NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Ngo Dinh Nhu

Ngô Ðình Nhu pronunciation (help· info), born in Vietnam, was the younger brother and chief political advisor of South Vietnam's first President, Ngô Ðình Diệm. He was widely regarded as the brains behind Diem's autocratic regime. permission recieved http://www. ... permission recieved http://www. ... Image File history File links Ngo_Dinh_Nhu. ... Â«ngoh dihn zih-ehmÂ» (January 3, 1901 â€“ November 2, 1963) was the first President of South Vietnam (1955â€“1963). ...

Biography

Nhu's family originated from the village of Phu Cam in central Vietnam. His family had served as mandarins in the imperial court in Hue, and his father Ngo Dinh Kha was a counsellor to Emperor Thanh Thai during the French colonisation. When the French deposed the emperor on the pretext of insanity, Kha retired in protest and became a farmer. Nhu was the fourth of six sons, born in 1910.^[1] There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Emperor ThÃ nh ThÃ¡i Emperor ThÃ nh ThÃ¡i of the Vietnamese Nguyá»…n Dynasty was born Prince Nguyá»…n PhÃºc Bá»u LÃ¢n, son of Emperor Dá»¥c Äá»©c. ...

He graduated from the Ecole Nationale des Chartes, a French archivists’ school, and returned to Vietnam form France at the outbreak of World War II. He was influenced by personalism, a concept he had acquired in the Latin Quarter. It had been conceived in the 1930s by Catholic progressives such as Emmanuel Mounier. Mounier’s heirs in Paris, who edited the left wing Catholic review ’’Esprit’’ denounced Nhu as a fraud. He worked at Hanoi’s National Library and in 1943, he married Tran Le Xuan, making her known as "Madame Nhu". Prior to this, he was strongly rumoured to have been having an affair with his wife's mother, six years his senior. The French dismissed Nhu due to Diem’s nationalist activities, and he moved to Da Lat and lived comfortably, editing a newspaper. ^[2] Personalism is the school of thought that consists of three main principles: Only persons are real (in the ontological sense), Only persons have value, and Only persons have free will. ... The Quartier Latin (Latin Quarter) is an area in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France, around the Sorbonne University. ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Madame Nhu Madame Nhu (born 1924 in Hanoi, Vietnam), also known as Madame NgÃ´ ÃÃ¬nh Nhu and born Tráº§n Lá»‡ XuÃ¢n (Chu Nom: é™³éº—æ˜¥), was First Lady of South Vietnam from 1955 to 1963. ...

According to Cecil B. Currey's book, Victory at Any Cost, Ngo Dinh Nhu was "an opium-smoking megalomaniac." (p 238)

Rise to power

Nhu's brother Diệm's, who had been appointed Prime Minister of the State of Vietnam by Emperor Bao Dai after the French had been defeated at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu. At the start of 1955, French Indochina was dissolved, leaving Diem in temporary control of the south.^[3] A referendum was scheduled for October 23, 1955 to determine the future direction of the south. It was contested by Bao Dai, the Emperor, advocating the restoration of the monarchy, while Diem ran on a republican platform. The elections were held, with Nhu and the family's Can Lao Party, which supplied Diem's electoral base, organising and supervising the elections.^[4]^[5] Campaigning for Bao Dai was prohibited, and the result was rigged, with Bao Dai supporters attacked by Nhu's workers. Diem recorded 98.2% of the vote, including 605,025 votes in Saigon, where only 450 thousand voters were registered. Diem's tally also exceeded the registration numbers in other districts.^[6]^[4] The 1955 South Vietnamese election was a referendum held to determine the future leadership of the nation that was to become Republic of Vietnam. ... Motto: None Official language Vietnamese Capital Saigon First Chief Emperor Bao Dai Last Chief Ngo Dinh Diem Rule Area South Vietnam (1954-) Independence - Provisional - Declared - Recognised - Dissolved From Franch rule May 27, 1948 June 14, 1949 1954 October 26, 1955 Currency Piastre National anthem Call to the Citizens Caution: The... Emperor Bao Dai Báº£o Äáº¡i (ä¿å¤§å¸ã€22 October 1913 â€“ 30 July 1997) was the last Emperor of Vietnam, the 13th and last Emperor of the Nguyá»…n Dynasty. ... Combatants France, Vietnam (loyalist), Hmong mercenaries Viet Minh, Chinese and possibly Japanese[1] consultants Commanders Christian de Castries, Pierre Langlais # Vo Nguyen Giap Strength As of March 13: 10,800[2] As of March 13: 48,000 combat personnel, 15,000 logistical support personnel[3] Casualties 2,293 dead, 5... French Indochina (French: LIndochine franÃ§aise, Vietnamese: ÄÃ´ng DÆ°Æ¡ng thuá»™c PhÃ¡p) was the part of the French colonial empire in Indochina in southeast Asia, consisting of a federation of protectorates (Tonkin and Annam, which now form Vietnam, as well as Cambodia and Laos) and one directly... Emperor Bao Dai Báº£o Äáº¡i (ä¿å¤§å¸ã€22 October 1913 â€“ 30 July 1997) was the last Emperor of Vietnam, the 13th and last Emperor of the Nguyá»…n Dynasty. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

In his youth he had formed student movements. He created a web of covert political, security, labor and other organizations. Emulating the communists, he built a structure of five man cells to spy on dissidents and promote those loyal to Diem’s regime.^[7]

