Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961–1963, Volume III, Vietnam, January–August 1963

271. Editorial Note

The President’s Intelligence Checklist, August 23, seen by the President, contains the following item entitled “South Vietnam”:

• “a. Tight security precautions are still being enforced in Saigon and Hue, but troop presence is less obtrusive.
• “b. Nhu told a US source yesterday that the generals recommended the imposition of martial law. He denied this amounted to a coup, but warned it could become one if Diem vacillated or compromised on the Buddhist issue.
• “c. Ambassador Lodge notes that the resignation of Foreign Minister Mau ‘obviously caught the government flatfooted’.” (Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Chester V. Clifton Series)