Lam Van Phat
Encyclopedia
Major General Lâm Văn Phát (1927, Can Tho 1998) served as an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
(ARVN). He is best known for leading two coup
attempts against General Nguyễn Khánh
in September 1964 and February 1965. Although both failed to result in his taking power, the latter caused enough instability that it forced Khánh to resign and go into exile
.
A member of the Roman Catholic minority
, Phát joined the French
-backed Vietnamese National Army
which became the ARVN after the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) was established. After having been sent to the U.S. for further training in 1958, Phát returned home to head the Civil Guard, a paramilitary force then mostly used to protect the ruling family of President
Ngô Đình Diệm, rather than to counteract the communist Việt Cộng insurgency. Later commanding the 2nd Division
, he was known for his fidelity to Diệm, who was known for favoring fellow Catholics. A private and introverted man, Phát was regarded as haughty and a dour tactician. In 1963, Diệm knew that some of the generals were about to launch a coup against him
. He appointed Phát to command the 7th Division, located near the capital, Saigon, so that he could help in the fighting, but the plotters successfully used delaying tactics so that the paperwork for the transfer of the division leadership could not occur before they proceeded to overthrow and execute Diệm
. Despite his allegiance, Phát was promoted to brigadier general and given command of the 7th Division thereafter.
After the January 1964 coup
of Khánh, which toppled Diệm’s conquerors, Phát was made the commander of III Corps
and was also Interior Minister for a time until being dismissed in September 1964. This prompted him to join with Dương Văn Đức
, another general relieved of command, in launching a coup attempt against Khánh on September 13. They initially took over the capital without a fight, but Khánh escaped, and after having received endorsements from the U.S., defeated Phát and Đức. At the military trial that followed, charges were dropped.
In February 1965, Phát joined with fellow Catholic, Diệm protégé and Khánh opponent Phạm Ngọc Thảo
—actually a communist agent intent on maximizing infighting in South Vietnam—in another coup attempt. After the forces were deadlocked, Phát met with Vietnam Air Force
chief Nguyễn Cao Kỳ
, insisting on Khánh’s demise. After the meeting concluded, the coup collapsed, but Khánh was also forced from office by his junta
colleagues the next day. Phát and Thảo went into hiding and were sentenced to death in absentia by Kỳ’s military tribunal. Thảo was killed but Phát evaded capture for three years until surrendering. By this time, Kỳ’s power had been eclipsed by the Catholic General Nguyễn Văn Thiệu
, and Phát was allowed to go free.
The President of South Vietnam, Ngô Đình Diệm, heavily favored Catholics, and, as a result, Phát rose quickly up the ranks. Having started his career in the French-backed Vietnamese National Army
of the State of Vietnam
, Phát became a member of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
after the State of Vietnam became the Republic of Vietnam. In 1958, holding the rank of colonel, Phát was sent to Fort Leavenworth
, Kansas
, United States
, to undergo further officer training. Described as being tall for relatively short Vietnamese norms, Phát “spoke halting English”. After returning to Vietnam, he served as the head of the Civil Guard, a paramilitary force that was mostly used at the time to protect the ruling family of President Ngô Đình Diệm rather than to counteract the communist Việt Cộng insurgency. Phát was sometimes described as a “political Catholic”, a term used to designate those who practiced or converted to the religion to curry favor with Diệm, who had a strong history of making appointments and promotions on grounds of religion.
Phát had a habit of customarily being seen in public with a swagger stick
, and had a reputation for autocratic leadership that alienated his subordinate officers. He grew his fingernail on his pinky
to a great length, a practice that was observed by mandarins
during Vietnam’s imperial era to denote their status. Some observers claimed that the mandarin style of his fingernail spread to his general behavior, decrying him as “haughty” and “hawklike”. U.S. military advisors regarded Phát as “mediocre”.
As a colonel, he served as the commander of 2nd Division
, located in central Vietnam from June 8, 1961, until June 18, 1963, the same year, when he was replaced by Colonel Truong Van Chuong.
, commander of the III Corps
was part of the plot and deliberately refused to see Phát and told him to come back at 14:00 the following day, by which time the coup had already been scheduled to start. In the meantime, Đính had General Trần Văn Đôn
sign a counter-order transferring command of the 7th Division to his deputy and co-conspirator Nguyễn Hữu Có
.
