Abstract
Informed and inspired by Freedman’s examination of the Kennedy administration in Kennedy’s Wars and his introduction of the ‘strategic scripts’ concept, this chapter analyzes Washington’s role in the 1963 military coup that deposed Ngo Dinh Diem as President of South Vietnam and saw him and his brother murdered the following day. The US role was, at best, indirect because of Kennedy’s indecision, but although Kennedy did not choose to overthrow Diem, his ambivalence produced the same outcome. While Washington had discussed the possibility of a coup, there was no thought that Diem would be killed. There was an assumption and contingency planning to fly Diem into exile, if the coup happened. There was no script for the situation that actually emerged. This gave rise to a script, which US policy makers have used ever since to deter discussion about overthrowing friendly governments whose leadership is viewed as problematic.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The Art of Creating Power |
| Subtitle of host publication | Freedman on Strategy |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Pages | 155-168 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9780190851163 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2018 |
Keywords
- Coup
- Friendly governments
- Kennedy’s wars
- Ngo dinh diem
- South vietnam
