Overthrow of Diệm Dương Văn Minh

minh , trần văn Đôn, arvn chief of staff had no troops due diệm s suspicion of him, went observe southeast asia treaty organization (seato) s military exercises in thailand, informed regional disquiet on diệm s policies toward buddhists.

minh railed against diệm in september meeting lodge, decrying police state being created cần lao party of ngô family. harkins reported minh has done nothing complain me government , way handled since have been here . harkins skeptical minh s claims of widespread public disenchantment.

during late-september, president kennedy dispatched mcnamara taylor mission investigate political , military situation in south vietnam. included investigating arvn coup. minh expressed interest in meeting mcnamara , taylor, game of doubles tennis organized. mcnamara watched on taylor played minh, giving broad hints of our interest in other subjects gave him during breaks in game . minh revealed nothing of thoughts possible coup, leaving guests bewildered. minh later messaged taylor complaint perceived lack of support washington coup. diệm became unpopular during buddhist crisis of 1963; u.s. informed vietnamese generals (through cia) not object if diệm overthrown. minh second highest ranking general @ time, , led coup overthrow diệm on 1 november 1963.

in afternoon, minh ordered bodyguard, nguyễn văn nhung, arrest, , later execute, colonel lê quang tung, 1 of diệm s closest , faithful associates. generals hated tung, because, @ ngô Đình nhu s instructions, had disguised men in regular army uniforms , framed army xá lợi pagoda raids several months earlier, in august. @ nightfall, nhung took tung , major lê quảng trịeu, brother , deputy , drove them edge of air base. forced kneel on 2 freshly dug holes, brothers shot graves , buried. in morning of 2 november, diệm agreed surrender. arvn officers had reportedly intended merely exile diệm , nhu, having promised them safe passage .

minh , Đôn asked colonel lucien conein secure american aircraft take brothers out of country. assistant secretary of state roger hilsman recommended if generals decide exile diệm, should sent outside southeast asia. went on anticipate termed götterdämmerung in palace .

minh went gia long palace, , minh sent armored personnel carrier transport diệm , nhu, while others prepared ceremonial , televised handover of power junta. minh arrived in full military ceremonial uniform supervise arrest of ngô brothers, find had escaped , humiliated him, having talked him safe house. minh reported mortified when realised diệm , nhu had escaped in middle of night leaving rebels fight empty building. however, diệm s hideout found , surrounded, , minh sent general mai hữu xuân, deputy colonel nguyễn văn quan, bodyguard nguyễn văn nhung , dương hiếu nghĩa arrest both brothers.

nhung , nghĩa sat brothers in apc convoy headed off after arrest. before convoy had departed church, minh reported have gestured nhung, contract killer , minh s bodyguard, 2 right-hand fingers. taken order kill both brothers. during journey, brothers killed in apc, nhung riddling bodies many bullets. investigation Đôn later determined nghĩa , nhung sprayed them bullets before repeatedly stabbing them. when corpses arrived @ military headquarters, generals shocked. Đôn ordered general tell reporters brothers had died in accident , went confront minh in office.

don: why dead?
minh: , matter dead?

Đôn later reported minh had answered question in haughty tone. @ time, xuân walked minh s office through open door, unaware of Đôn s presence. xuân snapped attention , stated mission accomplie .

minh had subordinates report ngô brothers had committed suicide. unclear , contradictory stories abounded on exact method used brothers. minh said due inadvertence, there gun inside vehicle. gun committed suicide. conein realized generals story false. after, photos of bloodied corpses of brothers appeared in media, discrediting generals lies. Đôn s assertion assassinations unplanned proved sufficient lodge, told state department sure assassination not @ direction. minh , Đôn reiterated position in meeting conein , lodge few days after coup.

culpability regarding killings of diệm , nhu

the assassinations caused split within junta , repulsed world opinion. killings damaged public belief new regime improvement on diệm, throwing generals discord. criticism on killings caused officers battle 1 positions in new government. responsibility assassinations has been laid @ doorstep of minh. conein asserted have on authority of many people, big minh gave order , did william colby, director of cia s far eastern division. Đôn, however, equally emphatic, saying can state without equivocation done general dương văn minh , him alone. lodge believed xuân @ least partly culpable, asserting: diệm , nhu had been assassinated, if not xuan personally, @ least @ direction. months after event, minh reported have privately told american official had no alternative. had killed. diệm not allowed live because respected among simple, gullible people in countryside, catholics , refugees. had kill nhu because feared — , had created organizations arms of personal power.

when nguyễn văn thiệu became president, minh blamed him assassinations. in 1971, minh claimed thiệu had caused deaths hesitating , delaying attack 5th division on gia long palace. Đôn reported have pressured thieu during night of siege, asking him on phone why slow in doing it? need more troops? if do, ask Đính send more troops—and because after taking palace made general. thiệu denied responsibility , issued statement: dương văn minh has assume entire responsibility death of ngô Đình diệm.

trần văn hương, opposition politician jailed diệm, , future prime minister , president, gave scathing analysis of generals action. said top generals decided murder diệm , brother scared death. generals knew having no talent, no moral virtues, no political support whatsoever, not prevent spectacular comeback of president , mr. nhu if alive.

conein asserted minh s humiliation diệm , nhu major motivation ordering executions. conein reasoned brothers doomed death once escaped palace, instead of surrendering , accepting offer of safe exile. having stormed palace, minh had arrived @ presidential residence in full ceremonial military uniform sedan , else . conein described minh proud man had lost face turning @ palace, ready claim victory, find empty building. claimed diệm , nhu not have been killed if in palace, because there many people present.

american policy makers later came believe coup , murders president diệm , brother more entrenched united states in war, increasing responsibility had occurred after deposing of diệm s administration.

in view of stanley karnow, former journalist in saigon saturday evening post, minh not main mover. senior general, man crystallized various factions plotting against diệm. , brother [north vietnamese army brigadier general dương văn nhựt] had plot.