Power

Nhu held no official role in the government, but ruled the southern region of South Vietnam, commanding private armies and secret police. Along with his wife and Archbishop Ngo Dinh Thuc, he lived in the Presidential Palace with Diem, as part of a nepotistic regime.^[8] Pervaded by family corruption, Nhu competed with his brother Ngo Dinh Can, who ruled the northern areas for US contracts and rice trade.^[9] He controlled the ARVN Special Forces commanded by Le Quang Tung, not for fighting the Vietcong but in Saigon to maintain the authoritarian rule of his family.^[10] Tortures and killings of "communist suspects" were committed on a daily basis. The death toll was put at around 50,000 and 75,000 imprisonments, and extended beyond communists to anti-communist dissidents and anti-corruption whistleblowers.^[11] His agents infiltrated labor unions and social organizations, and he expanded the police forces from 20 to 32 officers. They conducted arrests without warrants and selective suppression of criminal activity and graft while turning a blind eye to regime loyalists.^[12] Archbishop Peter Martin Ngo Dinh Thuc (October 6, 1897 - December 13, 1984), Roman Catholic Archbishop of Hué, Vietnam, was born in Hué, on October 6, 1897, of Catholic parents. ... Ngo Dinh Can was the brother of South Vietnams first president Ngo Dinh Diem. ... The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) was a military component of the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam (commonly known as South Vietnam). ... Colonel Le Quang Tung (1923-1963) was the head of the Army of the Republic of Vietnams Special Forces under the command of Ngo Dinh Nhu, the brother of South Vietnams president Ngo Dinh Diem. ... A Viet Cong soldier, heavily guarded, awaits interrogation following capture in the attacks on Saigon during the festive Tet holiday period of 1968. ... Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnamese: ThÃ nh ChÃ Minh) is the largest city in Vietnam, located near the delta of the Mekong River. ...

As Buddhist demonstrations against the Diem government continued throughout the summer, the special forces loyal to Diem's brother Nhu raided the Xa Loi Pagoda in Saigon in August. The Pagodas were vandalised, monks beaten, the cremated remains of Thích Quảng Đức, which included a heart which did not disintegrate, were confiscated.^[13] Simultaneous raids were carried out across the country, with the Tu Dam Pagoda in Hue being looted, the statue of Gautama Buddha demolished and a body of a deceased monk confiscated.^[14] When the populace came to the defence of the monks, the resulting clashes saw 30 civilians killed and 200 wounded.^[15] In all 1400 monks were arrested, and some thirty were injured across the country. The US indicated their disapproval of Diem's administration when their ambassador Henry Cabot Lodge visited the Pagoda in the aftermath.^[16] No further mass Buddhist protests occurred during the remainder of his rule.^[17] (born LÃ¢m VÄƒn Tá»©c in 1897 â€“ June 11, 1963), was a Vietnamese Buddhist monk who burned himself to death at a busy Saigon intersection on June 11, 1963. ... Standing Buddha sculpture, ancient region of Gandhara, northern Pakistan, 1st century CE, MusÃ©e Guimet. ... Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. ...

During this time, his wife Madame Nhu, who was a defacto first lady due to Diem's bachelor life, inflamed the situation by mockingly applauding the suicides of Thích Quảng Đức and others, referring to them as "barbeques" while Nhu stated "if the Buddhists want to have another barbeque, I will be glad to supply the gasoline".^[18]

Over time, relations with the United States decayed. The Americans wanted Nhu removed, believing he was alienating the populace and hindering the war effort. Aid to the Special Forces was to be withheld unless they were used to fight rather than attack dissidents. Nhu accused the Americans of “destroying the psychology of our country” and called Henry Cabot Lodge a “man of no morality”.^[19] Henry Cabot Lodge (May 12, 1850 â€“ November 9, 1924) was an American statesman, a Republican politician, and noted historian. ...

Death

On November 2, 1963, Nhu was assassinated along with his brother by Captain Nguyen Van Nhung during a coup d'etat led by General Dương Văn Minh with the understanding that the United States would not intervene.^[20] November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Captain Nguyen Van Nhung was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. ... A coup détat, or simply a coup, is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. ... DÆ°Æ¡ng VÄƒn Minh (February 16, 1916 â€“ August 6, 2001), known popularly as Big Minh, led the South Vietnamese army under Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem. ...

Notes

^ Karnow (1997) p.229-233
^ Karnow (1997) p.280-284
^ Maclear (1981) pp.65-68
^ ^a ^b Karnow (1997) p239
^ Langguth (2000) p.99
^ Jacobs (2006) p95
^ Karnow (1997) p.280-284
^ Karnow (1997)
^ Karnow p.246
^ Karnow (1997) p.280-284
^ Maclear (1981) p.70-90
^ Tucker (2000) pp. 461.
^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,940704-1,00.html
^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,940704-2,00.html
^ http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,940704-2,00.html
^ Gettleman (1966) pp. 278-283.
^ Moyar (2006) pp. 212-216, 231-234.
^ Tucker (2000) pp. 292-293.
^ Karnow (1997) p.300-324
^ Karnow (1997) p.300-326

References

Penguin Books is a British publisher founded in 1935 by Allen Lane. ... Stanley Karnow is a Pulitzer Prize-winning author who covered Asia from 1959 as chief correspondent for Time and Life. ... Penguin Books is a British publisher founded in 1935 by Allen Lane. ... Jean-François Millet Le Semeur (The Sower) Simon & Schuster logo, circa 1961. ... Methuen & Co Limited is a firm of British publishers, which began publishing in London in 1892. ... ABC-CLIO is a publisher of reference works for the study of history in academic, secondary school, and public library settings. ...

External links

Categories: Ngo family | Vietnamese Roman Catholics | 1963 deaths | Deaths by firearm | Assassinated Vietnamese politicians | People of the Vietnam War | Anti-Buddhism The National Security Archive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit research and archival institution located within The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1985 by Thomas Blanton, it archives and publishes declassified U.S. government files concerning selected topics of American foreign policy. ...

Contents

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