176-10036-10153 JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION FORM AGENCY : NARA RECORD NUMBER : 176-10036-10153 RECORD SERIES : National Security Files AGENCY FILE NUMBER : ORIGINATOR : CIA FROM : TO : TITLE : The Nature of the Buddhist Conflict DATE.: 9/27/1963 PAGES :-#6 . SUBJECTS : | DOCUMENT TYPE : CLASSIFICATION : RESTRICTIONS : CURRENT STATUS : DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 9/10/2000 OPENING CRITERIA : COMMENTS : National Security Files, Box 200: Vietnam,9/22/63-10/6/63, CIA Reports. Box 2 T'eanras WR Be a em ”
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+ a . me + . 3 THIS: ‘MATERIAL CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECT- _ ING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE. OF THE UNITED STATES WITHIN | THE MEANING. OF THE ESPIONAGE LAWS, ‘TITLE 18, USC, SECTIONS 793 AND 794, THE TRANSMIS- SION OR REVELATION OF WHICH IN ANY MANNER TO AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS PROHIBITED BY LAW. DISSEMINATION CONTROLS This document MUST NOT, BE RELEASED TO FOREIGN _ GOVERNMENTS. If marked with specific dissemination | ¥Gdatrols in ‘accordance with the provisioris:of DCID 1/7,-- - .the document must be handled within ithe framework, of the limitation : SO imposed. Cee ate
SECRET C* . KS 27 September 1963 THE NATURE OF ‘THE: BUDDHIST CONFLICT IN SOUTH VIETNAM The current Buddhist protest movement in South Vietnam has been highly political since its incép= — tion. However, in the context of Buddhist tradition, as well as of. political life undér the Neo family regime, it is impossible entirély to .separaté Bud= dhist political aims from Buddhist religious motiva= tion, And in thé course of théir protest, campaiga, ‘many otherwise apolitical Vietnamese Buddhists were forced to the conclusion that only through a change in the regime. could ‘they wih religious equality, - A majority of thé South ‘Vietnamese populatioa- éonsider © themselves Buddhists iii one “sense or another, Thé Buddhist “Sangha (the organizéd coiniitity Of monks and’ nuns) doés not share the. Western ‘concept of churéli= ot -state“separdtion and looks back “:to-a period in Vietnamese His=  stoey- when Buddhists sérvéd as ~“political, cultural, atid spirit- sual, counselors ‘to- -empér oi , Als _ though? ‘this role declitiéd well ': before the advent of French. /arule, Buddhists’ regard the ‘olox otal’ period, “with its intrdduc~ “ition: ‘of * Catholicism and thé * privileged’ ‘status . accorded its vdherents* - ‘ash having further ‘corrupted their™ Yreligion;: Grows © ing: out of. this: concern, & grow— ing: ‘Buddhist. ‘revival’ beginnixg ' imcthe 1920s ted to the fornd- “tion in’ 195i" by the-diost inpor= V tant Vietnamése. sect of a: id= _ tional ‘Sangha: and laity” organiza~ |. "tion ' of Vietnamese’ Buddhists’ (GAVB):. the Géneral. Association: | When Diem assumed power’ in South ' Viletnam,. Buddhists’ probably” re~ garded: hi's’ strong. Catholic’ ori - entation: as: unfavorable: to their ‘aspirations, (Vietnai's: ‘prédomi~ hantlyHatayama: Buddiists:,: als ; though: of: a different: ‘school: bn 'séhddis, in. the’ aried: forces: |. @atholie ‘chaplains) 5" # ) SOW” 6X tent in its choice’ of: eae | were trustéd officials==cléarly eréatéd: the . impression among. oe ; Budditists: of religious: discrini= a mation. | from the iore passive. ‘theravada Buddhists of Ceylon and the — Fest of Southeast Asia; have @g= ‘tablished contacts with them through | the World Buddhist Fei= \ ar iowship: started in 1956 ; :) . There is’ fio evideiice ‘that thé Diéw régime has curbed: freé= déii of. Féligiéi or that it. car= | Fiéd’ out #épressiois against: | Biddhists ‘prior té thes ‘May’ ‘6utbirst ; _Neverthéléss; the» goverinent "Ss Open - bias toward Catholicismh--evidéent’ cee Lts- 6f= "| fiéial philosophy ; * in its: Of=" ‘fiéial sanétion of catholic ééids ie oto ed ‘in sémé of its ‘laws; - ‘nd to. gt eee OD “THe Senicovert Car . Lao" organization, formed. around: i oy yar ' & Hucleus of Catholics ,; ‘became’. - the" goverinient * s ‘controlling: : and ‘aray 3: “atid many” “ambitious: ; Vietnamese’ have” cone” to regard’, ' cofiversion td Catholicism as the : path: to” ‘success. -¥ ae | Of public’ cérémonies™ “intthe®: f£ tT .. . of ‘1959; Dien: ofticiatly’ ‘dedicated i ‘In. © Serie:
