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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-01197 to 363-01204.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-01197 to 363-01204
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Title
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Article about Lt. Gen. Nguyễn Khánh
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Description
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Original caption: "Khanh." Keever's note: "U.S.-backed Gen. Nguyen Khanh's eroding control." Article about Lt. Gen. Nguyễn Khánh and the North Vietnamese invasion for the New York Herald Tribune
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Transcript
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Deepe
Khanh 1
Set
april 15.
NY
H-T.
Shortly after General Nguyen Khanh seized power in
this country's second coup on January 30, he sent a colonel with
written orders to take over command of the Dalat Military Academy,
the Westpoint of Viet Nam situated in the plush mountain resort city.
The colonel presented his orders to the commendant, jolly
General Tran Tu Oai, who once as head of Viet Nam's melaria
eradication department, said,
"I'm the only general to fight the
Viet Cong (Communist guerrillas) with a spray gun. "
The chubby-checked general asked the colonel, "Who issued your
orders?"
The colonel replied General Khanh had signed them.
"Until Khanh personally comes here and orders me to leave,"
General Oai snapped curtly, "You can go to hell." The colonel was
quickly returned to Saigon and was assigned elsewhere.
In another instance, several weeks ago, an American-piloted L-19
light reconnaissance plane crashed in the mountainous jungles of I
Corps, the northernmost of the four Vietnamese army corps bordering
Communist North Viet Nam. American military aircraft immediately
launched an extensive search for the plane in the tangled jungles of
Cent Quang Tin province.
(More)
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Deepe
Kha nh 2
The Vietnamese command in Saigon oond ordered a crack
Vietnamese airborne Ranger unit to launch a nine-day ground search.
However, fearing large concentrations of troops might be used against
one of them, local Vietnamese commanders in I Corps decided that to
release the troops would require signatures of at least seven LOCAL
owmore officers on the same day. These
seven signatures included not only the corps commander (a general),
and both division commanders (colonels), but also the district chief
(a omptain) where the search would be conducted plus two province
chiefs (majors)-including one whose air space would be violated by
the aircraft transporting the troops. By the time this minor miracle
was accomplished, eight days had elaped-and the ground unit had
only one day to search the area.
Simultaneously, the Saigon corriand sent an important commander to
ICorps to get the search organized. by local
commanders gave him 24-hours to conduct his business and get out."
Ho did.
If this check-and-balance empirebuilding--which Americans call
"ilitary musical chairs--is eroding General Khanh's command of the
anti-Communist war in the countryside, he has a much more serious
problem-the war of Saigon-where he is regularly sipped in the heels
by rival political parties, by parties within parties, by religious
partisanship, by Vietnamese newspaper columnists-and orpecially
cartoonists and by anyone else who things a potshop a day keeps the general
(More)
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Deepe...
thanh 3
Vietnamese political observers who accurately predicted the
two previous coups-pronouce without qualification the
inevitability
of an anti-Khanh coup, either through the use of military might or
treacherous assassination. In fact, these observers predict not only
a third coup, but a fourth one., noting that "the next coup will
solve nothing. Anyone can seize power but no one has enough support
to stay in."
They say it is only a question of time before a coup
Khanh himself is conoaren concerned enough to sleep in e
different house each night, (informatively source is Lodge), to
admit to foreign correspondents that his wife is worried and to
deliberately house his wife and four children 350 miles from Saigon.
On the other hand, the American community almost unanimously
expresses the believe that the spunky general will outride this
initial period of tottering. They say "he is very energetic, very
cunning, in fact--he's very everything."
"He's dirtytricked enough people enough not to let others do it
to him," ex one American explained. (Lodge informatively).
Yet this American viewpoint is partly based on what the Americans
want to bleve believe. Since the visit of Defense Secretary
Robert Molana ra a month ago, America has clearly pinned all hopes
of prosecurit proc prosecuting the war vigorously on the 36-year-old
te goateed general. American officials realistically admitt admit
that if Khanh is toppled, the anti-Communist war effort will hopelessly
deteriorate. They even halfheartedly at threaten and American
withdrawal if Khanh goes.
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Doepe
Khanh4
Without question, the American intelligence apparatus here is
clearly helping Khanh build an anti-coup machine.
Saigon politios en toto are such an incredible never-neverland
that one Western diplomat lamented, "We (Free World) may be able to save
the Vietnamese from the Viot Cong, but can we save them from themselves?"
The politeal scene is a snarled fuzzball of habitual intrigues of
temporary alliances, but inevitable infidelity; of plets and subplotes
betrayal and counterbotr counterbetrayals of a tornado of factions
within feotions atx within factions. Obvious visible manifestations-
as unity a shown in a press conference-are a mirage. Tu
auch
Saigon
politics are always subsurface, consistently indirect, and not infrequently
manipulated by the
Inistan foury fairytale predictions of
horoscopes and fortunet ellers.
The fact that Khanh has remained in power for 80 days (as of April
19) een not be attributed to any unity in this nation varax once
described as "only a series of families." Nor is it Khanh's
personal power, popularity or skill of his supporters, who include
on the military side those officers loyal to former president Ngo
Dinh Diem, or on the civilian side to those government leaders who
have returned from years of exile abroad.
It is ironically, Vietnam's greatest enemey, the Viet Cong,
who have provided for txx hin the glue to fight against something more
ruthless than Khanh himself, but yet which is still sub-national
since North Viet Nam is already under Communist control. The second
favor benefitting Khanh is that at this time his opponents are as bys
busy fighting among themselves as they are righting him.
