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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-04775.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-04775
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Title
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Coup Flop a Boost for Khanh
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Description
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Article published in the New York Herald Tribune about a failed coup d'etat against General Khánh, page 16
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Date
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1964, Sep. 14
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Subject
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Nguyễn, Khánh, 1927-2013; Vietnam (Republic)--History--Coup d'état, 1964; Vietnam (Republic)--Government and politics
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Location
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Saigon, South Vietnam
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Coordinates
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10.8231; 106.6311
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Container
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B4, F6
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Format
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newspaper clippings
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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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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, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries
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Language
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English
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extracted text
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COUP FLOP A BOOST FOR KHANH
By Beverly Deepe
A Special Correspondent
SAIGON.
Yesterday's attempted coup against
Premier Nguyen Khanh paradoxically is
expc:cted to strengthen his position in dealing with both the Army and with the Buddhists and civilian politicians who have
been challenging his rule.
The failure of the uprising-which some
skeptics here refer to as a "Hollywood
cour-"-is likely to result in the purge of
some dissident generals and a centralization of control over the Armed Forces in
the hands of Gen . Khanh and his associates, notably Lt. Gen. Tran Thien
Khiem.
The Khanh government, moreover, now
can be expected to take a tougher attitude-and get away with it-toward the
demands of the Buddhists, students and
_civilian politicians who have been exerting
pressure on it for the last month.
The revolt appears to have been largely
a military relj-ction against Gen. Khanh's
recent concessions to these groups-notably
h is dismissal or reassignment of officers
who h ad antagonized the Buddhists.
It is believed that Gen. Kh anh, after
lengthy talks in Dalat yesterday, with Gen.
Khiem, now will accede · to t he m!l!tary
demands f or a harder line toward such demands. At t h e same time, the coup attempt
gives him a powerful excuse to stop making
concessions.
"This is a game they play," said one
Vietnamese political observer, giving the
most extreme cynical ap.alysis of the revolt.
"Khanh had to have some reason to stop
making concessions to the Buddhists a11d
·students." Whether or not Gen. Khanh
was aware that the revolt was originating,
,
he does have occasion to be gratified with
· this result.
Buddhist pressure on the government
this month reached a peak in which Buddhist leaders blocked assignment by Gen .
Khanh of generals and other high officers
to key corps assignments. There were hints
that Gen. Khanh himself might fall victim
to Buddhist influence.
In 1ate August, Buddhist and student
demm1strations forced Gen. Khanh to step
down ::ts President.
·
The Buddhist movement, ccnsidered by
some reliable observers here to have proCommunist or neutralist leanings, had been
t.lema1 1 ding increasing civilian authority.
Pro-Buddhist elements in Hue, 400 miles
north of Saigon, nad. established virtually
their cwn government. Students gained the
right to broadcast on the gonrnment radio
station and university professors and public servants attacked the central government in Saigon. Even the ranking army
commander in t he area was known to be
working closely with the pro-Buddhist organization.
Gen . Khanh had also agreed to set up a
National Council of civilian leaders which
1.:vould draw up within two months a fu ture constitution and n ame a new government.
The fear among many Army officers was
. that t he future government would be
dominated by Buddhist -backed politicians
a:-id would eventually set t he count ry drifting toward neutralism.
'
Yesterday's developments represen t an
attempt by the Armed Forces both t o stop
any drift toward neutralism and to block
the power of civilian politicians. While
petitioning for religious and regional unity,
tne Armed Forces m ade clear that they
would not tolerate "opportunists who are
hiding under the label of religious fre edom" t o meddle in the n ation's politics.
