Diem and Nation-State Building (1955-1963)

Question 1: Discuss the McNamara-Taylor mission to Vietnam.

Answer 1: The McNamara-Taylor mission was an expedition to South Vietnam in September-October 1963 by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and General Maxwell Taylor on behalf of the Kennedy administration. It was a more intensive look at South Vietnam and its woes, particularly the Vietcong insurgency and the Buddhist crisis, following the inconclusive results of the previous Krulak-Mendenhall mission. The McNamara-Taylor mission involved visiting both city centers and military outposts and speaking with both Vietnamese and American officials to get a handle on the country’s situation. A formal meeting with President Ngo Dinh Diem also occurred, which ended poorly when Diem failed to acknowledge the seriousness of his poor handling of the Buddhist crisis and the insurgency as well as America’s concern for his stature in and leadership of the country. McNamara and Taylor both reported serious concerns about the insurgency, the Buddhist crisis, and Diem’s inadequate handling of either situation. One month after the mission, the United States endorsed a military coup of Diem’s regime.

There are lots of good resources about Diem that you can find available.

Question 2: Discuss the Buddhist crisis.

Answer 2: From May to November of 1963, South Vietnam experienced major conflict between the political power of Catholic president Ngo Dinh Diem and the religious power of the country’s majority Buddhist population. It began when a Buddhist protest against the country’s ban on religious flags ended in the deaths of nine people. Diem refused to take any government responsibility for the incident, prompting an outcry from the country’s Buddhist population. The crisis made international news the following June, when Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc publicly set himself on fire in protest of Diem’s policies. Tensions escalated in July, when Diem’s secret police attacked a group of American journalists who were covering the protests. In August, Diem declared martial law and ordered the coordinated arrests of over 1,400 Buddhists in pagodas throughout the nation. The controversy lingered until the following November, when a coup by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam overthrew Diem’s government, ending with Diem’s arrest and eventual assassination.

Question 3: Explain, in detail, the Hue Vesak shootings and their effect on Vietnam.

Answer 3: The Hue Vesak shootings occurred on May 8, 1963, when nine Buddhist civilians lost their lives during a public protest against South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem’s ban on flying religious flags. It happened in the city of Hue on the commemorative day of Vesak, the birthday of Buddhism’s founder, Gautama Buddha. The protest, which began peacefully, slowly escalated until Vietnamese armed forces were called in to disperse the crowd. After two unexplained explosions, the armed forces began firing directly into the crowd, killing nine and severely injuring four. Two of the victims were children who were trampled underneath armored personnel carriers.Afterward, Diem, a Catholic, insisted that the authorities had responded to the situation properly and that he would take no disciplinary action against them. He further distanced himself from the incident by blaming the Vietcong for the initial explosion. This apparent indifference to the deaths of Buddhists by a Catholic president ultimately prompted the country’s Buddhist crisis.

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