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Part of Article about the likelyhood of a coup d'etat against President Diệm, page A14

extracted text

A14

_Tuesday, July 9, 1963
••• lU

THE WASHlNGTON POST

Discontent Increasing, but Coup Is Doubtful ·

Troops, Secret POiice Prop Diem Regime
By Beverley Deepe
Special to The Washington Post

SAIGON, July 8-Despite
increasing discontent with
South
Viet-Nam's
ruling
family, a coup d'etat seems
difficult to accomplish at this
time.
The maintenance of President Ngo Dinh Diem and his
family · in power-or toppling them-depends on military officers s t a t i o n e d
around this capital city.
It appears almost impossible for civilian demonstrations and riotous mobs to
topple the 62-year-old President, his brother, Ngo Dinh
Nhu, and powerful Madame
Ngo Dinh Nhu. '
"This government is utterly ruthless," explained one
reliable observer. "If a mob
moved toward the palace, tqe
government would line up
the troops and mow them
down. If ,10,000 school kids
marched to the palace, they
would not make it over the
fence.
"It would be just like Hunf'11rv. Thev had soirit
and

dedication. But what good is
News Analysis
a rock against\ a tank?"
A two-month-old Buddhist
crisis of riots, demonstrations
Since · the 1960 coup atand one monk who burned tempt, Diem has built around
himself to death polarized himself an elaborate private
g~neral long-standing griev- army with intricate checks
ances against the President among its various elements.
and his family.
No major troop movements
However, to overthrow are allowed in the country
without h1· s approval.
Diem and family and then
establish another regirrie reDiem personally knows ofquires gnawing dissatisfac- ficers down to the rank of
tion not only throughout the lieutenant colonel; leading
army, but also among key generals known to be disunits in the vicinity of Sai- satisfied with ,the regime
gon, the most important be- have been assigned staff posiing elements of the one tions without command of
armored cavalry squadron troops. Other generals in the
composed of tanks, armored Saigon area are selected not
cars, M-114 armored recon- on their military abilities or
naissance vehicles and M-113 personal loyalties to the Presarmored personnel carriers. ident but on their willingness, to remain neutral In a
Significantly, last week coup and their refusal to coPresident Diem and his
brother Nhu brought to trial operate wit~ Americans.
19 soldiers and two civilians - Unit commanders are also
who led the unsuccessful watched' by "politic-al com1960 coup d'etat to serve as missars," civilians or other
a warning to Vietnamese military officers.
military and American poliThe key unit in the Presicymakers.
dent's private army is the

elite, black-bereted Presidential Guard, all members
of which are especially
selected for their personal
loyalty to the palace. Highest ranking American offi.
cers and officials have been
unable to discover its exact
strength, but it is thought to
contain more than 1000 men.
In 1960 coup, the Presidential Guard was the only
significant unit that valiantly fought for the President
unttl. loyal troops arrived
from the provinces. Since the
1960 coup, it has been
equipped with a squadron of
junior tanks, bazookas and
grenade launchers that could
counter an attack of armored
units.
'Dhe 135th Territorial Regiment is the only regular
army unit with the primary
purpose of protecting the
President and key installations around Saigon instead
of fighting the Communist
Viet Cong guerrillas. It is
one of the few units in the

country known to be overstrength.
Also under the Department
of Defense are more than 100
red-capped, khaki-clad members of the gendarmes who
patrol streets -near the presidential palace along with
policemen.
Saigon, with a population
of an estimated 2 million, has
one of the largest police
forces per capita of any city
in the world. Four hundred
civil disturbance policemen
on constant 24-hour alert, can
rush with machine guns to
any part of the city in five
minutes.
A secret police net checks
on the army, the regular police, anti-Diem opposition elements and on its own members. Little is known in Saigon about the secret police,
which is several distinct organizations. Two of the President's brothers-Nhu and
Ngo Dinh Can-are known to
have their own private secret
police organizations.