LBJ and Eugene McCarthy on the Assassination of Dgo Dinh Diem
LBJ and Eugene McCarthy on the Assassination of Dgo Dinh Diem
LBJ and Eugene McCarthy on the Assassination of Dgo Dinh Diem
The extent of the Kennedy administration's advance knowledge or even participation in the November 1, 1963, coup in South Vietnam and assassination of president Ngo Dinh Diem has been a hotly debated political and historical issue for many years. In this conversation, Presidnet Johnson offers his own interpretation of events to Senator Eugene McCarthy
In the days prior to this telephone call, McCarthy had been widely quoted in the press for his criticism of the recent resumption of bombing. In this call, Johnson tried to convince McCarthy to tone down his criticism and had offered a special briefing from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maxwell Taylor, reason that, "I thought that if you had the information I had, that you might be assuaged somewhat, and relieved somewhat, and at least, maybe you could suggest a better alternative or something else."
(President Johnson): These other things, these other things are just offshoots. What they really think is we oughtn't to be there and we ought to get out. Well, I know we oughtn't to be there, but I can't get out. I just can't be the architect of surrender. And don't...see, I'm trying every way in the world I can to find a way to...ah...thing.
(President Johnson): But they, they don't have the pressure that will bring them to the table as of yet. We don't know whether they ever will.
(President Johnson): I'm willing to do damn near anything. If I told you what I was willing to do, I wouldn't have any program. Dirksen wouldn't give me a dollar to operate the war. I just can't, can't operate in a glass bowl with all these things. But I'm willing to do nearly anything a human can do, if I can do it with any honor at all. But, uh...
(President Johnson): uh...they started with me on Diem, you remember.
(Eugene McCarthy): Yeah.
(President Johnson): That he was corrupt and he ought to be killed. So we killed him. We all got together and got a goddam bunch of thugs and we went in and assassinated him.
(President Johnson): Now, we've really had no political stability since then.
(McCarthy): Yeah.
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