New Light in a Dark Corner: Evidence on the Diem Coup in South Vietnam, November 1963
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-1-2020
Abstract
"President John F. Kennedy was more disposed to support the removal of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem in late 1963 than previously appeared to be the case, according to a recently released White House tape and transcript. The ouster of Diem in a military coup that would have major implications for American policy and growing involvement in the country happened 57 years ago today. Even now the views of Kennedy and some of his top aides about the advisability of a coup specifically have been shrouded by an incomplete documentary record that has led scholars to focus more on the attitudes of subordinates. Today, the National Security Archive is posting for the first time materials from U.S. and Vietnamese archives that open the window into this pivotal event a little bit wider."
Recommended Citation
Prados, John, and Luke A. Nichter, “New Light in a Dark Corner: Evidence on the Diem Coup in South Vietnam, November 1963,” Electronic Briefing Book #730, National Security Archive, George Washington University, November 1, 2020, https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/vietnam/2020-11-01/new-light-dark-corner-evidence-diem-coup-november-1963
Copyright
National Security Archive
Comments
This article was originally published in the National Security Archive on November 1, 2020.