid to Diem’s regime in August. It was during this time, that the United
States was “almost…advocating a military coup d’état in Saigon.21
” In fact, on August 23, President
Kennedy gave the initial go-ahead for the coup against Diem. Six days later, the ARVN generals
were signifying their readiness to move forward; Kennedy again approved and encouraged the plan.
However, Kennedy ordered was emphatic that US support was contingent on ensuring that the US’s
role would be concealed. Similarly, Kennedy believed US support could be concealed during the
Bay of Pigs operation in Cuba. Previously on vacation during the crises and approval of coup, CIA
director John McCone strongly advised Kennedy against supporting a coup. It was at this time the
White House and Kennedy administration began to reconsider its actions. Moreover, this change of
opinion was also due to the fact that the New York Times and other media outlets were beginning to
pp. 201–276. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pentagon2/pent6.htm.
20
Weiner, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, pp. 243.
21
Szulc, "U.S. SPURNS DENIAL BY DIEM ON CRISIS."
11
12. report on intimate details about the planning of the coup.22
The White House cabled Conein to learn
details about the generals’ plan, but not to encourage the plot further. Instead, the White House
ordered Conein to keep a low profile, which was almost impossible for Conein as he was well
known, even famous, in Vietnam by this time.23
The coup against Diem had finally reached the point of no-return, apart from the US to
inform Diem and lose deniability; the ARVN generals had their plan and were ready to strike. To
inform Diem now would mean to lose support of the military. On October 24, Conein met again
with the ARVN generals who informed him that the coup was no more than 10 days away. Conein
informed the generals that the US opposed assassination, but did not discourage the plot for fear of
being cut out of South Vietnam’s emerging power circle. In the last days of Diem’s regime, the
Kennedy administration, with little reform being seen in Vietnam, cut all remaining aid to Diem.
The stage for the coup was set.
A few days later, on November 1, 1963, the coup d’état against Diem’s regime began. The
ARVN generals behind the coup ordered that Saigon be completely shutdown: they halted flights
from the airport, cut telephone lines, stormed police headquarters and the government radio station,
and attacked the centers of political power in Saigon. Conein watched the progress anxiously with
the rest of the generals.24
The generals attempted to give Diem a way out by offering an ultimatum:
if he were to resign immediately they would guarantee his safety and safe departure of his family,
Diem refused. The next day, on November 2, rebel troops made their way into the presidential
palace only to find Diem and his family were no longer in the building but rather in a safe house
elsewhere. Finally, around 6am on November 2, Diem telephoned General Duong Van “Big” Minh,
and informed him of his regime’s readiness to resign. General Minh guaranteed Diem and Nhu’s
safety and sent a convoy, which included Minh’s own personal body guard, to arrest the brothers.
22
Smith, "SAIGON UNREST STIRS U.S."
23
Weiner, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, pp. 250.
24
Weiner, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, pp. 252.
12
13. After they were arrested, the general signaled the convoy to kill Diem and Nhu. It was believed that
President Diem and his brother were executed in the back of an armored personnel vehicle by
ARVN officers on the way back to military headquarters at Tan Son Nhut Air base.
Through all of this, the White House was largely in the dark during the coup against Diem,
and Conein was once again ordered by the Kennedy administration to figure out what was
happening in Saigon. To better understand the situation, Conein went to meet with General Minh,
only to be told that the brothers committed suicide in a Catholic church--an obvious fabrication as
suicide for anyone professing themselves to be Roman Catholic is well aware that committing
suicide is a mortal sin, with the result being eternal damnation of the soul. Conein provided the
requested report to the White House that Diem had likely been killed, but did not provide the full
truth. “General Taylor recounted that the president leaped to his feet and ‘rushed from the room
with a look of shock and dismay on his face which I had never seen before.25
’” Although their tacit-
support of the coup was in hoping a better regime would take Diem’s place, the White House
certainly did not want Diem killed. Later that day, the generals arrived at the American Embassy in
Saigon, with Conein in the back seat traveling along with them. “They walk[ed] up to the embassy,
as if to say, ‘Hey, boss, we did a good job, didn’t we?26
’”
In the wake of the coup and as news spread that Diem and Nhu had been killed the
immediate question was who would assume responsibility for the coup, and who would assume
power in their place. The ARVN generals immediately attempted to diffuse responsibility for the
coup and there was no immediate apparent successor to rule. Conein asserted that “I have it on very
good authority of very many people, that Big Minh gave the order.27
” William Colby, the director of
the CIA’s Far Eastern division reiterated this view.28
Regardless, it was clear that no direct order to
25
Weiner, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, pp. 254.