Có then trapped and arrested the 7th Division’s officers on the day of the coup. He then phoned General Huỳnh Văn Cao
, further south in the Mekong Delta
’s largest town, Cần Thơ, where the IV Corps
was headquartered. Có, a central Vietnamese, imitated Phát’s southern accent and tricked Cao into thinking that nothing unusual was happening. Phát’s removal had thus stopped Cao from sending loyalists to Saigon to save Diệm, who was captured and executed the following day.
Despite the fact that Đính saw Có as being more reliable for the purposes of staging the coup against Diệm, Minh had him promoted to brigadier general immediately after the officers seized power. As a brigadier general, he served as the commander of the 7th Division, from December 2, 1963, until February 2, 1964.
, which oversaw the region of the country surrounding the capital, Saigon
, from February 2 till April 4, 1964, when he was replaced by Lieutenant General Tran Ngoc Tam
. Phát’s promotion coincided with a coup by General Nguyễn Khánh
against the officers that removed Diệm. Many of these, such as Generals Tran Van Don
, Le Van Kim
, Ton That Dinh
and Mai Huu Xuan
were put under house arrest, opening up vacancies for other generals.
Phát was regarded as a dour military tactician who persisted with his pre-devised battleplan once hostilities had commenced, refusing to change tack if difficulties arose. In one engagement in 1964 in Kien Hoa Province in the Mekong Delta
, Phát was blamed for the loss of an American helicopter in addition to heavy personnel losses after he proceeded with an attack despite the contrary advice of his junior officers. American military advisors who worked with Phát regarded him as competent, albeit dour and lacking in charisma.
was about to be removed as IV Corps
commander. Both were removed in part due to pressure from Buddhist activists, who accused Khánh of accommodating too many Catholic Diệm supporters in leadership positions. This had come after Khánh had made an attempt to augment his power in August by ordering a state of emergency and introducing a new constitution, which resulted in mass unrest and calls for civilian rule, forcing Khánh to make concessions in an attempt to dampen discontent. Disgruntled, the pair launched a coup attempt before dawn on September 13, using 10 army battalions that they had recruited. They gained the support of Colonel Ly Tong Ba, the head of the 7th Division’s armored section. The coup was supported by Catholic and Đại Việt Quốc dân đảng
elements. Another member of the conspiracy was Colonel Phạm Ngọc Thảo
, who, while a Catholic, was a communist spy trying to maximize infighting at every possible opportunity. General Trần Thiện Khiêm
, a member of the ruling triumvirate along with Khánh and Minh, but a rival of the dominant Khánh, was also believed to have supported the plot.
Four battalions of rebel troops moved before dawn towards Saigon from the Mekong Delta, with armored personnel carriers and jeeps carrying machine guns. After cowing a police checkpoint on the edge of the capital, they put sentries in their place to seal off Saigon from incoming or outgoing traffic. They then captured communication facilities in the capital. As the rebel troops took over the city without any firing and sealed it off, Phát sat in a civilian vehicle and calmly said, “We’ll be holding a press conference in town this afternoon at 4 p.m.” Claiming to represent “The Council for the Liberation of the Nation”, Phát proclaimed the deposal of Khánh’s junta over national radio, and accused Khánh of promoting conflict within the nation’s military and political leadership. He further promised to capture Khánh and pursue a policy of increased anti-communism, stronger government and military. Phát said that he would use the ideology and legacy of Diệm to lay the foundation for his new junta. According to historian George McTurnan Kahin
, Phát’s broadcast was “triumphant” and may have prompted senior officers who were neither part of the original conspiracy nor fully loyal to Khanh to conclude that Phat and Duc would not embrace them if they rallied to their side.
There was little reaction from most of the military commanders. Phat's rebels set up their command post in the Saigon home of General Duong Ngoc Lam, a Diem loyalist who had been removed from his post as Mayor of Saigon by Khanh.
In contrast to Phat's serene demeanour, his incoming troops prompted worshippers at the Catholic cathedral who were attending mass to flee in panic. The Buddhists however, made no overt reaction to a coup that would dent their rights. The air force commander Nguyen Cao Ky
had two weeks earlier promised to used his planes against any coup attempt, but there was no reaction early in the morning. Duc mistakenly thought that Ky and his subordinates would be joining the coup, but he later realized that he was mistaken. When he found out that he had been tricked into thinking that the plotters had great strength, he soon defected.
