Conflict in Indochina 1954 1979 Downfall of Diem

Conflict in Indochina 1954– 1979 Downfall of Diem Mr Scully HSC Modern History

Outcomes for this Lesson Explain why Diem’s regime was beginning to fail, and the major factors behind it. Recall the protests of 1963 from Buddhist sectors of the community. Why were they significant? Describe the circumstances behind Diem’s death. Discuss the aftermath of the fall of Diem.

Beginning of the End Diem’s government had been a creation of the Americans, and it depended primarily on American support. It was a government riddled with corruption, and lacked wide support. Two factors combined to seal the fate of Ngo Dinh Diem: the poor performance of the South Vietnamese army and the refusal of his commanders to fight the wave of public protest staged by members of South Vietnam’s Buddhist majority against the treatment that they had received from Diem’s minority Catholic ruling elite. Diem’s brother, Ngo Dinh Thuc, for example, was the

Religion Thuc had encouraged local officials in Hue to enforce a ban on the display of Buddhist flags. Under a government edict, only the South Vietnamese national flag was allowed to be flown. On 8 May 1963, there was a major street protest in Hue by Buddhists asserting the right to fly their flags. It ended in violence, including the deaths of an uncertain number of Buddhists. Estimates ranged from seven to nine deaths, with perhaps 15 injured. The Buddhist leadership called on Diem’s government to give them the same freedom as Catholics. Buddhist pressure on the government intensified.

Protest and Media The Buddhists were able to mobilise a good deal of support in the urban areas, and they made skilful use of the American media. Diem blamed the Hue massacre on the NLF and the VC. On 11 June, a 66 -year-old Buddhist monk, Thich (Reverend) Quang Duc, staged a protest that gained worldwide media attention. He sat calmly in a Saigon street and had two helpers pour petrol over him before setting himself on fire. As the flames engulfed him he remained perfectly still. The press had been alerted, and the cause of the protest was widely publicised. Diem’s sister-in law Madame Nhu tried to dismiss the event by referring to the ‘barbecue’. Her comments only made matters worse.

http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=xp. WICOZcn 1 g&fe ature=related Eliza – Probably best to look away…. .

These dramatic acts of protest were very successful because they gained wide coverage in the US media. Until then, US journalists had paid scant attention to the corruption or repression of the South Vietnamese government. Reporters had been more interested in war stories, and they had been guided in that direction by US government media liaison officers. War stories were exciting and ‘good news’ war stories were easy copy for the journalists. The martyrdom of the Buddhist monks, however, dramatically shifted the focus of the American media to a new aspect of the Vietnam story

Diem’s Assassination The USA let it be known through government officials and the CIA that they now looked favourably on plans to overthrow Diem. Roger Hilsman told President Kennedy that a coup to remove Diem could be expected within six months. After considerable plotting, the South Vietnamese generals moved against Diem on 1 November 1963. Diem and his brother Nhu were assassinated, and General Duong Van Minh became the new leader of South Vietnam.

The gruesome scene of Diem’s death.

End of Spectating By the end of the month President Kennedy had been assassinated in Dallas, Texas, and Lyndon Johnson had become president. When Kennedy had come to office there had been 800 American military personnel in Vietnam. In November 1963, there were more than 16 000 troops. Still, America’s involvement in the Vietnam War was about to grow even further. Johnson was about to raise the stakes and lift the level of the American commitment to the war.