26
Weiner, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, pp. 255.
27
Howard Jones, Death of a Generation: How the Assassinations of Diem and JFK Prolonged the
Vietnam War, (New York City, NY: Oxford University Press, 2003), pp.435.
28
Jones, Death of a Generation: How the Assassinations of Diem and JFK Prolonged the Vietnam
13
14. kill the brothers ever came from the White House nor from Conein. The White House and the US
did not want Diem outright killed, knowing the worldwide backlash they would receive, especially
after bringing Diem to power in the first place. As a result, as their reputation was increasingly
diminished over carrying out and result of the coup, the generals argued acrimoniously amongst
themselves. And as South Vietnam delved into a period of greater instability and in-fighting, the
war effort also began to falter. The White House and the CIA would be forced to wonder what
might have been, had they only acted differently.
Consequences:
The aftermath of the Diem coup, and the deepening American involvement under President Lyndon
B. Johnson in the wake of President Kennedy’s assassination (1963 and beyond):
The impact and effect of the Diem coup was not well thought out by the US government, or
at least, the consequences of a Diem regime change were not fully appreciated by the US. President
Kennedy and his administration was largely surprised, albeit not shocked, by Diem’s assassination.
Kennedy called the assassination “particularly abhorrent,” and blamed himself for the coup and
eventual assassination against Diem.29
Nonetheless, by not stopping the coup, the Kennedy
administration failed to understand or consider the lack of reasonable alternatives. Shortly after the
coup, US officials recognized the political and military setbacks which had already occurred due to
the coup and the new government’s actions.30
The only two organizations who had the sort of cohesive power structure necessary to
assume the power vacuum created by the Diem coup were either the Viet Cong or the ARVN
generals. The Buddhists, who had created the crisis through their protests which set the stage for
Diem’s removal, lacked the means, plans, or organizational hierarchy necessary to assume power.
War, pp.435.
29
Ibid., pp.425.
30
Jacob Van Staaveren, “USAF Plans and Policies in South Vietnam 1961-1963,” United States Air
Force Historical Liaison Office (June, 1965), pp. 73-80.
http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB248/usaf_61-63.pdf
14
15. The labor unions were urban-based and only appealed to the small segment of the populace that
lived in the cities. The political parties had been outlawed under Diem, were largely clandestine,
and were not prepared for immediate power. Similarly, the religious sects had been largely
decimated by Diem’s ascent and were small and diverse. The Viet Cong had some support and real
influence among the peasantry in the countryside, and they continued to present themselves as the
only realistic alternative to the ARVN. However, the ARVN possessed a large disciplined
organizational structure spanning through South Vietnam, an independent communication and
transportation system, and the bureaucratic tools left behind by Diem’s regime; as such, they were
the clear and obvious choice to fill the power vacuum in the wake of the coup.31
After the coup, the populace was largely ambivalent about Diem’s fate; the coup had
happened only a few months after the Buddhist crises and many were still unhappy with Diem’s
regime’s involvement. However, any hope of the government improving the general functions,
stability, or treatment of the populace by the government quickly evaporated as the ARVN generals
who led the coup, witnessing the worldwide backlash against them, attempted to diffuse their roles
in the coup. Meanwhile, as criticism was increasing, the generals were battling each other for
positions in the new government.
As the dust of the coup settled, distrust set in among the generals. As the State Department
reported in their Pentagon Papers report, “The U.S. military had failed to appreciate the deeply
corrosive effect on internal allegiance and discipline in the Army that Diem's loyalty based
promotion and assignment policies had had. They did not foresee that in the wake of a coup senior
officers would lack the cohesiveness to hang together and that the temptations of power
would promote a divisive internal competition among ambitious men at the expense of the war
against the Viet Cong.32
” “Nor was the US able to find effective formulas to strengthen the
31
“The Political Situation in South Vietnam,” Bureau of Intelligence and Research, U.S. State
Department, http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB121/D-I.pdf.
32
"The Overthrow of Ngo Dinh Diem, May-November, 1963," The Pentagon Papers, Gravel ed.