Several US advisors were chased away by rebel officers who did not want interference in the coup. They thought that the Americans would not approve of their actions, as both US Ambassador Maxwell Taylor and President Lyndon Johnson had made optimistic comments about South Vietnam recently.
However, Phat and Duc could not apprehend Khanh, who had escaped the capital and flew to the central highlands resort town of Da Lat. Their forces stormed Khanh's office and arrested his duty officers but could not find him. There was then a lull in the power struggle. One Vietnamese official said that "All these preparations are the result of a big misunderstanding on both sides. I don't think either group will start anything, but both think the other will."
American officials flew after Khanh to encourage him to return to Saigon and reassert his control. The general refused to do so unless the Americans publicly announced their support for him to the nation. They then asked Khanh about his plans for the future, but felt that he was directionless. After talking to Phat and Duc, they concluded the same, so they decided to back the incumbent and publicly released a statement through the embassy to endorse Khanh. The announcement helped to deter ARVN officers from joining Lam and Duc, who decided to give up.
Ky then decided to make a show of force as Phat and Duc began to wilt, and he sent jets to fly low over Saigon and finish off the rebel stand. He also sent two C-47s to Vung Tau
to pick up two companies of South Vietnamese marines who remained loyal to Khanh. Several more battalions of loyal infantry were transported into Saigon. Phat then withdrew with his forces to My Tho, the base of the 7th Division. In the early hours of September 14, before dawn, Ky met senior coup leaders at Tan Son Nhut and told them to back down, which they did.
As the coup collapsed, Ky, Duc and some others held a press conference claiming that the senior officers involved in the stand-off "have agreed to rejoin their units to fight the Communists", naming Phat among them. Ky claimed that no further action would be taken against those who were involved with Duc and Phat's activities, and that the events in the capital were misinterpreted by observers, as "there was no coup". Despite the media event, Phat and Colonel Huynh Van Ton were remaining defiant after returning to the latter's 7th Division's headquarters in My Tho. Ton was apparently still maintaining a hostile political stance, and threatening to break away from the government. On September 16, Khanh had the plotters arrested; Phat returned to Saigon to turn himself in, the last taken into custody. He removed three of the four corps commanders and six of the nine division commanders for failing to move against Lam and Duc.
Ky's role in putting down Phat and Duc's coup attempt gave him more leverage in Saigon's military politics. Indebted to Ky and his supporters for maintaining his hold on power, Khanh was now in a weaker position. Ky's group called on Khanh to remove "corrupt, dishonest and counterrevolutionary" officers, civil servants and exploitationists, and threatened to remove him if he did not enact their proposed reforms.
Phat and 19 others were put on trial in a military court; observers predicted that he would be the only one to face the death penalty. Phat's lawyers started by asking for the charges against the conspirators to be dismissed, claiming that the rebels were not captured "red-handed". They were more successful in another demand, managing to persuade the five judges to allow witnesses to be called. The court agreed to their request to compel Khanh, Ky and Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Oanh
to appear before the hearing. The accused officers claimed that they only intended to make a show of force, rather than overthrow Khanh. Asked why he had denounced Khanh as a "traitor" during a broadcast on national radio during the coup attempt, Phat said that he had merely "gotten excited".
Phat was asked about the collapse of his coup attempt and he discussed his visit to the American Embassy along with labor union leader Tran Quoc Buu. Phat said that his discussion with deputy ambassador U. Alexis Johnson
was "not too important" and played down its impact, claiming that Johnson's perfunctory use of French had limited any talks he would have wanted to have. However, Buu contradicted Phat's testimony by telling journalists that the meeting with Johnson lasted for around 90 minutes. One week later, the charges were dropped, because Khanh needed support for his fragile regime and wanted to have a counterweight against the likes of Ky and Thi. Khanh then gave Duc and Phat two months of detention for indiscipline; their subordinates were given shorter periods of detention.
Between January and February, Thao began plotting his own counter-coup. Thao consulted Air Force Chief Ky—who wanted to seize power for himself—before the plot, and exhorted him to join the coup, but the air force chief claimed that he was remaining neutral. Thao thus believed that Ky would not intervene against him. Shortly before noon on 19 February, Thao and Phat attacked. They used around 50 tanks and a mixture of infantry battalions to seize control of the military headquarters, the post office and the radio station in Saigon. They surrounded the home of General Khanh and Gia Long Palace, the residence of head of state Phan Khac Suu
.
