Despite the behind-the-scenes American involvement in the death of Ngo Dinh Diem, the Assassinations Report concluded by stating, The details of Diem’s and Nhu’s deaths are not known. Two of his primary concerns were Vietnam and Algeria.In the late 1950s, Kennedy became a member of a group of influential Americans called the Friends of Vietnam, which included the noted New York–based newspaper writer Max Lerner as well as Harvard historian Arthur Schlesinger Jr., who was later a member of the Kennedy administration.
Lyndon B. Johnson carried on his predecessor’s Vietnam policies until 1964, when American participation in the war dramatically increased. After meeting with President Diem, they recommended to President Kennedy that the United States work with Diem but hold back further financial and political support. Ambassador Nolting had meanwhile been replaced by Henry Cabot Lodge, who in August 1963 received a message from then acting Secretary of State George Ball, who noted that Diem had to get rid of his corrupt brother and inflammatory sister-in-law if he expected to receive continued U.S. support of his government.
The United States, at least publicly, supported the Diem presidency. The military commitment to South Vietnam increased under Kennedy, though that commitment did not extend to combat troops in 1961.Though the Kennedy Administration wasn’t terribly fond of Diem, it also needed to keep South Vietnam in the fold of allies fighting communist world domination. Having suffered one humiliation in American foreign policy at the hands of Fidel Castro, Kennedy resolved not to let the same thing happen in Vietnam. The Ngo brothers believed that the Buddhist uprising was Communist inspired, and Madame Nhu, often known as the Dragon Lady, notoriously said that she would enjoy seeing more barbecues of Buddhists.Much of the violence perpetrated by the Diem regime against the seemingly peaceful Buddhist majority was seen on American television. "At around 16:00 on 2 November, the bodies of Diệm and Nhu were identified by the wife of former Cabinet minister Trần Trùng Dung.The government did not approve a public memorial service for the deaths of Diệm and Nhu until 1968. But Diem was far from an ideal partner: Suspicious of anyone but his immediate family, he often frustrated American policy makers. Kennedy refused the request, but he did agree to provide assistance to train an additional 30,000 ARVN soldiers.The initial steps in expanding American involvement in Vietnam caused a rift inside the Kennedy administration. Before the convoy had departed for the church, Minh was reported to have gestured to Nhung with two fingers. Xuân turned him down, clinically stating that his orders were to take Diệm and Nhu directly to JGS headquarters. As early as 1961, according to a report in the later-released U.S. Department of Defense study titled United States– Vietnam Relations, 1945-1967 (a k a the Pentagon Papers), the United States was questioning Diem’s long-term ability to remain in power unless he made certain far-reaching changes to improve the lives of his people. If Diem did not realize at that point that his hold on power was fleeting, a series of public pronouncements from Washington should have allayed any doubt. Diem would have to make major internal reforms.Despite those lofty goals, the war took its own course. Taylor traveled to Vietnam, where he held talks with Diem.
He also urged approval for the flood relief effort. "Conein asserted that Minh's humiliation by Diệm and Nhu was a major motivation for ordering their executions. Ngo Dinh Diem assassinated in South Vietnam Following the overthrow of his government by South Vietnamese military forces the day before, President Ngo Dinh Diem …
Conein was a veteran of the World War II Office of Strategic Services and was on good terms with Diem. Conein refused to see the proof, realising that having such knowledge would compromise his cover and his safety. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 5,000 articles originally published in our various magazines. Though there were elements within the government not loyal to Diem, the military was most dissatisfied with the president and his leadership. The CIA employees responded that "They had to kill him. General Đính later declared, "I couldn't sleep that night". Despite the behind-the-scenes American involvement in the death of Ngo Dinh Diem, the Assassinations Report concluded by stating, The details of Diem’s and Nhu’s deaths are not known. One of the players in the Vietnam debate upon whom the president relied for advice was former General Douglas MacArthur. In anticipation of a coup, they had ordered the construction of three separate tunnels leading from Gia Long to remote areas outside the palace.