Changes

It wasn’t just the communists that were threatening Diem. In November of 1960, officers from the Airborne Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam attempted a coup against Diem. The nationalist dissidents were able to take control of Saigon and the presidential palace, but because of poor planning, as negotiations between Diem and the rebels occurred, troops loyal to Diem were able to enter the city and put down the coup. The US was even more concerned with not only the stability of the Diem presidency, but in his ability to lead the country at all, especially when faced with the escalating war with the north. Diem held on to power and the US as an ally, but for how long was becoming a more pressing question each month.