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derivative filename/jpeg
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363-04376 to 363-04384.pdf
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Digital Object Identifier
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363-04376 to 363-04384
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Title
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Second article on the appointment of Prime Minister Trần Văn Hương and his Cabinet
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Description
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Original title: "huong", Keever's title: "Cabinet Seeks Triumvirate Rule." Article about the conflict between President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu, U.S. officials, and Nguyễn Cao Kỳ that led to the appointment of Trần Văn Hương as Prime Minister. Written for the Christian Science Monitor
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AI Usage Disclosure
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Draft transcripts were automatically generated via Google Document AI and are currently under review. Please report significant errors to Archives & Special Collections at archives@unl.edu.
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Transcript
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huong 1 (normass/deepe)
(This is the second of a two-part series on the newly-installed Cabinet of
Trime rinister Tran Van Hương
SAIGON, MAY 27--The newly-announced Cabinet of Prime Minister Tran Van Huong,
entrusted with unifying the non-Communist sector political sector-is regarded here
as shifting the internal political power structure away from a duumvirate--perhaps
towards a triumvirate.inxtkaxaxecuti
To unify the exe government, the three leading power personalities who need
close cooperation are the 65-year-old Prime Minister, President Nguyen Van Thieu
and Vice President Nguyen Cao Ky.
-more reuter
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huong 2 (normass/deepe)
Before the appointment of Huong, the duumvirate of President Thieu and Vice
President Ky were the chief policymakers; Prime Minister Nguyen Van Loc
had been appointed on the recommendation of Vice President Ky; Loc's Cabinet was
approved by the most powerful generals in the country. In Led Loc's chief virtue,
one Western diplomat noted, "was He was a compromise candidate, between Ky
and Thieu-a bridge between them, and this is not insignificant.
But, with the
personal and political rivalries between Thy Ky and Thieu and the inertia of the Loc
Cabinet, the net result
virtually left South Vietnam's executive
functions paralyzed.
Des the
Thieu and Ky appear
Besides the personal rivalries between Thieu and Ky,
also to distrust each other on the question of negotiating with the Communists; Ky
fearing that Thieu is much more willing to compromise on letting the Communists
into the South's political structure.
The Ky group,
15
are also critical of some
some of whome they
which includes other
civilians serving in Thieu's
consider a
as pro-Communist.
powerful generals,
Presidential offices,
When Thieu named Huong as prime minister and fincan invited the entire Loc
Cabinet to resign, Western diplomats were impressed by Thieu's "courage and e
decisiveness." Later in the week, as bickering over the Cabinet formation in
continued, another diplomat viewed Thru the President as "an empty container.
HNyon E
can put any policy they want to in him."
--more reuter
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a
With the appointment of Huong, a Southern school teacher, as Prime Minister,
the power structure has shifted-the full direction of the shift has to be revealed
in the future. Huong is not a compromise Prime Minister between Ky and Thieu.
In fact, highly informed sources say that he was the first choice of neither.f
They say Ky's first choice for Prime Minister was General Nguyen Duc Thang,
dynamic Northerner who is strongly anti-corruption and anti-Communist. He is
currently commander of the 16 provinces south of Saigon. Thieu's first choice
was reportedly General Tran Thien Khiem, a four-star general, close friend of
Thieu's and former ambassadorto to Taiwan. If General Khiem was not acceptable,
then Thieu wanted a weak political, but competent, administrative prime minister.
But, these sources say,
the American officialdom threw its full weight
behind Huong, who had long been a favorite of the estern diplomatic set, and
gave in to Huong's appointment.
Thieu
--more reuter
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huong 4 (normass/deepe)
Instead of either a pro-Ky or a pro-Thieu Prime Minister in f office, both
LUND
Ky and Thiếu
his own right.
with
an independent one who is som a national figure
Both
In
Thus far,
on the surface, all three officials appear to be unified.
Thieu and Huong carefully noted that "the constitution must be respected"-a defined
clear that the President was responsible for the policy direction of the government
and the Prime Minister was simply responsible for executing that policy.
an interview with the semi-official government news agency, Vietnam Press,
also g specifically applied this procedure both to foreign policy and
military affairs. Yet, a pivotal question being asked by political sources in Saigon
is how well Thieu and Huong will cooperate in their respective roles.
ore reuter
Symbolically, the three
32
Huong
leaders represent three
regions of Viet Nam: Pres fuit Thick from the Center,
Vice. Prendent Ky from the North, Prime
Minister long
the regional
To emphasize unity
the South
issue,
d
Pune Munster Hoong made
maming three ministers-without-part (
the three regions.
also
represent
тече
Peuter-
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huong 5 (normass/deepe)
Also, Huong in a private session with Vice President Ky, persuaded the Vice
President to support him. Ky was reportedly impressed with the humilitary,
humility, integrity and patriotism of Huong. Ky privately promised and felt
publicly announced his support for Huong. But, below these official positions lies
a great deal of disgruntled feelings, reliable sources report, which could
easily surface to snarl the government. One of the first tests in the Ky-Huong
relationship
is expected to arise if Huong attempts to fire or replace
a pro-Ky general, such as General Nguyen
Ngoc Loan as chief of National Police,
One of Huong's announced first missions
a move widely rumored in Saigon for days.
is to curbe corruption and malpractices among the government's administration; to
accomplish this will create for frictions among high-placed
officials.
