Declassified per Executive Order 13526, Section 3.3
NND Project Number: NND 63316. By: NWD Date: 2011
TOP SECRET – Sensitive
| 30 Apr 55 | Revolutionary Congress Announced | Diem's brother Nhu had a hand in organizing this broad amalgam of political interests behind a program calling for support of Diem against the Binh Xuyen, sects and Bao Dai, in favor of broad representation in the government. Generals Thé and Phuong, tired of the "weak" Revolutionary Congress, formed a Revolutionary Committee whose outlook was more anti-Bao Dai and anti-French than the Congress. Present and former Vietminh supporters were members of the Congress and Committee. |
| 1 May 55 | Bao Dai's ultimatum | Bao Dai summoned Diem to replace the Army Chief of Staff with his own man. Diem ignored the summons and orders. |
| 1 May 55 | The US: back on the track behind Diem | Because of Diem's victory — superficial though it may have been — over the Binh Xuyen, because of VNA support for Diem, Dulles canceled the cable of 28 April: again, the US will support Diem. |
| 8 May 55 | A National Campaign launched | Diem announced a national campaign to regain "wayward" provinces and unify the country. Or: he declared war on the sects. The VNA fought over a year against Hoa Hao and Binh Xuyen forces, but finally established control over them, over areas of sect influence and control. |
| 8–11 May 55 | Tripartite Talks, Paris | Faure: We cannot support Diem — but Vietnam is not worth a split in Franco–American relations. Therefore, France offers to withdraw from Vietnam. Dulles: We must support Diem. But if a US withdrawal would prevent discord, the US will consider it. Then, after hearing JCS and Collins' arguments against either precipitate French withdrawal or a US withdrawal, Dulles urged Faure to accept a new proposal: support |
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TOP SECRET – Sensitive