15
16. government, or to make its own military action against the VC (Viet Cong) more effective without
diminishing South Vietnamese initiative.33
”
Four days after the coup, on November 6, 1963, General Minh took over the government of
South Vietnam under a military junta consisting of himself and twelve other generals. Within three
days the US almost immediately recognized this new government, restored aid ($500 million),
added an additional $107 million in new programs aimed at fighting the Viet Cong, and removed
other sanctions imposed on the Diem regime.34
However, even as economic assistance resumed and
began to pour into Vietnam once again, General Minh could not sustain his regime; his rule would
only last three months.
On January 30, Minh’s regime was toppled in a coup by Nguyen Khanh, shooting Minh’s
body guard and causing small-scaled protests (both for and against Minh) throughout South
Vietnam. Soon after, Khanh attempted to put Minh and many of the ARVN generals on trial.
However, Khan was unable to substantiate his claims; instead, he reprimanded the officers and
confined them to desk jobs or forced them to retire. When Khan himself was disposed in 1965,
almost all of the claims he made against the officers were show to be false. The dependence and
impact of the United States’ economic involvement was relatively large, and South Vietnam’s
economies would not recover to their pre-US involvement GDP per capita by 1969 (indexed
through Japanese yen=100; South Vietnam, 1958: 50; South Vietnam, 1969: 12).35
Largely unscathed and unpunished in the wake of Diem’s assassination, the CIA would
(Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 1971), Section 1, pp. 201-232.
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pentagon2/pent6.htm.
33
“Time of Decision: November 1963-March 1965,” Bureau of Intelligence and Research, U.S.
State Department. http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB121/A-IV.pdf
34
Special to The New York Times, "U.S. WILL RESUME KEY AID PROGRAM IN SOUTH
VIETNAM." New York Times (1923-Current File), Nov 10, 1963.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/116344740?accountid=465.
35
Bassino, Jean-Pascal, and Pierre Van Der Eng, "Economic Divergence in East Asia: New
Benchmark Estimates of Levels of Wages and GDP, 1913-1970," ResearchGate, Accessed April 03,
2016.
16
17. come under greater scrutiny under President Johnson’s administration; as President Kennedy
himself was assassinated on November 22 in Dallas, Texas. Johnson inherited the wealth of
problems and instability that came after the coup. Some of the problems President Johnson faced
included: concerns about being associated with the subsequent regimes (considering the world
opinion regarding the violence of the coup), recurring coups and regime changes in Saigon, a secret
insurgency killing South Vietnamese and Americans alike, and an untrustworthy intelligence
agency operating outside their charter in the CIA. The latter was especially troublesome for Johnson
as he had been concerned about Robert Kennedy and the CIA’s roles in political murder games and
their clandestine operations. In President Kennedy’s administration, his brother Robert had been
Attorney General and had worked on National Security Council problems, counterinsurgency
matters, and other general intelligence work. President Johnson would take matters into his own
hands, as he removed his non-Attorney General roles and requested Robert to resign on December
13th
; Robert Kennedy would indeed resign seven months later.
The Diem coup had clearly had an effect on the agency, at least in the short term. In late
December, CIA director John McCone and President Johnson began to discuss the possibility of a
change in the role of the agency from the covert, clandestine operations it was currently conducting,
to its original and (more importantly) legal role to organize, gather, and report intelligence to the
President. Others took a more moderate view, as one US official said, “If the agency is going to
survive, it has to be limited to clandestine operations-small, high-caliber, short-term, high-
concentration efforts with a minimum of visibility.36
” Regardless, even at the time, many agreed
that the CIA should concentrate on intelligence information gathering and analyzing functions,
“where they have their best work in Vietnam…The agency has been successful, sources say, in its
analysis of enemy strength and capability and usually more correct in its assessments than the
36
William Tuouhy, "CIA in Vietnam Shifting Toward Old Role: Spying," Los Angeles Times
(1923-Current File), Oct 13, 1968.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/156083642?accountid=465.
