Declassified per Executive Order 13526, Section 3.3
NND Project Number: NND 63316. By: NWD Date: 2011
043055 THE NATIONAL REVOLUTIONARY CONGRESS, A REPORTED BROAD BASED GROUP, CALLED ON DIEM TO FORM A NEW GOVERNMENT AND ELIMINATE BAO DAI. /JCS HIST.
050155 GENERAL NGUYEN VAN VY TOOK CONTROL OF SOUTH VIETNAM FOR A DAY. HE HELD DIEM PALACE PRISONER AND ORDERED TROOPS INTO STRATEGIC SAIGON POSITIONS. MILITARY LEADERS WERE CONFUSED BY THE COMMAND SHIFT AND CLAIMED THAT IT BLOCKED AN OFFENSIVE AGAINST THE REBELS. BY THE NEXT DAY DIEM RESUMED CONTROL WITH GENERAL LE VAN TY'S HELP.
050255 THE NATIONAL ARMY OPENED AN OFFENSIVE AGAINST THE REBELS OUTSIDE SAIGON.
050555 THE PEOPLE'S NATIONAL REVOLUTIONARY COMMITTEE COMPRISING SOME 4,000 DIEM SUPPORTERS MET AND DEMANDED REMOVAL OF BAO DAI.
050855 AT TRIPARTITE MEETINGS (US–FRANCE–GREAT BRITAIN, MAY 8–14) FAURE THREATENED TO WITHDRAW THE FEC BECAUSE OF U.S.–FRENCH DISAGREEMENT OVER WITHDRAWAL OF DIEM. DULLES BELIEVED HIS THREAT. /JCS HIST.
DULLES AGREED THAT BAO DAI COULD BE RETAINED IF HE STOPPED INTERFERING WITH DIEM'S EXERCISE OF POWER. DULLES REFUSED TO SEE BAO DAI IN PARIS. /J.B. DRAGON.
050955 JCS MEMO TO SEC.DEF. STATED THAT THE VNA WAS LITTLE GOOD, THAT PRESENCE OF AN OUTSIDE FORCE IN VIETNAM WAS ESSENTIAL AND THAT EVENTUAL FRENCH WITHDRAWAL WOULD BE DESIRED. /353–1
051055 THE REBELLION WAS BROKEN, DIEM RECONSTITUTED HIS GOVERNMENT BY FORMING A NEW CABINET COMPOSED LARGELY OF HIS OWN FOLLOWERS.
051155 GENERAL NGUYEN VAN HINH WAS RELIEVED OF HIS GENERALSHIP AND MEMBERSHIP IN THE VIETNAMESE ARMY.
051155 IN TALKS BETWEEN FAURE AND DULLES, THE U.S. HELD THAT THE FRENCH WITHDRAWAL FO FORCES SHOULD BE CO-ORDINATED WITH THE TRAINING AND ORGANIZATION OF VIETNAM'S NATIONAL ARMY TO ASSURE THAT NATION'S DEFENSE. THE VIETNAM SITUATION DID NOT LEND ITSELF TO A CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN FRANCE AND THE U.S., (I.E.—THE U.S. IN THE FUTURE WOULD ACT INDEPENDENTLY OF FRANCE.) /JCS HIST.
051255 DIEM HOPED THAT FRANCE WOULD MOVE ITS EXPEDITIONARY CORPS TO THE 17TH PARALLEL AND NOT KEEP THEM IN SAIGON, TOURANE AND CAP ST. JACQUES. FELT THE FRENCH TROOPS MAJOR ROLE WAS TO GUARD AGAINST AGGRESSION FROM THE NORTH.
051355 IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ARMISTICE AGREEMENTS, THE FRENCH EVACUATED HAI
051355 FRANCE AND U.S. PRODUCED A TOTAL AGREEMENT ON A POLICY FOR VIETNAM. AGREED TO PACK DIEM WITH DIFFERENCES OF EMPHASIS. FAURE WAS REPORTED TO HAVE OBTAINED FROM DULLES ASSURANCE THAT THE U.S. WOULD LOYALLY BACK FRANCE IN SEEKING TO PREPARE FOR THE 1956 ALL-VIETNAM ELECTIONS.
FAURE REPORTED THAT GREAT BRITAIN, FRANCE, AND U.S. HAD REACHED A NON-WRITTEN AGREEMENT THAT FRANCE WOULD CONTINUE FORCE WITHDRAWAL BUT POSSIBLY ONE CONTINGENT MIGHT BE LEFT.
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