(more)
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deepe
khanh 5
Besides Khanh Inc., there are three other significant power
groups now operating in Saigon, where the unity of government must be
reinforced. They ares
Large Cot
1. The Dai Viet (Greater Viet Nam) Party, the group
deemed most likely to toss a coup if there is one. Among its ranks are
key troop-centrotio controlling generals, including the chief of staff
of the Joint General Staff, who not only commands all troops in the
country, but also has personal responsibility for the crack 7th
Division directly south of Saigon, where are the Viet Cong are running
wild. The division commander, also a hardcore Dai Viet, controlls
enough troops, if properly mobilized and moved, to topple easily
units loyal to Khanh in Saigon.
Yet, the party itself reflects the main dicis devisive divisive
force in the country regionalism. The French splintered Viet Nam
into three regions-the northern, the central which was residence for
old Imperial court, and the sort southern region including the Mekong
Delta, human
primary target of the Viet Cong
guerrillas. The southern section, because of hotter climate, richer
lands and easier life, are regarded by thex pe ople of the othe4
other two regions as the poor white trash of Viet Nam.
The northern branch of the party, mostly refugees who are the most
educated and energetic in the country, is significantly represented in
the government by the Foreign Minister, Dr. Phan Huy Quat, who
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deepe
kharo
fapi
represented Vietnam at the SEATO conferos, and alig vice premier
in charge of economics who is a 43-year-old ex-Harvard University
ho would be an important candidate
professor. Should Khanh ever relinquish his position of prime minister
The Central Vietnam ing
as one head of the civilian government,
has the most rice-roots support, but the least poor in Saigon. The
Southern wing is dividide withing itself. One faction is headed by
Dr. Nguyen Ton Hoa/ is Khamos Khanh's vice prom premier in charge
of pacification,
effort.
x the most ak significant civilian heading the war
Le Toan, a Cathaic Cah Catholic who returned from nine years
ove e of exile in Paris has been one of Khanh's supporters, but is also
rumored to want to become prime minister. The second section of the
nouches wing southern wing headed by a businessman is anti-Khanh.
Vietnamese political parties are distinctly differently from thos
in America.
There are no known membership lists; ingenuous use of rumorx
and slander replace party leaflets and bannre; party corruption Sib
substitutes for party fundraising drives. Saigonese call the party,
not the Dai Viet, but the Dai Vet, (Big Dredge) meaning to pull in
rake-offs and grafts. The U. s. government has out off aid to several
projects which the Dei Viet has engineerred only to raise funds or prestigr
of the party.
none have ang
While most parties in Viet Nam are nationalist-anti-communist,
Hore)
ideology to counter that of the
Communist se Most groups revolve around personalities, "and there are
always more leaders than members in any party," one Vietnamese commented.
(More)
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Deepe
Khanh 7
2. A group of generals from the Central region, headed by
General Do Mau, a lean stoop-shouldered man in late 40s who
has been the principal in engineer in the two previous coups.
Wearing Carmine de Sapio-tyle sunglasses, he is proud of his peasant
birth. Yet he's one of the most ingenuous ingriguers in Viet Nam.
A kingmakers rather than a king and unofficial overseer of
the Vietnamose intelligence network, he in one way or another will in
large part decide whether Khanh stays in power or not.. Some of the
general generals are considered to be working for the central
intelligence agency, but their loayl lovalit loyalties my shift.
3. Young officers around General Que Dagon Duong Van Minh,
the gold toothed nominal chief of state who commendes more genuine
popularity and prestige from the population and lower-ranking offbe
officers than any other individual. Vietnamese observers predict that if
the Dai Viet succeeds in the next coup, and then surely flounders, the
fout fouth fourth coup would boost Ming Ming Minh into power.
But in the final analysis in Viet Nam, the most illogical of all
rationale--superstitution-may win out. Khnahh Khanh's opponents in
the war of Saigon call him "Thang Rau De-the one with the
beard, indicating he's attempting to hid his recessed chin which means a sho
short life, or "Thang Mat Loi", the one with the bulging eyes, a symbolb
symbol of trushty trustworthy trustworthiness.
(More)
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deepe
thanh
However,
of Peace)
a bearded village elder in An Binh (Village
who daily witnesses Gen. Khanh's anti-Communist
war (the hamlet chief was killed by Viet Cong, two subordinates
beheaded, schoolhouse poxed with bullet holes,)
predicted
said General Khanh has "Buddha ears-big ears like Buddha so he can do
something outstanding and hiw his eyes are round which is a good omen."
Whether the advocates of the "Buddha eez" omen or the
"Reu De" (goats beard, hence goatee) omen proves right may well determine the
future, nomy of General Khanh and Viet Nam but also America's
prestige in throughout tybe the world.
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Date
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1964, Apr. 15
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Subject
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Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Nguyễn, Khánh; Vietnam (Democratic Republic). Quân đội; Strategy; New York herald tribune
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Location
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South Vietnam
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Coordinates
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10.8231; 106.6297
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Size
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21 x 27 cm
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Container
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B3, F7
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Format
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dispatches
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Collection Number
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MS 363
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Collection Title
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Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers
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Creator
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Keever, Beverly Deepe
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Collector
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Keever, Beverly Deepe
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Copyright Information
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These images are for educational use only. To inquire about usage or publication, please contact Archives & Special Collections.
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Publisher
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Archives & Special Collections
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Language
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English
