Washington, DC, November 3, 2009 - The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library has just released new evidence on United States collusion in the late 1963 coup d’etat in South Vietnam that ended in the assassination of Saigon leader Ngo Dinh Diem. This is a crucial new piece of the puzzle, for the release includes actual tape recordings of White House meetings several months earlier when President Kennedy initially considered requests from South Vietnamese generals for U.S. backing in a coup attempt. The tapes reflect both Kennedy’s doubts and U.S. determination to change the game in South Vietnam, and decisions made here, in August, led directly to the November coup. Later this month the Archive will post an Electronic Briefing Book reflecting upon the new evidence. For the present we are re-posting our earlier commentary presentation, documents and tapes directly pertinent to the American role in the Saigon coup.
