1705 – Dr. Bob Rodrigues – The rule of Ngo Dinh Diem

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Episode 1705 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature another presentation by the renowned history professor, Dr. Bob Rodrigues of Duquesne University. In this episode he will be talking about the time in South Vietnam during the rule of Ngo Dinh Diem.
Dr. Rodrigues is eminently qualified to speak about that time in South Vietnamese history. He has taught history for over fifty years. Much of that history he was teaching had to do with Southeast Asia and the conflicts that seem to occur there on a regular basis.
In his discussion he will lay out a concatenation that can only lead to a sad ending for Diem. In the start of his presentation, Dr. Rodrigues points to the book “The Ugly American” by William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick as a good account of the situation in Southeast Asia in the 1950’s and 60’s. That book is on the podcast recommended reading list (see below).
The presenter points to events that occurred during Diem’s term in office. One was the creation of the National Liberation Front in 1960 which later became known as the Viet Cong or simply VC by the American GIs. That was an organization composed of anti-government elements in South Vietnam and supported by North Vietnam.
He described in detail the situation with the problems presented to the Catholic Premier Diem by the large Buddhist community. The one defining event created by the Buddhists was the self immolation of Buddhist leader Thich Quang Duc. On June 11, 1963 he drove up to a busy intersection in downtown Saigon, sat down in the middle of the street and with the help of an assistant poured gasoline on himself and struck a match.
That horrible event was a game changer for Diem.
Listen to episode 1705 and discover more about the times of Ngo Dinh Diem as premier of South Vietnam.