The Lost Mandate of Heaven: The American Betrayal of Ngo Dinh Diem, President of Vietnam

by Geoffrey D. T. Shaw

Overview

Ngo Dinh Diem, the first president of the Republic of Vietnam, possessed the Confucian "Mandate of Heaven", a moral and political authority that was widely recognized by all Vietnamese. This devout Roman Catholic leader never lost this mandate in the eyes of his people; rather, he was taken down by a military coup sponsored by the U.S. government, which resulted in his brutal murder.

The commonly held view runs contrary to the above assertion by military historian Geoffrey Shaw. According to many American historians, President Diem was a corrupt leader whose tyrannical actions lost him the loyalty of his people and the possibility of a military victory over the North Vietnamese. The Kennedy Administration, they argue, had to withdraw its support of Diem.

Based on his research of original sources, including declassified documents of the U.S. government, Shaw chronicles the Kennedy administration's betrayal of this ally, which proved to be not only a moral failure but also a political disaster that led America into a protracted and costly war. Along the way, Shaw reveals a President Diem very different from the despot portrayed by the press during its coverage of Vietnam. From eyewitness accounts of military, intelligence, and diplomatic sources, Shaw draws the portrait of a man with rare integrity, a patriot who strove to free his country from Western colonialism while protecting it from Communism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781621646136
Publisher:	Ignatius Press
Publication date:	10/15/2022
Pages:	314
Sales rank:	213,956
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Geoffrey Shaw, Ph.D., received his doctorate in history from the University of Manitoba, with a focus on US diplomatic and military history in Southeast Asia. From 1994 to 2008 he was an Assistant Professor of History for the American Military University. He has written and spoken widely about US military involvement in Vietnam and the Middle East. Currently he is the President of the Alexandrian Defense Group, a think tank on counterinsurgency warfare.

Table of Contents

Foreword James V. Schall, S.J. 9

Preface 17

Acknowledgements 19

Abbreviations 21

Introduction: Ngo Dinh Diem 23

1 Diplomacy in SouthVietnam from the Late 1950s to 1960 41

2 U.S. Ambassador Elbridge Durbrow 57

3 Enter Ambassador Frederick Nolting 72

4 The Continuing Laotian Question 87

5 The Counterinsurgency Plan 107

6 Policemen versus Soldiers 126

7 The Abrogation of Nolting's Rapprochement 144

8 Nolting's Rearguard Action 158

9 The Decline of the Nolting Influence 176

10 The Buddhist Crisis of 1963 194

11 Washington Isolates Diem 213

12 Nolting's Farewell 237

13 Washington Moves for a Coup 249

Conclusion 269

Selected Bibliography 275

Index 297

Editorial Reviews

"A candid account of the killing of Ngo Dinh Diem, the reasons for it, who was responsible, why it happened, and the disastrous results. Particularly agonizing for Americans who read this clearly stated and tightly argued book is the fact that the final Vietnam defeat was not really on battle grounds, but on political and moral grounds. The Vietnam War need not have been lost. Overwhelming evidence supports it."
— From the Foreword by James V. Schall, S.J., Professor Emeritus, Georgetown University

"This masterpiece will likely emerge as the definitive work on this troublesome subject. An exceedingly well-written and engaging read, replete with significant revelations and exposés."
— William L. Stearman, Ph.D.,Director of the National Security Council's Indochina staff, 1973–1976

"A remarkable book that finally sets the record straight with copious documentation on the assassination of Diem, which was ultimately responsible for our loss of the war. A must read."
— Admiral John M. Poindexter, U.S. Navy (ret.), National Security Advisor to President Reagan

"Shaw has produced a truly monumental and highly readable account. Any serious student of the Vietnam War must read this book."
— Colonel Andrew R. Finlayson, U.S. Marine Corps (ret.), Author, Killer Kane

"It took half a century for someone committed and brave enough to unravel the Machiavellian plot to assassinate President Diem."
— Nghia M. Vo, Director of Saigon Arts, Culture, and Education Institute (SACEI)

"Amidst a new time of national strategic misdirection and hubris, the case of Diem demands to be revisited. This book is essential reading."
— Thomas A. Marks, Ph.D., Author, Maoist People's War in Post-Vietnam Asia

"Geoffrey Shaw has done a commendable job in unraveling the intricacies of the most wrong-headed political decisions of the Vietnam War."
— Stephen Sherman, Editor, Vietnam Veterans for Factual History, Indochina Series

"In this important book, Geoffrey Shaw illuminates the critical conflicts within the U.S. government over support for South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem prior to his assassination."
— Mark Moyar, Author, Triumph Forsaken: The Vietnam War, 1954–1965

"Utilizing newly released documents, Professor Shaw, in his riveting book, reveals how the anti-Catholic crowd in the U.S. State Department manipulated President Kennedy to authorize the removal of South Vietnam's first president, Ngo Dinh Diem."
— George J. Marlin, Author, Christian Persecutions in the Middle East: A 21st Century Tragedy

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