Overthrow+and+Assassination+of+Diem

=Overthrow and Assassination of Diem=

Ngo Dinh Diem was the first president of South Vietnam. He was supported by the U.S.for his stance against communism. Diem gained the presidency in what many consider to be a very fraudulent plebiscite. Diem showed strong political skill in ruling South Vietnam and was supported by the U.S. until he began to supress peoples of the Buddhist religion. The U.S. frustration towards Diem increased as Diem's public image worsened. Diem's public image was going down the drains as he continued to put down the Buddhists of South Vietnam, and since the U.S. supported Diem, he was making the U.S. look bad. Diem used his very anti-Communistic stance to give the U.S. reason to keep him in office.

Diem did not change however and the U.S. could no longer support Diem and his actions in South Vietnam. The American ambassador refused to meet with Diem on orders from JFK. After learning that a coup d'etat (a group designed to overthrow or assassinate a government leader) was being formed by ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam), the United States assured ARVN generals that they would not interfere with their operations. On November 1st 1963 the generals called the palace of Diem offering Diem exile if he surrendered. However Diem and his brother escaped through underground passageways, but were captured in Cholon on November 2nd. The Brothers were executed in the back of the armoured personnel carrier. Diem was then replaced by Dương Văn Minh who would also be overthrown by the U.S. in the following year.

Citations:

Jacobs, Seth (2006). //Cold War Mandarin: Ngo Dinh Diem and the Origins of America's War in Vietnam, 1950–1963//. Lanham, Maryland:

Topmiller, Robert J. (2006). //The Lotus Unleashed: The Buddhist Peace Movement in South Vietnam//. University Press of Kentucky