PERSONS/ENTITIES: DIEM, THICH TRI QUANG
DATES: May 6, 1963
CATEGORIES: DIEM

OCCURRENCE: Diem on May 6, 1963 revived a regulation banning the public display of any religious flag—either the Buddhist or Catholic—having any precedence over the National Vietnamese flag in public places or in public view. Higgins does not doubt that the Vietnamese government's decision to revive these flag regulations on May 6, 1963 made possible the Hue tragedy. Ironically, action by Diem has been generally viewed as anti-Buddhist. His May 6 circular had been provoked a few days earlier in Da Nang by the excessive use by Catholics of the flag of the Vatican with the National Vietnamese flag on view being sometimes tattered and torn and few in number. (91)

SOURCE: Our Viet Nam Nightmare, Higgins, Harper and Row, 1965
STAFF: Dawson, R.
FILE:
DATE: July 2, 1975

PERSONS/ENTITIES: CONEIN, MADAME NHU
DATES: 1963
CATEGORIES: DIEM

OCCURRENCE: CONEIN stated that the catalyst that brought down the DIEM regime was their antagonism of the Buddhists. He explained that 80% of the Vietnamese people claimed to be Buddhists. And that DIEM led a Catholic regime and that this drove people, particularly in light of MADAME NHU's statements to the effect that she'd like to furnish some mustard at a bonzes barbecue, or something to that effect. This made people want to identify themselves against the regime and so they would go back to the pagodas. CONEIN did not know whether or not this became the principal reason for the United States wanting to get rid of the regime. pp. 42-44.

TOP SECRET

SOURCE: Hearings, SSCI, June 20, 1975, Conein
STAFF: R. DAWSON
FILE:
DATE: July 2, 1975