Word: bunkerism
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...presidency, abruptly pulled out of the campaign, charging that the election was a "disgusting farce" blatantly rigged by the Presidential Palace. The only other potential rival, Ky, had already been shut out-at least "provisionally"-by a highly restrictive election law. Then, after a palace showdown between Bunker and Thieu following Big Minh's withdrawal, the nine justices of South Viet Nam's Supreme Court met and ruled that Ky could qualify as a candidate after all. Ostensibly, what had started as a three-man campaign and then come down to one was now to become...
...winnowing out the frivolous candidates; after all, there were no fewer than eleven hopefuls in the 1967 election, which Thieu won with a bare 35% of the vote. When it finally dawned that the man Thieu most wanted to winnow out was Ky, alarm spread through the U.S. embassy. Bunker repeatedly warned Thieu that it might look bad all round if the Vice President were squeezed out of the race. But when the Aug. 4 filing deadline came around, Thieu sat quietly while the Supreme Court ruled out Ky for lack of sufficient certified endorsements...
...dismay. Minh had won a wide following as a patriot and nationalist and was sensitive to charges that he was in the race mainly because the U.S. put him up to it. Unless the U.S. did something to curb Thieu's immense advantages in the campaign, Minh warned Bunker, he would pull...
...measure of U.S. concern was evident when Bunker hastened to Washington for several days of talks. It was decided that Bunker should warn Thieu "on the highest authority"-meaning straight from Richard Nixon-that the Administration would be deeply disturbed if the election turned into a fiasco. Congress, Bunker was to emphasize, might balk at continuing aid to Saigon if Thieu ran unopposed...
...Bunker returned to Saigon last week and delivered his message to Thieu, then went on to Big Minh's villa a few blocks away. But Minh was not convinced of Bunker's power to put a rein on Thieu's ambition. Next morning, Minh's spokesmen announced his withdrawal...