The Vietnam War Revisited- Part XI – Two Earthshaking Events

1963 – A pivotal year hallmarked by two earthshaking events affecting the outcome of the Vietnam War.

Barbara Tuchman’s analysis of the Vietnam War in her book The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam is the inspiration behind this series of posts. All of the previous posts in the series can be found at the bottom of this post.

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Diem never enjoyed a popular mandate to govern South Vietnam. That background set the stage for the first event. The CIA operative, Edward Lansdale propped up his rule thoughout most of the Fifties. Diem’s presidency favored Catholics, not the Buddhists and other sects. In May, his Saigon based government prohibited celebrations of Buddha’s birthday, a huge mistake. Riots followed. Police fired on the protesters, killing several. Martial law only escalated the rebellion. A Buddhist monk set himself on fire in a public square. The self-immolation photo hit the American newspapers setting off a public firestorm.

Malcolm Brown captured the incident on film on 11 June, 1963. It represented the first major wartime photo to demonstrate the impact of photojournalism on the VN war. Be sure to read then backstory on the links.

The Saigon protests soon spread though out South Vietnam. More government repression and violence resulted, led by Diem’s brother, Nhu, his enforcer. South Vietnam’s U.S. ambassador and Foreign Minister resigned in protest.  Diem’s government began to crack. A coup by ARVN generals smoldered and the war effort faded.

Consequently, Diem lost what favor and capital he still had as a protégé for Washington, DC’s “nation building” project. Not up to the task to provide the leadership required to bar a North Vietnamese/ VC takeover, Diem and his brother, Nhu had to go.

Policy then took a pragmatic turn- Washington decided to support the plotted military coup. Covert CIA agent, Colonel Lou Conein opened liaison with the generals. The subsequent coup d’ ‘etat is covered in detail in my historical narrative, RECALL.

Tuchman characterized this coup conspiracy- “No matter how cogent the reasons, the coup could not be hailed in the history books as the American way. It was a step in the folly of self-betrayal.”

This was the first of the two momentous events of 1963. On the first day of November, ‘63 the Saigon coup occurred. Diem and Nhu were assassinated shortly after their capture by the military. The shock wave rocked America. The CIA’s complicity was covered up for the time being.

Ironically, the second earth-shattering incident occurred less than a month later- JFK was assassinated in Dallas by Lee Harvey Oswald’s fatal gunshot on 22 November, 1963, while riding in his motorcade.

America was appalled. Aghast at two major assassinations occurring in such a short time interval against a backdrop of an unpopular war in SE Asia. Civil unrest began to take hold.

Lyndon B. Johnson became president, vowing not to “lose the war.” Note- LBJ never said, “win” the Vietnam War. That tells you his mindset.

If you think the conduct of the VN War was a mess under JFK, wait until you learn more about this man who became President. His character is riddled with some little-known facts somehow, many buried in history for authors to dig up. But there’s a lot we came to learn about him, mostly negative.

To understand LBJ’s gross mismanagement of the VN War read my blogs , my historical narrative, RECALL, and Barbara Tuchman’s documentary. These references sum it up. The noted historian nails it in my opinion. Her book should be required reading for politicians and the military.

If you don’t have the time or inclination to look it up. I’ll quote her characterization of LBJ: “He lacked Kennedy’s ambivalence, born of a certain historical sense and at least some capacity for reflective thinking. Johnson was forceful and domineering, a man infatuated with himself. Three elements in his character affected Vietnam policy: An ego that was insatiable and never secure. A bottomless capacity to use and impose the powers of his office without inhibition. A profound aversion, once fixed upon a course of action, to any contra-indications.”

It’s difficult argue about her assessment. Brilliant.

But, if you think this is a harsh assessment, wait until you read my epilogue in RECALL. You will think Tuchman was being generous. LBJ, Dean Rusk, and McNamara committed acts later in the war that many would consider bordering on treason by “aiding and abetting the enemy.” I’ve documented this assertation in my blogs and in my historical narrative, RECALL.

I hope you are learning something from these blogs. History is a good teacher if we take the time to understand the lesson. Will we ever learn how to justify getting in a war, conducting it to win with the fewest casualties in the shortest time, and define victory in terms the man in the street can easily understand?

Comments are welcome, if civil. Vietnam is a controversial topic. There’s bound to be disagreements. Air yours politely. I don’t tolerate hostility very well.