17
18. military service’s intelligence agencies. However, by moving in-to ‘open’ programs, critics say, the
agency stretched itself too thin.37
”
However, President Johnson also needed the CIA to keep conducting its cover operations to
solve the problems his administration inherited. Johnson did not want American troops to die in
Vietnam; but he also did not want America to pull out of Vietnam, admit failure, or be seen as
weak. He believed, correctly, then, that covert operations were his only real option, and the CIA
was the only organization with the capabilities of carrying covert action out.38
When McCone
himself left the agency shortly before Johnson’s election in November of 1964, he left with a
hauntingly prophetic quote, “We will find ourselves mired down in combat in the jungle in a
military effort that we cannot win, and from which we will have extreme difficulty extracting
ourselves.39
”
Surprisingly enough, the Diem coup and aftermath were nowhere near the end of US
involvement in the region. On August 4, 1964 the Gulf of Tonkin incident was alleged to occur
(discovered in 2005 to be an outright fabrication procured through “intelligence” gathered by the
NSA).40
However, this “attack” was more than enough to allow the Gulf of Tonkin resolution to be
passed through Congress six days later. The resolution marked the first time the President was
allowed to authorize the use of conventional military force without a formal declaration of war. This
act fully committed the US to the war in Vietnam. The war would last until April 1975.
Conclusion:
Through the US’s decision neither to warn, nor stop the ARVN general’s coup against
President Diem, the US was forced to work with the unstable and unreliable subsequent military
regimes which threw Vietnam and its government into years of political and socio-economic
37
Tuouhy, "CIA in Vietnam Shifting Toward Old Role: Spying."
38
Weiner, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, pp. 272-276.
39
“The Air War in North Vietnam: Rolling Thunder Begins, February-June, 1965,” The Pentagon
Papers (Gravel ed.), pp. 332-388. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pentagon3/pent6.htm.
40
Weiner, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, pp. 276.
18
19. instability. Due to the US and the CIA’s concealment and unwillingness to share their knowledge of
an impending coup on South Vietnamese President Diem, the CIA and the US government were
equally complicit through their tacit support of the coup as they would have been by outright
encouragement. In their actions, the CIA, fully supported by the US government, immersed itself in
Vietnamese society and forced the US to assume responsibility over the fate of South Vietnam. A
path to instability began with the problems created by the French United Front and was further
exacerbated by the US’s installation of Diem. Furthermore, America’s continued direct involvement
further exacerbated problems. Increasingly, after decades of conflict and war, South Vietnam was
forced to be reliant on American support which brought further socio-economic and political
instability. As American aid tried to solve these problems, they were only amplified, driving the
US’s increased involvement in the region and charting a new era in US foreign policy particularly
within the region of Southeast Asia and the State of Vietnam.
As General Maxwell Taylor, Chair of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, noted while remembering
US involvement in Vietnam, "there was the memory of Diem to haunt those of us who were aware
of the circumstances of his downfall. By our complicity, we Americans were responsible for the
plight in which the South Vietnamese found themselves.41
"
From 1955 to1964, and even before, a clear pattern emerged when looking at Vietnam from
a lens some 60 years later: imperialist forces from outside and authoritarian forces from within
dominated and controlled a largely peasant populace doing its best to make a living. As with many
wars, political grandstanding, clandestine operations, and general government meddling, the only
people that lose in the long-term are the everyday, peaceful citizen trying to support themselves and
their families. President Diem and his brother Nhu were both killed, and as a result they felt the
effects of their rule, but for the few governmental officials that are killed or imprisoned, there are
thousands more people nowhere near complicit in their government’s actions that are economically
41
Ellen J. Hammer, A Death in November: America in Vietnam, 1963, (New York City, NY: E. P.
Dutton, 1987), pp. 315.
19
20. distressed or destroyed, forced to uproot their lives, tortured, killed, imprisoned, or some
combination of these and others. They are dragged into conflicts that largely do not matter to them,
but they are forced to face adversity and adapt to problems regardless.
Governments are certainly capable of improving lives of citizens, but as in Vietnam when
Diem was attempting to institute reforms, those reforms were always in the context of improving
his own political reputation or increasing his own power; they are almost always put on the
backburner when the reforms are no longer convenient. To the peasant rice farmer at the time, why
does it matter if their ruler is pro-American, pro-French, or a communist? Largely, the war forced
the average citizen to take sides unnecessarily and forced their involvement into a conflict that they
had nothing to do with. If they chose the wrong side, their whole life would be impacted, possibly
destroyed. Both the communists and non-communists alike demanded support for their side, and the
farmer, villager, or factory worker would pay the price for their lack of support depending on who
was sweeping through their area.
