America’s Mandarin

President Ngo Dinh Diem After Vietnam divided, Diem ran the southern part of Vietnam Graciously accepted American technology and money but resisted American advice and extra troops –Resisted this because he feared an overwhelming foreign influence may cause him to lose control of South Vietnam

Why Vietnam was Divided Vietnam was divided because the northern and southern provinces were supported by different states –The Soviet Union and the USSR supported the north and wanted to create an expanded Communist regime –The United States and its allies supported the southern province and made efforts to expand democracy and freedom of the people Different supporters effectively divided Vietnam into south and north Vietnam The division was only meant to be temporary with elections to be held in 1956 to decide whether Vietnam would be governed by a democracy headed by Diem or be put in the iron grip of a communist regime headed by Ho Chi Minh

Politics After the division, the Geneva agreements dictated that Ho Chi Minh must withdraw his troops from south Vietnam –Although his supporters were still allowed to reside in the south This led to more American involvement in the south to aid Diem in his rise to power

Propaganda The US wanted the Catholics in north Vietnam to move to the southern province American agents assigned to the Northern province used propaganda to “guide” these people to a quick decision This was because a period was nearing that would prohibit free movement

US Aid in South Vietnam President Eisenhower sent millions of dollars along with better technology to help Diem rise to power This was mainly done to stop the spread of the Communist regime Ultimately in the end, the US gave Vietnam the freedom to choose its own government

Diem’s Stubbornness A notorious gangster and opium dealer (Bay Vien) who controlled all of the prostitution houses, gambling rackets, and the secret police attempted to offer support for Diem Diem publicly refused this kind of political support (he was Catholic) and staged a symbolic burning of opium pipes and directly attacked Bay Vien at his stronghold located in Saigon’s police station

Saigon in Ruins After the attack staged by Diem on Bay Vien, Vien’s troops began fighting Diem’s troops throughout Saigon Unless Diem brought his forces together he would lose the American support he desperately needed Many of Diem’s supporters had become convinced that he lacked the political strength to manage the collective of Vietnam’s people Although Diem did prevail, the fight did reveal that he was distrustful and would not compromise and would fight all resistance

Diem’s Popularity Shortly after his rise to power, there was uncertainty as to whether or not Diem would win the election This concern arose because Ho Chi Minh was well known by all of Vietnam’s residents; where as Diem was not To counter this, Diem made a series of trips throughout the country to gain supporters

Diem’s Problems In the late 1950’s his problems started to get bigger He drew his family in closer and relied on his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu, who ran their secret police, to set out and eradicate the communists and other threats

Diem’s Revenge *note that the French were a very good ally of South Vietnam After the Vietminh regrouped to the north, people who fought against the French and those who helped resist them, were targets of Diem’s fury He forced the selected people to abandon the altar of their ancestors and forced them to practice Catholicism

Opposition As opposition to the Diem administration grew, more challengers rose and began to practice their own beliefs Diem had become a tyrant by forcing the religion change stated earlier Some of these dissidents were not taken seriously –The Buddhist monks were one of these challengers –Diem thought that anyone who could shave their head and eyebrows and put on a robe was a devout Buddhist

Monk on Fire As an effort to earn the proper respect and to further religious teachings, a monk, Thich Quang Duc set himself ablaze as a symbolic torch to further preserve the Buddhist teachings

US Publicly Deny Diem’s Actions As Diem began to lose control, he did things that were harmful to his position A coup began to arise because of Diem’s actions The US began to deny Diem’s actions because he would not follow the advice that his American allies offered him This caused the US to start cutting support to South Vietnam and Diem started losing his grip on the country

The Coup Since the US cut support to Diem it implicated in Diem’s downfall Without the troops, money, or technology Diem was vulnerable to attack from the NLF (National Liberation Front- coalition of Ho Chi Minh’s troops and from his supporters and a mission to liberate Vietnam from Diem) and was eventually assassinated along with his brother in 1963 In the end, ultimate responsibility for the coup lay with Diem himself This is because he kept doing things that the US would have to publicly disapprove of and it would encourage a coup