Coup and death Ngô Đình Nhu

by time, diệm , nhu knew group of arvn generals , colonels planning coup, didn t know tôn thất Đính among them. nhu ordered Đính , tung plan fake coup against ngô family. 1 of nhu s objectives trick dissidents joining false uprising identified , eliminated. objective of stunt give false impression of strength of regime.

codenamed operation bravo, first stage of scheme involve of tung s loyalist soldiers, disguised insurgents led apparently renegade junior officers, faking coup , vandalising capital. during orchestrated chaos of first coup, disguised loyalists riot , in ensuing mayhem, kill leading coup plotters, such generals dương văn minh, trần văn Đôn, lê văn kim , junior officers assisting them. loyalists , of nhu s underworld connections kill figures assisting conspirators, such titular relatively powerless vice president nguyễn ngọc thơ, cia agent lucien conein, on assignment in vietnam military adviser, , lodge. these blamed on neutralist , pro-communist elements . tung announce formation of revolutionary government consisting of opposition activists had not consented being named in government, while diệm , nhu pretend on run , move vũng tàu. fake counter-coup follow, whereupon tung s men, having left saigon on pretext of fighting communists, Đình s forces, triumphantly re-enter saigon reaffirm diệm regime. nhu round opposition figures.

Đình put in charge of fake coup , allowed additional control of 7th division based in mỹ tho, south of capital, assigned diệm loyalist general huỳnh văn cao, in charge of iv corps in mekong delta. reassignment of 7th division Đính gave iii corps complete encirclement of saigon. encirclement prevent cao storming capital save diệm had done during 1960 coup attempt.

nhu , tung, remained unaware of Đình s switch in loyalties , fooled. Đình told them fresh troops needed in capital, opining if move reserves city, americans angry. ll complain re not fighting war. must camouflage our plan sending special forces out country. deceive them. nhu had no idea Đình s real intention engulf saigon rebel units , lock tung s loyalists in countryside not defend ngô family. tung , nhu agreed send 4 saigon-based special forces companies out of capital on 29 october 1963.

diệm s dead body in of armoured personnel carrier

on 1 november 1963, real coup went ahead, cao , tung s troops isolated outside saigon, unable rescue diệm , nhu rebel encirclement. time ngô brothers realised coup not fake action organised loyalists, tung had been called joint general staff headquarters @ airbase, under pretense of routine meeting, , seized , executed. attempts diệm , nhu make contact Đình blocked other generals, staff claimed Đình elsewhere, leading nhu , diệm believe had been captured. around 20:00, presidential guard hopelessly outnumbered, diệm , nhu hurriedly packed , escaped palace, 2 loyalists: cao xuân vy, head of nhu s republican youth, , air force lieutenant Đỗ thơ, diệm s aide-de-camp. thơ s uncle colonel Đỗ mậu, director of military security , participant in coup plot. brothers believed have escaped through secret tunnel, , emerged in wooded area in nearby park, picked , taken supporter s house in chinese merchant district of cholon. nhu reported have suggested diệm brothers split up, arguing enhance chances of survival. nhu proposed 1 travel join cao s iv corps, while other go ii corps of general nguyễn khánh in central highlands. nhu believed rebel generals not dare kill 1 of them while other free, in case surviving brother regain power. diệm turned down idea.

the brothers sought asylum embassy of republic of china, turned down , stayed in safehouse appealed arvn loyalists , attempted negotiate coup leaders. nhu s agents had fitted home direct phone line palace, coup generals believed brothers still besieged inside gia long. neither rebels nor loyalist presidential guard had idea @ 21:00 fight empty building, leading futile deaths. diệm , nhu refused surrender, 5th division of colonel nguyễn văn thiệu besieged palace , captured dawn.

in morning of 2 november, diệm , nhu agreed surrender. arvn officers had promised ngô brothers safe exile , honorable retirement . u.s. did not want diệm , nhu near vietnam because of plots mount try regain power . when dương văn minh found palace empty, angered, informed of ngô brothers location. nhu , diệm fled nearby catholic church of st. francis xavier, taken custody , put armoured personnel carrier, taken military headquarters. convoy led general mai hữu xuân , brothers guarded inside apc major dương hiếu nghĩa , captain nguyễn văn nhung, minh s bodyguard. before convoy had departed church, minh reported have gestured nhung 2 fingers. taken order kill both brothers. investigation general trần văn Đôn later determined nghĩa shot brothers @ point-blank range semi-automatic firearm , nhung sprayed them bullets before repeatedly stabbing bodies knife.

nghia gave account of occurred during journey military headquarters: rode joint general staff headquarters, diệm sat silently, nhu , captain [nhung] began insult each other. don t know started it. name-calling grew passionate. captain had hated nhu before. charged emotion. nghia said [nhung] lunged @ nhu bayonet , stabbed him again , again, maybe fifteen or twenty times. still in rage, turned diệm, took out revolver , shot him in head. looked @ nhu, lying on floor, twitching. put bullet head too. neither diệm nor nhu ever defended themselves. hands tied. according historian howard jones, fact killings failed make brothers martyrs constituted vivid testimonial depth of popular hatred had aroused. months later, minh reportedly confided american source had no alternative. had killed. diệm not allowed live because respected among simple, gullible people in countryside, catholics , refugees. had kill nhu because feared—and had created organizations arms of personal power.

the 2 brothers (nhu , diệm) buried junta in location remains unknown. speculated burial places include military prison, local cemetery, , grounds of jgs headquarters @ tan son nhut; there reports of cremation.

the 2 brothers reburied in cemetery in lai thieu, around 20–30 km north of ho chi minh city. tombstones written in vietnamese huynh meaning elder brother, , Đệ meaning younger brother.