Word: quate
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...older generation, Khanh seemed to the young Turks lacking in the flexibility and idealism that South Viet Nam's social revolution required. Partly out of ambition, partly out of impatience, the younger officers themselves turned Khanh out, replaced him with a civilian physician and moderate, Dr. Phan Huy Quat, and his "medicine Cabinet." The officers genuinely wanted Quat's civilian government to work so that they could concentrate on prosecuting the war. But without a firm hand, all the old religious and fractional rivalries erupted anew. Quat asked the generals to take over, and reluctantly they...
...most tragic example of the destruction of Vietnamese liberalism is the case of Pham Ngoc Thao, a former Colonel in the Vietnamese Air Force. Pham, an active Catholic, was sentenced to death in absentia on May 7 after he, along with Ky, attempted an abortive coup against Bhuddist Premier Quat. When the Quat regime fell one month later, Pham should certainly have received amnesty. But in fact, Ky kept him on the wanted list...
...Quat had been forced by a crippling Cabinet crisis to call the generals back into politics-and they returned only with the greatest of reluctance. For nearly three weeks, Catholic extremists and elements of the Cao Dai and Hoa Hao sects had demanded Quat's resignation, charging him with persecution of religious and national minorities, and conspiring with "French colonialists" to neutralize South Viet Nam. When Quat tried to reshuffle his Cabinet, Suu, who backed Quat's foes, vetoed the shifts. The Catholics took to the streets, and Quat feared that he might soon be faced with madness...
After huddling secretly for two days, the generals called in Quat, Suu and the legislature for a marathon harangue. For three hours, under Suu's nominal chairmanship, nearly every important figure in South Viet Nam's political and military life argued, discussed, sulked, threatened and cajoled in an attempt to resolve the crisis. "If the Premier can't even name two ministers to his Cabinet," raged one of them, "he certainly can't hope to run the government." Quat could only concur. Angrily, the generals reminded the politicians of the heavy losses that their troops...
Finally, everyone agreed that winning the war was South Viet Nam's first priority, and that a military takeover stood the best chance of advancing that objective. Quat and Suu were formally ousted, then reappointed to head the government. The National Legislative Council was dissolved; now the two civilian chiefs were responsible directly to the military. At week's end, the generals were still busying themselves with the shape of the new regime. As one participant put it: "We are starting with a blank sheet of paper...