the. entire couritry;.to the Virgin 4. | personnel’ ‘in the area. Mary. The. appointment in 1961 of Diem's. brother..Thuc..as: /arch-. bishop’ of. ‘Hué.~a Buddhist. strong |: “ “by: Buddhist - leaders in Hué on es + 10- ‘May were. in. effect a petition — - deal ‘influence. and activities... a, z |, Concessions, ‘including the elimi- ay . | spation of legal restrictions. not: 7. | . applicable to. Catholics and resti- oe, -hold=-intensified, the. resent~...- : ‘ment. “engendered. by. Thuc! s. polit-— oan Zoe “Quang, ‘the. Buddhist - ‘ ponze who, sparked: ‘the. eruption: t of. the. Buddhist protest, movement , in, Hué ‘on 8. May, has. . admitted - . since. taking refuge in the’ Ameri- : can, Embassy. on 1 September. that * he! had- long been planning. such: - - a; campaign." He. has . denied, how- _ ever’, deliberately. instigating the- violence. of 8 May,.-which.  @ulminated in‘ the. death. of, eight, persons during efforts of secu- _; rity. forces. to. disperse; a crowd, + Tri: Quang - claims: he. seized., on | ' - the. issue. for. 2a showdown,- having | let. éarlier: opportunities. go.by, - and that. éven for some time. sub- seqiient to, 8 May,’ “the: Buddhists would. have. settled: for ‘an. end to: religious. discrimination, . His statements. cannot. be. refuted ‘on the, basis: of. hard information now vavatlable, ee Tri ‘Quang: and. “other. Bud-” ‘had at least two ‘days' notice prior = to the & May: celebration, .. OF. Buddha * ‘S birthday in which to plan. open protests over. a. _ government effort to apply a directive--long standing. but not previously: enforced--con- cerning the. ‘display. of the. Bud- dhist | ‘flag. The government's — charge, however, that. the en- suing deaths were caused by a Viet Cong grenade rather than . _ . by government troops ‘is not . '. borne out by “eyewitness. reports .or :the findings of US military . Me” ‘five. ‘deuands- drafted for, both religious: ‘and political tution for the 8. May. victims, - Whether or ‘not, the. demands: were —  politically-motivated, prompt - and adroit. government . handling . of the issue probably: could; have - ‘averted. the, formation: of, a. max. |. tional Buddhist: Campaign, Under. .GAVB ‘leadership,.. this: campaign .. not.-only. served. ‘to. ‘foster. greater ae ; cohesion among - ‘the ‘ountry;'s- ‘dif- -'° |). fuse. Buddhist_ following: but-was 90. ., Supported. by. 13-sects.. represented. . -by.a recently: created: Inter-sect-:: Committee. Two: ‘other. ‘nonpartici- a ; ‘pating: sects. are. _reportedly,: gov- ..- : ernment-subsidized. By: the, time. that the government. reached a: ‘compromise agreement:.on 16° June,’ however,. the Buddhists” had’ dé~ . . veloped. sufficient: momentum and.. |. evidence of. new ‘Fepressions* ‘to ° challenge the regime’ 5; Promise - of good. faith. on dhist leaders are known. to have a. There is gtrong evidence. that the government, through its authoritarian inclinations . and its concern over Viet'Cong -instigation or exploitation. of the Buddhist issue, was disposed from the beginning to regard the Buddhist leadership as subversive ‘and to deal-with it forcefully. When it refrained. from doing. so, "under US pressure, while stall- ‘ing on concessions, the. Bud- - , dhists.were able to. arouse pub. lic sympathy by organizing ._ 2 SEGRET | so eemevamvah eee nee! etnies ed swe
demonstrations and, | ever their political effects, represent a sacrificial gesture compatible with the traditions | of Vietnamese (Mahayana) Bud- i ‘dhism, Although by early Au- | gust the fervor of the Buddhist | ‘movement may have been partly out of control, as claimed by | the Buddhist leaders, the lat- ter were already expanding their i demands in-late June; in mid- | July moderate Buddhist clergy “were expressing alarm over the political aims of extremists in _.the movement. There is-almost -" "po question that Tri Quang and { ‘.- others were actively organizing, [ ‘ «whether from the outset or as i ; “" a-rvesult of frustrations en- -“e@ountered during the campaign, . avvehicle to bring about the '.. .government's overthrow, though ‘they do not appear to have co- operated with Diem's traditional political . ‘opponents, I | { | { | | | | | | ultimately, | by self-immolations which, what- - there’ is little hard evidence On of this, other than Viet Cong ‘directives to exploit the ‘is- sue. Quang hin- A’ Vietnamese source, ' regards most Buddhist leaders "aS Sincerely motivated, has self claims that, despite per- . -sonal antipathy to Diem, he ini- tially accepted the Bresident - as a strong anti-Communist leader; it. was only later that he con- cluded that Diem could not win the war and that the Buddhists were caught between the evils of the regime and of ‘the Viet Cong. Quang, however, is’ polit- ically sophisticated. and. some- what. devious in his approach, one who - expressed distrust of Quang.- and his denials of Communist 7 sympathies. (SECRET) - The government has claimed - - it has proof of Communist di- . , . .wreétion of the Buddhist campaign, . but officials privately admit * * . SECRET