Diem Assassination Analysis

The U.S. increased their presence in Vietnam by either blatantly hiding details from the public, as in the case of the Diem assassination, or by manipulating details, as in the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which facilitated the government’s desire to contain communism and prove their military superiority. On November 2, 1963 South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother, Ngo Dinh Diem, were assassinated during a coup by Vietnamese generals. In the days following Diem’s death, the South Vietnamese people celebrated an end to his dictatorial leadership and oppression. However, the power vacuum lent itself to political disarray that required the U.S. to intensify their involvement in Vietnam to provide stabilization to the South Vietnamese

In reality, the U.S. intentionally disregarded the territorial boundaries established by North Vietnam, and poor coordination with the OPLAN 34A attacks occurring simultaneously father along the coast made the U.S. appear more hostile than intended. In one declassified document, the U.S. explains their reasoning for the Maddox’s proximity to the coast, stating that “the 11-mile limitation referred to above reflects the fact that NVN probably claims that her territorial waters extend 12 miles off her coast. We do not admit this claim, and the theory is to show this by penetrating it to the extent of one mile.” Additionally, the article attempts to analyze the connection between the OPLAN 34A attacks and North Vietnam’s response to the Maddox, weighing whether their actions were purposefully retaliatory or defensive in nature. The current evidence notwithstanding, the U.S. government found their excuse to ratchet up involvement in Vietnam through the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, authorizing any means necessary to prevent further aggression by the communist government of