In the meantime, Thao's main partner Phat headed towards Tan Son Nhut Air Base
, the country's military headquarters to capture it with an assortment of marines
, paratroopers
and special forces troops. At the same time, most of the senior officers had been in meetings with American officials at Tan Son Nhut since the start of the morning, and Khanh left at 12:30. The plotters had secured the cooperation of someone working inside the Joint General Staff headquarters. This collaborator was supposed to have closed the gate so that Khanh would be held up, but left them open. Some of the other senior officers in the Armed Forces Council were not so lucky, and they were caught by Phat’s troops inside headquarters, while other buildings of the military complex remained under junta control. Khanh managed to escape to Vung Tau
. His plane was just emerging from the hangar and lifted off just as rebel tanks were rolling in, attempting to block the runway and shut down the airport. Phat's ground troops also missed capturing Ky, who fled through the streets in a sports car with his wife and mother-in-law. Ky ended up at Tan Son Nhut, where he ran into Khanh, and the pair flew off together to regroup.
Thao made a radio announcement stating that the sole objective of his military operation was to get rid of Khanh, whom he described as a "dictator". He said that he intended to recall Khiem to Saigon to lead the Armed Forces Council in place of Khanh, while his supporters made speeches strongly supportive of Diem; it was later concluded that the coup was again mostly by hard-core Diem loyalists and Catholics. This turned American officials against the coup as they feared that the plotters would lead a divisive regime that would inflame sectarian tensions and play into the hands of the communists, so they decided to look for some officers to defeat both Thao and Phat, as well as Khanh.
Phat was supposed to seize the Bien Hoa Air Base
, the second largest air force base in the country, located in the satellite city of Bien Hoa
on the northeastern outskirts of Saigon. This was to prevent Ky from mobilizing air power against them, but this failed, as Ky had already flown there to take control after dropping Khanh off at Vung Tau. Phat could not challenge Ky’s fighter planes, which were already patrolling the air above Bien Hoa by the time they arrived. Ky then flew a short distance southwest and circled Tan Son Nhut, threatening to bomb the rebels. Ky had never liked Thao or Phat and did not want them to take power. Most of the forces of the III
and IV Corps
surrounding the capital disliked both Khanh and the rebels, and took no action. As nightfall came, it appeared that forces loyal to Khanh through Ky were strengthening as they began to move towards Saigon.
At 20:00, Phat and Thao met Ky in a meeting organized by the Americans, and insisted that Khanh be removed from power. The coup collapsed when, between midnight and dawn, anti-coup forces swept into the city. Whether the rebels were defeated or a deal was struck with Ky to end the revolt in exchange for Khanh's removal is disputed, but the latter theory is strongly favored. According to the latter version, Phat and Thao agreed to free the members of the Armed Forces Council that they had arrested and withdraw in exchange for Khanh’s complete removal from power. Possibly as a means of saving face, Phat and Thao were also given an appointment with the figurehead chief of state Suu, who was under the close control of the junta, to "order" him to sign a decree stripping Khanh of the leadership of the military. Before fleeing, Phat changed into civilian clothes and made a broadcast stating "We have capitulated", before leaving with Colonel Ton, who had also participated in his September 1964 coup attempt. The Armed Forces Council then adopted a vote of no confidence in Khanh and forced him into exile, while Ky assumed control.
In July 1965, Thao was hunted down and was presumed executed in unclear circumstances. Phat remained on the run for three years. During that time, Ky's power was eclipsed by the Catholic General Nguyen Van Thieu
in a continuing power struggle. Thieu became president in 1967 with Ky as his deputy and over time began to work himself into a dominant position, removing Ky's supporters in the military from positions of high power. In June 1968, Phat came out of hiding and surrendered himself to the authorities. He was then pardoned by a military court in August and released. Phat was married, but he was a private man. His military colleagues, Vietnamese and American, knew nothing more of his family details. When he made his coup attempts, he was sufficiently obscure that The New York Times
could only say that he was in his late 30s, implying that he was born in the mid-to-late 1920s.
