New Saigon Government - Generals' Balancing Act; New Saigon Regime

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363-04791.pdf
Digital Object Identifier
363-04791
Title
New Saigon Government - Generals' Balancing Act; New Saigon Regime
Description
Article published in the New York Herald Tribune about Nguyễn Cao Kỳ's new administration in Saigon, pages 1 and 4
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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.
Transcript
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- Page 1
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Herald
Tribune
ESTABLISHED 125 YEARS AGO. A EUROPEAN EDITION IS PUBLISHED DAILY IN PARIS
JUNE 20, 1965
New Saigon Government-
Generals' Balancing Act
By Beverly Deepe
A Special Correspondent
SAIGON.
The new Vietnamese government taken over yesterday
by the dashing Air Force Commander. Brig. Gen. Nguyen
Cao Ky-regarded here as a tenuous compromise regime-
appears to represent an interlude which one politician
called "the monsoon honeymoon."
As the monsoon rains begin here, bringing with a
pressing of the Communist Viet Cong military offensive,
some Vietnamese political sources predicted the new
government-the ninth in 20 months-will last no more
than three months, if that long. Few expect a permanent
marriage.
The 34-year-old Gen. Ky., one of the military's "Young
Turks" who has cut a figure here in the black flying suit
and lavender ascot he wears on combat missions, took over
the Premiership yesterday in a ceremony at the Dien Hong
Conference Hall on the banks of the Saigon River..
In an acceptance speech he warned that the situation
is "critical and our enemy is cunning." He called for
austerity by the people and added:
"I hope in a few months to be able to return power to
a civilian government at which time I will go back to the
More on SAIGON-P 4
ew Saigon Regime
(Continued from page one)
Air Force. I am just a pilot. As a pilot I don't like politics.
But the generals have picked me because they have con-
fidence in me. They picked me more to risk my life than
as an honor."
Gen. Ky succeeded Phan Huy Quat, who quit a week ago
in favor of the military after a dispute with Chief of State
Phan Khac Suu over cabinet changes and in the face of
opposition from religious elements. Mr. Suu also resigned.
Echoing the same sentiments as Gen Ky, was Maj.
Gen Nguyen Van Thieu, former Defense Minister in the
Quat government, now head of a 10-man National Leader-
ship Committee of generals-a post corresponding to Chief
of State.
After pledging to fight to the end the Viet Cong, Gen
Thieu turned to the problem of corruption in government,
a weakness of successive Vietnamese regimes.
"We have observed with our own eyes, or have our-
selves been victims," Gen. Thieu said, "of such contempti-
ble acts as profiteering, theft, swindling, bribery, oppres-
sing the weak, shirking responsibility while receiving gov-
ernment pay, misappropriation of public funds, illegal
transfers of funds to foreign countries, sabotaging the na-
tional economy, cornering the market, hoarding goods and
speculation on food, medicine and other prime necessities.
"Today, before all the people, we solemnly vow that all
those guilty of such offenses to the nation will be pun-
ished he declared. Observers concluded he meant public
executions by firing squad.
Also at the ceremony were the 16 new cabinet ministers
-14 of them civilians. The civilians were dressed in white
shirts with no ties-a type of uniform symbolizing their
statue as members of a war cabinet.
In another display of the new eśpirit de corps, the
new regime threw out the previous seal of office-a spray
of bamboo shoots resembling a Chinese painting. In its
place they adopted a great white eagle-symbolic of Gen.
Ky's position with the Air Force.
Gen. Ky, who has figured in several coups and counter-
coups since the assassination of President Ngo Dinh Diem
in November, 1963, was not a favorite of the United States
Embassy here. But the U. S. apparently bowed to the will
of the military.
But already there were rumblings.
The Buddhist leadership, many pro-neutralist, has
privately voiced opposition to any military government.
According to reliable sources, students in Buddhist strong-
hold areas held meetings last week to decide whether to.
dmonstrate .against the new government.
Leading pro-Buddhist politicians refused to serve in
the new government. Some Catholic religious leaders are
also privately voicing opposition to a military government.
And Gen. Ky in the past has been identified with the
Buddhists military officers, especially former strongman Lt.
Gen. Nguyen Khanh.
The new ministers, scheduled to be formally installed
tomorrow, will demonstrate the fact that the military will
have more and more power, but it will be wielded over a
shrinking anti-Communist domain.
The Viet Cong have spectacularly increased their mili-
tary control of th epopulation and Communist subversives
have gradually assumed more political control in the
Saigon arena.
The new government structure represents an inordi-
nately complex series of checks and balances, which
actually pitch the pro-neutralist Buddhist leaders against
the anti-Communist Catholics and the military against the
civilian politicians.
Atop the new government are the more than 20 gen-
erals and commanders who form the General Council of
the Armed Forces-its base of power is the raw force of
guns and soldiers.
The executive committee of the Council is the 10-man
Leadership Committee-roughly, a legislature-headed by
Gen. Thieu. One of the members is Gen. Ky, who actually
holds the job as commissioner-general in charge of execu-
tive affairs. The important secretary general post in the
Committee is held by Maj. Gn. Pham Xuan Chieu. Under
Gen. Ky are sub-commissioners and ministers.
31
Date
1965, Jun. 20
Subject
Nguyễn, Cao Kỳ, 1930-2011; Vietnam (Republic)--Politics and government
Location
Saigon, South Vietnam
Coordinates
10.8231; 106.6311
Container
B4, F6
Format
newspaper clippings
Collection Number
MS 363
Collection Title
Beverly Deepe Keever, Journalism Papers
Creator
Keever, Beverly Deepe
Copyright Information
These images are for educational use only. To inquire about usage or publication, please contact Archives & Special Collections.
Publisher
Archives & Special Collections, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries
Language
English