NINE YEARS AFTER A FATEFUL ASSASSINATON- THE CULT OF DIEM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000100010038-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 24, 2000
• Sequence Number: 38
• Publication Date: May 14, 1972
• Content Type: NSPR

NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE
Approved For Release 2000/05/23 : CIA-VDR 5-QQM?I R00010001003
120 years after a c' ri ass '
By ROBERT S PLEB'.
nn~ MONG the ever-increasing scores 2,000 people, including the wife of W1iLLL: Ilcat ALV,VVV urau ullu JVV,VVV
1" `i. of graves in hoar Dinh Chi cem- President Nguyen Van Thieu - wounded-100,000 of them perma-
ost
and
the is burl
e
ol
th
..
.,..
st
d
A----- .,Lieu, Z, +a
e
ULer ,
tigious one in Saigon, now spread appeared at the graves in what tan there would be 350,000 war orphans.
' ?riv- fl-- Aafn harts to loft
arClUltu WLILL.u uuow++....,....+.+ ..... _._._ Lllaa .,,vVV +?V-+...+V
s nn l .,tarn ed a requiem mass with advisers and funds. By the time
tt., plain wreaths or
r
ave
g
th
d
f
ere were 1L ,VVL, a
pup,
1111 scatter a few flowers. Each week at the Saigon cathedral that was pre- o
South Vietnam and his Rasputinlike sprinkling of anti-Dienlists as well, I1I IIL III LIWIL L uuliL1y, a1IU LV pLi1L11L
t-ff;r ion, the devastation caused by air at-
respvnueu. IV+ .~.~ ..4?, ...... ueIL'd11 VI AJLWIII I1IL7 a LIIanILCai"L+L,++ .before the coup took place-
. -i rincPet advisor. Ngo of the psychological and political and for several months after
ere
--
h
th of
b
----
,,.... ..
,.
o
Dinh 1V11",
dered in midmorning of Nov. 2, 1963, Vietnam in the decade since his forts were initiated both by
.a__+.t_
i
l
r
-
valuatinn
But
n ous
y
e
e
milita
f th
e
start o
J .....>L .his complicated personality, the cere-
threw them. 1 to come to some sort of ac
_ .: ,. n4! }tin' monial and nostalgic tributes, in commodation. These.. efforts
roiiowmg ?LLIL: assa~a....... - -- ?'-" themselves, can be easily miscon- might well have led to noth-
two brothers, which?'took place in an
strued. They are symbolic and symp- ing, as so many subsequent
in a corner of the. military headquar- although on a much
admonishment. On the surface, they .anyway, t g
'of the city close to Tan Son Nhut air- the case in the post-Diem era.
It atinn to lnnk unon the nast more
port. They were placed there as a favorably than the present. Under the If there had been a smaller
or if a political agree
to avoid further mutila-
`li'ar
ti
,
on
precau
circumstances of the long and de-
tion by anti-Diernist fanatics. At 3 structive war the Vietnamese have ment had been reached in the
r.'?.inrlr nn, morning two years later, _..rr.,......~ ,, Ina,.) ,,, a :all.--. days before Hanoi completely
, `" .,.., dominated the N.L.F., South
t11e remains were said to have been
I, A
i
.
.
large ---
mer
can Vi
well
cemetery. It was believed that the Diem now seem peaceful and golden Communist domination one
generals who planned and executed to many people who feel themselves way or another within two or
the coup did not want the embarrass- worse off today than they were be- three years. This remains a
two victims permanently naunting Vietnamese, and if one stands back if that happens, despite Viet-
them at headquarters, particularly ??1d ranarrlc the image of Diem in a , ,ni7atinn and despite con-
since Saigon at the time was tull or larger historical light, the picture is tinued American air and other
rumors of new coups and counter- rnncidnrahly sense rmmnlir_ated. innistical support, it will be
coups. .; due primarily to the inability
without any marble topping, were light of the new Communist offensive ration capable of withstand-
~.,a