From the average American’s perspective, how was hundreds of millions of dollars in aid
and funding given yearly to the war effort and economy in Vietnam helpful to their everyday lives?
Could there be a better use of all that tax revenue that could be put towards helping American
citizens? The Congressional Research Service at the Library of Congress reports that the total
military cost of the Vietnam War was $111 billion (roughly $491 billion today).42
This figure likely
does not include non-military costs nor the value of human life loss during the course of the war. It
is hard to say exactly what effect this money could have had on the average American’s life, but it
is not hard to say that some positive effect of $111 billion could have been had and that the money
could have been put to better use.
The CIA and the US would not be forced to consider for very long what might have been in
Vietnam. An unfortunate aspect of the US’s democracy is the revolving door of leaders and
42
Stephen Dagget, “Cost of Major U.S. Wars,” CRS Report for Congress, Library of Congress,
(July, 2008), pp. 2. http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/108054.pdf.
20
21. personnel which comprise it. They are rarely forced to learn lessons from history and see how their
government failed. This is certainly true of the Diem coup. Those who comprised the CIA or the US
government during the Diem coup was likely promoted, left, or died by the end of the war a decade
later. Kennedy himself did not learn all the lessons he should have previously from the Bay of Pigs
in Cuba. Considering the similarities: an aggressive foreign policy, getting cold feet, and then the
subsequent half-effort defeat; Kennedy should have learned previously to go all in or not at all.
Although the CIA, from time to time, considers changing its role to what its original charter
intended it to be, it never lasts. The CIA is too useful, and too stubborn to admit its failures. The US
government’s foreign policy would not appear to change as it continued to interfere in a plethora of
countries around the world (Chile, Afghanistan, Iraq, and many others), and if there were lessons
learned it was not in Vietnam as the US doubled down in their support of South Vietnam and
increased our involvement even more after the Diem coup.
As others have said, evil only triumphs when good men and women fail to act. That is
certainly true in Vietnam, and it is definitely true in the United States. A truly good United States
does not torture, wage unjust wars, and definitely does not play political murder games, all of which
it did in Vietnam. The US government did not change its long-term foreign policy after the coup
against Diem, nor did it change when the Vietnam War ended. The only way it will change is when
enough knowledgeable citizens take notice and vote accordingly. But to the millions who lost their
lives in Southeast Asia, and elsewhere the US invokes its foreign policy, it will not matter when the
US changes, as it’s already too late.
Annotated Bibliography:
1
Alfred W. McCoy, The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade, 2nd
rev ed.
(Brooklyn, NY: Lawrence Hill Books, 1991), pp.152-153.
Used Professor McCoy’s book for information on the background of the French client-state and the
different groups they supported/used to support their rule.
21
22. 2
Jessica Chapman, Cauldron of resistance: Ngo Dinh Diem, the United States, and 1950s southern
Vietnam, (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2013), pp. 74.
Used Mrs. Champman’s book for the statistic of how much land organizations like the Bien Xuyen
were controlling at the time.
3
McCoy, The Politics of Heroin: CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade, pp.154.
Used Professor McCoy’s book for the information on opium and the quote on casinos.
4
Ibid., pp. 152
Used Professor McCoy’s book for the quote.
5
Special to The New York Times, "Text of Eisenhower-Diem Statement." New York Times (1923-
Current File), May 12, 1957.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/113929595?accountid=465.
Used this article printed in the New York Times to support my statement about the US assisting in
moving refugees and the increased US involvement in partnership with Diem.
6
"Focus on Diem", New York Times (1923-Current File), May 15, 1955.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/113436888?accountid=465.
Used this article printed in the New York Times to support my statement about the US not wanting
the communist regime to annex South Vietnam
7
Seth Jacobs. Cold War Mandarin: Ngo Dinh Diem and the Origins of America's War in Vietnam,
1950–1963. (Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006), pp.91.
Used Mr. Jacobs book for my statement that Buddhist villages were receiving a disproportionate
amount of aid compared to Catholic villages.
8
Special to The New York Times, "U.S. DISAVOWS AIM OF SAVING BAO DAI; AGAIN
BACKS DIEM," New York Times (1923-Current File), May 07, 1955.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/113342139?accountid=465.
Used this article printed in the New York Times to support my statement about the US believing
Diem was the key to the war effort in Vietnam.
