Was ousting Ngô Đình Diệm a mistake?

[Nakura Chambers]

After the French withdrew from Vietnam, the country was divided into two different states; the socialist north and the democratic south. The division was originally intended to be temporary and the country was to be reunified once an election (in both countries) could be held. Neither side trusted the other, however, and refused to hold a unified election out of fear that their opponent would win. As a result, Vietnam remained divided and a referendum was held in South Vietnam to determine the future of the country.

The referendum in South Vietnam put to the voters a question of whether or not South Vietnam should become a republic, headed under Ngô Đình Diệm, or remain a monarchy headed by Bảo Đại (a French/Japanese collaborator). The referendum resulted in a landslide victory for Ngô Đình Diệm, though some argue that there was a great deal of electoral fraud involved. This placed South Vietnam on the path to freedom, democracy and prosperity, or so the West thought. Little did they know, Ngô Đình Diệm was skeptical of the United States, had socialistic tendencies and held Buddhists (the majority in Vietnam) with contempt.

The early years of the fledgling Republic of Vietnam were quite prosperous, largely due to widespread American aid, from both the American government and society (foreign investment and NGOs). Alas the prosperity couldn't last forever, however, as some of Ngô Đình Diệm's economic policies left rural areas of the country in poverty. To make matters worse, some Buddhists began protesting against Ngô Đình Diệm's government, to which Diệm responded with increasingly authoritarian laws and actions, to the point of discriminating against Buddhists and outlawing many aspects of their religion.

As Buddhists and rural communities felt increasingly threatened by their own government, Diệm grew paranoid of his partnership with the United States. The United States kept pushing him to respect the rights of Buddhists, abandon his economic projects in rural areas and initiate more democratic reforms. Fearing that he would lose his power and be ousted (either through force or an election, should he initiate democratic reforms), he doubled down and ignored the requests of the American foreign service. In response to Diệm's increasingly authoritarian government, the United States suspended most foreign aid to South Vietnam.

With Diệm's government losing popular support and no meaningful reforms being implemented, several South Vietnamese military officers began contacting the United States about overthrowing Diệm's government. The United States stated that they would not provide any assistance to the rebels in the event of a coup d'état, but that they would recognize their new government. After many months of preparing, the rebels successfully overthrew Diệm's government in November, 1963.

The new government that replaced Diệm's promised to hold democratic elections and restore civil liberties to the people, much to America's satisfaction. Though the new government also believed that the best way to defeat the Viet Cong was through diplomacy and addressing their grievances (primarily poor living conditions in rural areas). The American foreign service, on the other hand, believed that no quarter should be offered to the Viet Cong and that a military solution was the best course of action.

To make matters worse, some South Vietnamese military officers viewed the new government as incompetent and unwilling to do what was necessary to defeat the Viet Cong. As a result, less than three months after the new government assumed power, a new military coup took place. The resulting chaos destabilized the country and a number of other coups and attempted coups took place since. With no apparent end to the instability in sight, the United States took a "wait and see" approach, with the hope that South Vietnam would find stability on it's own, something that apparently didn't happen in time (before the United States withdrew support and North Vietnam invaded).

Today some historians and political scientists argue that allowing Ngô Đình Diệm's government to be overthrown was a mistake, especially given that the United States was in communication with (albeit not supporting) the rebels. They argue that the United States could have convinced Diệm to peacefully hand-over power to a democratic government, or at the very least, end his persecution of Buddhists. Others argue that the United States should have supported the government that replaced Diệm's and pursued a peace plan with the Viet Cong. And still others argue that the United States was right to allow/"support" the overthrow of both the Diệm government and the "pro-peace" government that followed it (which is what we did). What do you think the United States should have done? Do you believe that ousting Diệm was a mistake?

Please note that I ask what you think we should have done in regards to the overthrow of Diệm's government, not whether or not you personally supported American involved in Vietnam or if you believe we should have supported the Viet Minh instead of the French to begin with. Assuming that the United States has already been involved in Vietnam and that all other historical events prior to the coup remain the same, would you have encouraged/supported/allowed the coup to take place?

[Randec]

I voted other. I don't think the united states should have meddled in the affairs of vietnam to begin with. I don't think they should have put a ruthless dictator into power. I don't think they should be subverting populist movements and promoting death and destruction.