Word: minh
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...more acceptable to the conquerors at the gates? Would the Communists spare Saigon in any case? At week's end Huong still clung stubbornly to the presidency. But it seemed clear that Saigon would have to replace him or risk destruction. The almost certain successor: General Duong Van ("Big") Minh, the neutralist Buddhist who, in a still-remembered moment of glory, helped overthrow the dictatorial regime of Ngo Dinh Diem in 1963 (see box page...
There was a time when Minh might have proved to be the catalyst for those groups in the South that favored a compromise political settlement with the Communists; had that happened, there might have been at least some chance of sharing power. Now it was too late. His imminent return to leadership symbolized the final failure of the American-supported effort in Viet Nam and the defeat of those groups who had led the war against the Communists...
...week progressed, Minh's backing became almost unanimous. Former Premier and Vice President Nguyen Cao Ky, who just a month ago seemed to be making his own bid for power, began trying to organize pro-Minh sentiment within the armed forces. Politicians, religious and opposition leaders added their backing; even the powerful leader of the An Quang Pagoda group, the Venerable Thich Tri Quang, issued an unprecedented personal endorsement...
Despite this, a new snag soon developed. Most of Saigon's leaders urged that Minh become Premier in full charge of the government, with Huong remaining as nothing more than a symbolic head of state. From the beginning, however, Minh insisted that he be chief of state?with real powers...
After a vain two-day search for a substitute, the leading generals accepted Minh's conditions. But then a new obstacle appeared in the form of Huong himself. Asthmatic and nearly blind, Huong sensed a last opportunity to play a historic role. In his acceptance speech, he surprised everyone by vowing to "fight until the troops die or the country is lost" and to "be buried with his soldiers." While stubbornly insisting that he remain the legitimate President of South Viet Nam, he later seemed to adopt a less drastic position, promising to start negotiations with the Communists. The feeble...