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huong 6 (normass/deepe)
Other points of signicance about the Huong Cabinet area: are:
First, in the strict Vietnamese definition, the Huong Cabinet is not
considered to be pro-neutralist, which has consistently meant pro-French. Most
of the Huong's 18 cabinet members have served in previous governments, which
maintained a hard-line anti-Communist position. But, H
✓ since the beginning of the Paris peace talks, when American foreign policy
openly moved into peace negotiations, a new trend has begun to unravel in Vietnam.
That large category of Vietnamese leadership which had once been embodied in
the "pro-American, anti-Communist" bloc is now forced to choose between being
pro-America and anti-Communist. This large coalition is now of interests is now
fragmenting. Vice President Nguyen Cao Ky probably symbolizes best the
Vietnamese who have chosen to remain anti-Communist,
even if it also means becoming anti-American. (In another past crisis of the
nature, a Vietnamese politician explained, * Please remember it is the people who
are most anti-Communist who eventually become the most anti-American. In little ways,
your policy
ends up helping the Communists, rather than the anti-
(against a coalition government)
Communists "). 2 Typifying the officials
who have chosen
to be pro-American, pro-negotiation, rather than remaining anti-Communist might be
Dr. Chat Phan Quang Dang, a Harvard-edus educated minister without portfolio and
also Minister of the Open Arms program, or Buu Diem, Vietnamese a
a mbassador to Washington who is now acting as official observer in Paris.
The co
political coloration of the Huong Cabinet is considered to be more pro-American than it
is anti-Communist; and more
pro-American than pro-French.
Very leftist elements who were rumored to be in the Huong Cabinet were later dropped,
the most prominent example being T
Le Van Kim.
Lawyer Tran Van T Tuyen and ex-general
more reuter
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huong 7 (normass/deepe)
Second, in terms of quality, the Huong Cabinet is credited here as being
a vast improvement over the Loc Cabinet, although some doubt that the Cabinet
has improved proportionate to the increase in non-military problems since the
Tet offensive. Huong is easily acclaimed to have more prestige and stature
one-third of the Loc Cabinet has remained
than Loc, howe
to serve Hong
barely more
In terms of quantity, the Huong cabinet is regarded as an
than the Loc Cabinet. Loc's cabinet had three generals serving in it; Huong's
has two generals, a colonel, and a military-oriented civilian in charge of the
Prime Minister's office.
Regarding a government with a "broad political base," a favorite American
expression of American officialdom here, Huong did not appoint political party
1 eaders to his cabinet as was expected. Instead, he replaced Loc's non-political
administrators with what he has om termed "patriotic people."
This move has
between Huong and a Ha Thu Ky
ter
cost Huong the support of some political figures; it was the basis of the disagreement
Ky, leading a faction of the Dai Viet party, who refused
to join the Huong Cabinet. To a lesser extent, some imax of the religious sect
factions are also dissatisfied because their political leadership is poorly represented.
in the Cabinet.
will
If the Huong government is to a acquire a broad political base,
it derived from the prestige-and later performance of Huong and his subordinates,
rather than the backing of the traditionally factionalized political parties.
- more reuter
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huong 9 (normass/deepe)
Fourth,
and
while the power of the Vietnamese generals has been seriously
temporarily reduced, they still form what amounts to an invisible "super-government,
which at this time would prohibit a major shift
a allowing the formation
of a Communist-dominated government in the South. This ten-man council of generals
is extra-legal, much like the formation of the American Cabinet in the early days
of the United States government. It's formation is based on a political agreement
going back to the time when the generals backed Thieu, instead of Ky,
Pas
In exchange,
candidate during
Thieu promised that the nine
as their
elections last September.
other generals could name
the future Cabinet and that Ky, chairman of the council, could name the Prime
Minister. Ky's choice was Nguyen Van Loc, who has just been dismissed.
them
When Thieu announced he was changing the government, the generals
called on Thieu and reportedly asked if Loc would also be removed. Thieu assured
toLoc would remain in office. On Saturday, May 25, Vice President Ky flew to
Nha Trang with his wife to entertain students at the resort beach--and President Thieu
appeared on national Vietnamese television announcing he had replaced Loc with
Huong.
--more reuter
#
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huong 10 (normass/deepe)
advance;
Sources close to Thieu say that Ky and the other generals had been informed in
sources close to Ky say "that's a big lie by Thieu," and consider
that Thieu has betrayed them. Two days later, the nine generals, excluding Thieu,
In the
met in Ky's office left-wing of the Presidential Palace,
what should be done. Following Huong's visit to see Ky,
became the moderate element of the group and reportedly
huong.
and decided to "wait and see"
later in the week, Ky
persuaded the others to support
during the
Although Thieu may have appointed a prestigious Prime Minister
past week, he has lost the confidence of his powerful generals, who seem clearly
increasing
to be watching the Paris peace talks with one eye and the intensity of Communist
attacks with the other.
(Hank: I'm off to Danang and probably will not file the remainder of this week).
Regards Bev).
End
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Date
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1968, May 27
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Subject
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Nguyễn, Văn Thiệu, 1923-2001; Trần, Văn Hương; Vietnam (Republic)--Politics and government; Presidents; Prime ministers; Cabinet officers; Nguyễn, Cao Kỳ; Vietnam--Foreign relations--United States
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Location
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Saigon, South Vietnam
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Coordinates
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10.8231; 106.6372
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Container
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B10, F37
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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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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
