Page "Nguyen Van Thieu" Paragraph 24

Khánh ’ s action nullified a counter-plot involving Hương that had developed during the civil disorders that forced him from office.

In an attempt to pre-empt his deposal, Hương had backed a plot led by some Đại Việt-oriented Catholic officers, including Thiệu and Có, who planned to remove Khánh and bring Khiêm back from Washington.

The U. S. Embassy in Saigon was privately supportive of the aim as Taylor and Khánh had become implacable enemies, but they did not fully back the move as they regarded it as poorly thought out and potentially a political embarrassment due to the need to use an American plane to transport some plotters between Saigon and Washington, and as a result, they promised asylum only for Hương if necessary.

The plot continued over the next month with U. S. encouragement, especially when evidence emerged that Khánh wanted to make a deal with the communists.

Taylor told the generals that the U. S. was “ in no way propping up General Khanh or backing him in any fashion ”.

At this stage, Taylor and his staff in Saigon thought highly of Thiệu, Có and Cang as possible replacements for Khánh.

Thiệu was quoted in a Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA ) report as being described by an unnamed American official as “ intelligent, highly ambitious, and likely to remain a coup plotter with the aim of personal advancement ”.