1964 South Vietnamese Coup - Background

Background

Khanh had long been regarded as an ambitious and unscrupulous officer. Following the partition of Vietnam, Khanh, a French-trained officer who served in the French-backed Vietnamese National Army during the First Indochina War, had rallied to support Ngo Dinh Diem, who became the first president of the anti-communist South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam). He rose to become the deputy chief of staff in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), but his record of political loyalty was called into question. In 1960, during an attempted coup by rebel paratroopers, Khanh jumped over the walls of the Independence Palace and joined Diem during the siege, trying to negotiate an end to the stand-off with the rebels. Khanh parleyed with the rebels long enough for loyal forces to arrive from the outside the capital to suppress the uprising, but his critics contended that he was waiting to see which side would gain the upper hand and was not committed to Diem. In any case, Diem then promoted him to be the commander of II Corps. In his younger days, Khanh had joined the Vietminh but then defected to the French colonial army after a year. Khanh claimed that he had left the Vietminh because of its communist inclinations, but critics claimed that he was simply switching sides because the French-backed State of Vietnam offered him more opportunities for advancement.

Khanh participated in the 1963 South Vietnamese coup that deposed Diem, playing a minor role, although he claimed to be a key player. Khanh expected a large reward, but the junta instead sidelined him, excluding him from the twelve-man Military Revolutionary Council. In mid-December he was moved from the II Corps in the central highlands to the command of the I Corps based around Hue and Da Nang in the far north of the Republic of Vietnam. This, it was speculated, was to keep him far away from Saigon in an attempt to stop him from involving himself in politics. This was contrary to Khanh's request for a transfer to the IV Corps in the Mekong Delta close to Saigon, where most of the fighting was taking place. In an interview with journalist Robert Shaplen, Khanh made no attempt to hide his annoyance at not being given a more important job. With respect to the 1963 coup that overthrew and killed Diem, he cryptically commented "It is too soon yet to tell the whole story, but someday I will tell it to you". The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) also reported that Khanh was motivated by a suspicion that Minh's junta knew he was untrustworthy and was going to give him an overseas government post to sideline him completely.