Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-11-10
BY ROY ESSOYAN
Associated Pres staH writer

A411-AAA-4 ~ syn WITH
SAIGON, Nov. s.-The over
throw Of the Diem regime In
South Wet Nam was no spur
of-the-m o m emit operation. It
was achieved through months
Of super-secret but highly pre-
else planning. and it went off
like clockwork.
According 10 information
gathered from Wet Namese
and Western sources, the plot
tiers started m Getting months
ago. They knew each others
resentments and they did not
have to gather In conspiratorial
cellars or skulk down dark al
leyways to evade Diem's secret
police and an army of inform
ers.
The first tentative plans
were probably exchanged over
o glass Of cold Trente Trois, q
popular local beer, after Q few
sets Of tennis In the spacious
general staff compound on Sal
CONS outskirts.
Maj. Gen. Tran Van Don, q
key figure In the coup and now
minister Of defense, says the
plotters discussed some details
Of strategy at La Cigale, q pop
ular Saigon nightclub, and in
the eighth floor bar on the
swank Caravelle Hotel, tnno-
cent-appearing gathering spots,
The Key Question
But the fate Of Mr.. Diem's
regime was, to all indications,
sealed ON the golf course. Some
time in the last two months, on
the fairways, one Of the leaders
Of the coup SCUM ded out q
high-ranking American on
what the United States atti-
tude would be toward o coup. It
was one Of many 9 oundings
and previous to this one the
American rejoinder had always
been Q mo comment"
But by this time the -Kenne-
dy administration had lost its
final illusions about the Diem
regime and the American told
the Wet NameSe general the
United States would not
object-according to the best
available information.
United States and Wet Nam
csc officials emphatically deny
Americans were directly in
volved In planning and execut-
ing the coup. But there seems
little question the q Mite d
States encouraged the coup
with official statements ex-
pressing disapproval Of the re-
gime's repressive measures
against the Buddhists. More
important, q progressive series
Of aid cuts convinced coup lead
ers of United States sentiments
far more than words could.
Comment by Expert
The clockwork precision with
which the coup was executed
by Wet Namese generals led
one American military expert
tocomment: ''It shows the Wet
Namese can run Q pretty good
war II political considerations
are removed"
He was referring to one Of
the Wet Namese army's mair
grudges against Mr.. Diem I
suspicion-encrusted regime
that he held all the reins Of
military power, shifted military
commands for political pur-
poses and to protect himself
from attack, and went over the
heads Of his top commanders
In directins military opera
lions.
1.-THE coup was q masterpiece
Of planning and execution, .
one western military expert
says. 1--WE been told o detailed
staff planning was involved in
troop movements outside Sal
gon weeks before the coup, and
within Saigon during the bat
tie. Everything was memorized.
Nothing was put on paper.
secrecy was maintained
throughout by departmentaliz-
ing Jobs. one man to q job"
Weeks earlier, several large
scale military operations were
launched north and south of
Saigon. They bagged practical
ly no guerrillas but they were a
good way to get a lot Of rebel
lion-minded generals together
at one time.
AppOintee Loses Command d.
The day Of the coup, the
boundaries Of the Sd Army
Corps around Saigon were
moved south to the banks of
the Mekong River, removing
the 7th Division from the CoY11