Posted on Nov 6, 2017
General Minh takes over leadership of South Vietnam - Nov 06, 1963 - HISTORY.com
2.17K
24
13
10
10
0
In the aftermath of the November 1 coup that resulted in the murder of President Ngo Dinh Diem, Gen. Duong Van Minh, leading the Revolutionary Military Committee of the dissident generals who had conducted the coup, takes over leadership of South Vietnam.
U.S. Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge cabled President Kennedy, “We could neither manage nor stop [the coup] once it got started…It is equally certain that the ground in which the coup seed grew into a robust plant was prepared by us, and that the coup would not have happened [as] it did without our permission.” Lodge’s words were more than a little disingenuous since he had long been a proponent of removing Diem from power.
Following Diem’s death, a Buddhist named Nguyen Ngoc Tho became premier, but the real power was held by the Revolutionary Military Committee headed by General Minh. The new government earned U.S. approval in part by pledging not to become a dictatorship and announcing, “The best weapon to fight communism is democracy and liberty.” However, Minh was unable to form a viable government and he himself was overthrown in a bloodless coup led by Gen. Nguyen Khanh in January 1964.
U.S. Ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge cabled President Kennedy, “We could neither manage nor stop [the coup] once it got started…It is equally certain that the ground in which the coup seed grew into a robust plant was prepared by us, and that the coup would not have happened [as] it did without our permission.” Lodge’s words were more than a little disingenuous since he had long been a proponent of removing Diem from power.
Following Diem’s death, a Buddhist named Nguyen Ngoc Tho became premier, but the real power was held by the Revolutionary Military Committee headed by General Minh. The new government earned U.S. approval in part by pledging not to become a dictatorship and announcing, “The best weapon to fight communism is democracy and liberty.” However, Minh was unable to form a viable government and he himself was overthrown in a bloodless coup led by Gen. Nguyen Khanh in January 1964.
General Minh takes over leadership of South Vietnam - Nov 06, 1963 - HISTORY.com
Posted from history.com
Vietnam War
American History
Military History
Posted 7 y ago
Responses: 4
3
3
0
Thank you for the great read. I was really surprised to see that the war in Vietnam started decades before we got involved. Like 1946 I think...I love to learn anything I can about the war that took my father and never got a chance to meet him. I know that I am not alone in that . My heart goes out to everyone who lost a father, mother, child, grandchildren, and the list goes on...
(3)
(0)
SPC Brett Curry
Thank you for your service Sir... I've been to war, Dessert Storm, and I have been to Korea during team spirit. So I know what type of jungles they have. Like the Triple canopy areas where the sun never shines. And I have talked to a lot of men who were there. Trying to get a little bit of a understanding of what you guys went through there. The statement that had the most profound impact on me came from a staff Sargent on the new documentary about the Vietnam war that just came out about 6 months ago maybe. He said that he wld look down when on patrol and try to figure out how he was putting one foot in front of the other. Courage was just being there. Like I said, I've been to war, and cldnt imagine what you men went through. I thank you soooooo much for being one of those courageous men SP5 Mark Kuzinski....we owe you guys a lot more than most troops who came home from war. All of them were hero's. Korea, WW1,WW2, Desert Storm, Iraq and Afghanistan. Everyone but the men who went to Nam. I'm so sorry for the way you men were treated..I'm ashamed...I can Only hope that the people who did it feel ten times the shame I feel. Just a shameful time in America history. Sorry for the rant. But as you can tell I'm very passionate about this...
(1)
(0)
SP5 Mark Kuzinski
SPC Brett Curry - As I said, I was one of the lucky ones. I was stationed in Thailand in 1966 - very lucky.
(1)
(0)
SGT Philip Roncari
SPC Brett Curry -I too am sorry for the loss of your dad in that terrible place,you lost a father and we Vietnam vets lost a Brother I can assure you he and all the rest will never be forgotten while we draw breath ,thank you for your Service .
(1)
(0)
SPC Brett Curry
Thank you SGT Philip Roncari . I thank you for for your service as well Sir. In a way we share this together. But thanks for men like you, who have been through way more than I have, help me understand. And it means the world to me. Again, thank you for your service. Nothing but respect....hats off Sgt!!
(0)
(0)
1
1
0
The rat hole that Vietnam became as it sucked up many hundred of thousands and even into the millions human lives was at its heart a drive for independence for Vietnam. Those people desired to move under a communistic form of government, leaving so called democratic rule by France, because at least Vietnamese people would exercise rule. Those people squirmed under foreign domination, first by imperial China for many centuries until France wrestled it out from China during the 1880's, the Japanese came in with the vacuum in French rule in 1940 until France came back, supported by Nationalists China forces, and so war resounded from 1945 onward. The worst part of the whole war, perhaps, was that Americans, sons of liberty, were fighting in the country to resist international communism lest that red tide win all over the earth and so Vietnam fought against itself. The Vietnam War was an unfortunate civil war that became an international war, resulting in anguish for many mothers, wives, and sisters.
(1)
(0)
1
1
0
All this is the 2nd Indochina War. The beginnings can be traced via the 1st Indochina war. Good books about this are all about OSS Detachment 101, and OSS to Special Forces by Arron Banks. Webwiukd not help the Vietnamese in WWII to be an independent country as we were allies with the French. Interestingly, we assisted the Thais and prevented the English from controlling Thailand
(1)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google