9
Russel Baker Special to The New York Times, "Eisenhower Greets Vietnam President, Extols
Patriotism," New York Times (1923-Current File), May 09, 1957.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/113937521?accountid=465.
Used this article printed in the New York Times to support my statistics about US aid to Vietnam.
10
Tim Weiner, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, 1st
ed. (New York, NY: Anchor Books,
2007), pp. 243.
Used Mr. Weiner’s book to support my information on how the CIA assisted Diem’s regime.
11
Homer Bigart, "Vietnam Victory Remote Despite U.S. Aid to Diem," New York Times (1923-
Current File), Jul 25, 1962.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/116212290?accountid=465.
Used this quote in an article printed in the New York Times to support my view of Diem’s inability
to further the war effort in the view of the Americans.
12
Ibid., Bigart, "Vietnam Victory Remote Despite U.S. Aid to Diem."
22
23. Used this quote in an article printed in the New York Times to support my view that Diem is unable
to gain support of the rural people in the countryside and the populace in general.
13
"The Situation In South Vietnam – SNIE 53-2-63," The Pentagon Papers, Gravel ed. (Boston,
MA: Beacon Press, 1971), pp. 729–733.
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pentagon2/doc125.htm
Used the Pentagon Papers to support my statistic about the number of Buddhists in Vietnam.
14
Joseph Buttinger, Vietnam: A Dragon Embattled, (New York: Praeger, 1967), pp. 993.
Used Mr. Buttinger’s book to support my information about Diem’s biases in providing
governmental aid to Catholics.
15
Nathaniel Peffer, "To Save South Vietnam," New York Times (1923-Current File), Dec 06, 1961.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/115303420?accountid=465.
Used this article printed in the New York Times to support my statement about withdrawing US aid
and the American ambassador.
16
Hedrick Smith Special to The New York Times, "SAIGON UNREST STIRS U.S.," New York
Times (1923-Current File), Jul 21, 1963.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/116430631?accountid=465.
Used this article printed in the New York Times to better understand and discuss the protests in
Saigon.
17
Ibid., Smith, "SAIGON UNREST STIRS U.S."
Used this article printed in the New York Times to better understand and discuss the protests in
Saigon, and to describe American feelings about Diem during the protests
18
Tad Szulc Special to The New York Times, "U.S. SPURNS DENIAL BY DIEM ON CRISIS,"
New York Times (1923-Current File), Aug 29, 1963.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/116552816?accountid=465.
Used this quote in an article printed in the New York Times to discuss the furtherance of US
frustrations with Diem and the need to remove Nhu.
19
“The Overthrow of Ngo Dinh Diem, May–November, 1963,” The Pentagon Papers (Gravel ed.),
pp. 201–276. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pentagon2/pent6.htm.
Used the Pentagon Papers to better support my information about what Cable 243 consisted of.
20
Weiner, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, pp. 243.
Used Mr. Weiner’s book to support my information on how the CIA assisted the coup against
Diem.
21
Szulc, "U.S. SPURNS DENIAL BY DIEM ON CRISIS."
Used this quote in an article printed in the New York Times to discuss the furtherance of US
attempts to encourage regime change in Saigon.
22
Smith, "SAIGON UNREST STIRS U.S."
Used this article printed in the New York Times to help support my view that the Times and other
media outlets knew about US involvement in the coup.
23
24. 23
Weiner, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, pp. 250.
Used this quote to show how impossible it was for Conein to keep a “low-profile, as Mr. Weiner
wrote about the US’s directions, “Find out the generals’ plans, don’t encourage them, keep a low
profile. Too late: the line between espionage and covert action had already been crossed. Conein
was far too famous work undercover; ‘I had a very high profile in Vietnam,’ Conein said.”
24
Weiner, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, pp. 252.
Used Mr. Weiner’s book to support that Conein was quite literally in the room during the coup’s
progression.
25
Weiner, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, pp. 254.
Used a quote in Mr. Weiner’s book to show how shocked and upset JFK was that Diem was killed.
26
Weiner, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, pp. 255.
Used a quote in Mr. Weiner’s book to show both how involved Conein and the CIA were in the
coup, and how complicit the US was by inviting them immediately after the coup to meet with
Amb. Lodge.
27
Howard Jones, Death of a Generation: How the Assassinations of Diem and JFK Prolonged the
Vietnam War, (New York City, NY: Oxford University Press, 2003), pp.435.
