Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-10-24

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who has been living in
Mr.. Dudmon Is o Reporter for III
81. Louis Post Dispotch.
Washington for the last year
under an assume ID name,
knows many details about
Madame Nhu and her hus-
band, who are widely regard
ed as the strongest powers in
the government Of President
Ngo Dinh Diem.
Until today. however, Tran
Lechi has denie d repeated
requests for an interview.
She has said that her father
should properly be the
spokesman for the family.
Her father, Tran Van
Chuong, resigned two months
ago as Vietnamese AmbaSsa-
dor and has begun on q
speaking tour of his own to
controvert Madame Mus
defense Of the controversial
regime IN Saigon.
Bitter Encounter
What stunned the younger
sister INTO granting her first
interview was an account
Madame Nhu gave several
times In her appearances
here of q bitter encounter
between the two women last
October in Saigon.
As Madame Nhu had told
the story, Tran Lechi's hus-
band had left her, and she
had acquired a "protege," a
Frenchman who faced depor-
tation on q charge Of snug
Cling. Madame Nhu had said
Tran Lechi asked her help in
blocking the deportation Or
der and. when this was re-
fused, attempted suicide and
had to be hospitalized. Their
mother, then Vietnamese del
egate to the United Nations,
flew to Saigon, took her
younger daughter from the
hospital. and brought her to
Washington.
Tran Lechi asSailed that
account Of the incident as
''unladylike and indecent"
THE Frenchman she de-
scribed as my protege is from
a well-known and wealthy
family in Wet Man," she
said. He was not my prote-
ge-he wanted to marry me-"
She explained that the
Frenchman operated a ga
rage, a hotel, a farm and a
licensed big game hunting
business and had no need Of
the support and protection
implied by the term "prote-
ge."
He never has been
charged with smuggling" she
said. In fact, he has never
been charged with any Grim
inal offense in any court by
any government except by
my sister. Even the govern
ment Of my sister, acting I'M
der her influence, could not
give any reason for expelling
him from the country"
Tran Lechi's version Of the
episode differed in important
details from that given by
Madame Nhu.
THE Mus secret police
came to his house in Dalai,
arrested him, and took him
in handouts by plane to Sal
gon to JAIL" Tran Lechi said.
They would give no reason
except that their orders came
from the top
81 followed to Saigon with
his mother. I talked with the
chief of immigration police,
the French Consul and other
officials. I wrote to President
Diem several times, but his
secretary said the President
would not interfere in Ma
dame Mus affairs"
Palace Gate
In desperation, Tran Lechi
said she drove her automo-
bile to the gate of the palace.
AS the guards were telling
her they had orders not to
let her enter, she roared past
them up the drive to the
main entrance, ran up the
front steps and along a CORR
dor to Diem'S door.
Some officers stopped me
there" she said. They told
me they would accompany
me home, but they took me
instead to a hospital.
The people there gave me
a hypodermic injection and
took my shoes and dress
away. They nailed board S
over the windows so that !
could not shout for help.
They knew my fiance was
brave and strong and
thought he might escape
from jail and come to rescue
me. So they had five police
men outside my door and
three armored cars In the
street in front of the hospi-
tai"
After a day Of this impri-
sonment, she cut her wrist in
what Madame Nhu has des-
cribed as a suicide attempt.
1T was not to kill myself
but to try to awaken my sister
from her tyranny" Tran
Lechi said.
ut was not from despair
it was to get out. I was afraic
she would keep me there fol