Used Mr. Jones’ book to help substantiate that Minh gave the order to kill Diem.
28
Jones, Death of a Generation: How the Assassinations of Diem and JFK Prolonged the Vietnam
War, pp.435.
Used Mr. Jones’ book to help substantiate that Minh gave the order to kill Diem.
29
Ibid., pp.425.
Used Mr. Jones’ book to discuss JFK’s feelings about the coup and his regret in being involved.
30
Jacob Van Staaveren, “USAF Plans and Policies in South Vietnam 1961-1963,” United States Air
Force Historical Liaison Office (June, 1965), pp. 73-80.
http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB248/usaf_61-63.pdf
Used the Air Force’s historical office report to discuss how the coup affected the war effort.
31
“The Political Situation in South Vietnam,” Bureau of Intelligence and Research, U.S. State
Department, http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB121/D-I.pdf.
Used the Bureau of Intelligence and Research’s report as a general history for the paragraph to
discuss how the coup was not well thought out by the US, and how the Viet Cong and ARVN were
the two main organizations able to improve their stakes in the wake of the coup.
32
"The Overthrow of Ngo Dinh Diem, May-November, 1963," The Pentagon Papers, Gravel ed.
(Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 1971), Section 1, pp. 201-232.
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pentagon2/pent6.htm
Used this quote in the Pentagon Papers to discuss how the coup was not well thought out by the US,
in the opinion of the US.
33
“Time of Decision: November 1963-March 1965,” Bureau of Intelligence and Research, U.S.
State Department, http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB121/A-IV.pdf
24
25. Used this quote in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research’s report to discuss how, after the coup,
the US could not improve the government or the war effort against the Viet Cong.
34
Special to The New York Times, "U.S. WILL RESUME KEY AID PROGRAM IN SOUTH
VIETNAM," New York Times (1923-Current File), Nov 10, 1963.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/116344740?accountid=465.
Used this statistic posted in an article printed in the New York Times to show the resumption of aid
to Vietnam from the US.
35
Bassino, Jean-Pascal, and Pierre Van Der Eng, "Economic Divergence in East Asia: New
Benchmark Estimates of Levels of Wages and GDP, 1913-1970," ResearchGate, Accessed April 03,
2016.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242771349_Economic_Divergence_in_East_Asia_New_
Benchmark_Estimates_of_Levels_of_Wages_and_GDP_1913-1970.
Used this research paper on the economies of Southeast Asia during the 20th
century to show the
dependence of South Vietnam on US aid.
36
William Tuouhy, "CIA in Vietnam Shifting Toward Old Role: Spying," Los Angeles Times
(1923-Current File), Oct 13, 1968.
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.wisc.edu/docview/156083642?accountid=465.
Used this quote printed in the LA Times to show the diverse opinions regarding what the CIA
should do, at the time the US was involved in Vietnam.
37
Tuouhy, "CIA in Vietnam Shifting Toward Old Role: Spying."
Used this quote printed in the LA Times to show that many agreed the CIA should focus on
intelligence gathering, as also shown in the Mr. Weiner’s book.
38
Weiner, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, pp. 272-276.
Used Mr. Weiner’s book to show that a President has only a few options when trying to resolve
military conflict, LBJ chose the one he felt had the best chance of working with fewest casualties.
39
“The Air War in North Vietnam: Rolling Thunder Begins, February-June, 1965,” The Pentagon
Papers (Gravel ed.), pp. 332-388. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/pentagon3/pent6.htm.
Used former CIA Director McCone’s quote in the Pentagon Papers predicting the outcome of the
Vietnam War exactly.
40
Weiner, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, pp. 276.
Used Mr. Weiner’s book to support the statement that the Golf of Tonkin incident was fabricated, or
at least, never happened.
41
Ellen J. Hammer, A Death in November: America in Vietnam, 1963, (New York City, NY: E. P.
Dutton, 1987), pp. 315.
Used this quote from Gen. Taylor to show the American understanding of how the US had messed
up Vietnam both for the people and the government of South Vietnam.
42
Stephen Dagget, “Cost of Major U.S. Wars,” CRS Report for Congress, Library of Congress,
(July, 2008), pp. 2. http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/108054.pdf
Used Mr. Dagget’s report to allow the reader to fully understand the cost of wars, in particular, the
Vietnam War.
25