Army of the Republic of Vietnam
The Army of the Republic of Viet Nam , sometimes parsimoniously referred to as the South Vietnamese Army , was the land-based military forces of the Republic of Vietnam , which existed from October 26, 1955 until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975...
(ARVN). He is best known for leading two coup
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
attempts against General Nguyễn Khánh
Nguyen Khanh
Nguyễn Khánh is a former general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam who variously served as Head of State and Prime minister of South Vietnam while at the head of a military junta from January 1964 until February 1965. He was involved in or against many coup attempts, failed and successful,...
in September 1964 and February 1965. Although both failed to result in his taking power, the latter caused enough instability that it forced Khánh to resign and go into exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
.
A member of the Roman Catholic minority
Roman Catholicism in Vietnam
The Roman Catholic Church in Vietnam is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope and curia in Rome. Vietnam has the fifth largest Catholic population in Asia, after the Philippines, India, China and Indonesia....
, Phát joined the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
-backed Vietnamese National Army
Vietnamese National Army
On March 8, 1949, after the Elysee accords, the State of Vietnam was recognized by France as an independent country ruled by Vietnamese Emperor Bảo Đại. The Vietnamese National Army or Vietnam National Army was the State of Vietnam's military force created shortly after that. It was commanded by...
which became the ARVN after the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) was established. After having been sent to the U.S. for further training in 1958, Phát returned home to head the Civil Guard, a paramilitary force then mostly used to protect the ruling family of President
Leaders of South Vietnam
This is a list of leaders of South Vietnam, since the establishment of the Autonomous Republic of Cochinchina in 1946 until the fall of the Republic of Vietnam in 1975.-Autonomous Republic of Cochinchina :-Republic of South Vietnam :...
Ngô Đình Diệm, rather than to counteract the communist Việt Cộng insurgency. Later commanding the 2nd Division
2nd Division (South Vietnam)
The 2nd Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam —the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975—was part of the I Corps that oversaw the northernmost region of South Vietnam, the centre of Vietnam....
, he was known for his fidelity to Diệm, who was known for favoring fellow Catholics. A private and introverted man, Phát was regarded as haughty and a dour tactician. In 1963, Diệm knew that some of the generals were about to launch a coup against him
1963 South Vietnamese coup
In November 1963, President Ngô Đình Diệm of South Vietnam was deposed by a group of Army of the Republic of Vietnam officers who disagreed with his handling of the Buddhist crisis and, in general, his increasing oppression of national groups in the name of fighting the communist Vietcong.The...
. He appointed Phát to command the 7th Division, located near the capital, Saigon, so that he could help in the fighting, but the plotters successfully used delaying tactics so that the paperwork for the transfer of the division leadership could not occur before they proceeded to overthrow and execute Diệm
Arrest and assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem
The arrest and assassination of Ngô Đình Diệm, then president of South Vietnam, marked the culmination of a successful CIA-backed coup d’état led by General Dương Văn Minh in November 1963...
. Despite his allegiance, Phát was promoted to brigadier general and given command of the 7th Division thereafter.
After the January 1964 coup
1964 South Vietnamese coup
Before dawn on January 30, 1964, General Nguyen Khanh ousted the military junta led by General Duong Van Minh from the leadership of South Vietnam without firing a shot. It came less than three months after Minh's junta had themselves come to power in a bloody coup against then President Ngo Dinh...
of Khánh, which toppled Diệm’s conquerors, Phát was made the commander of III Corps
III Corps (South Vietnam)
III Corps was a corps of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam , the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975...
and was also Interior Minister for a time until being dismissed in September 1964. This prompted him to join with Dương Văn Đức
Duong Van Duc
Major General Dương Văn Đức was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. He is best known for leading a coup attempt against General Nguyễn Khánh on September 14, 1964...
, another general relieved of command, in launching a coup attempt against Khánh on September 13. They initially took over the capital without a fight, but Khánh escaped, and after having received endorsements from the U.S., defeated Phát and Đức. At the military trial that followed, charges were dropped.
In February 1965, Phát joined with fellow Catholic, Diệm protégé and Khánh opponent Phạm Ngọc Thảo
Pham Ngoc Thao
Colonel Phạm Ngọc Thảo, known to friends as Albert Thảo , a major provincial leader in South Vietnam and infiltrator of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, was a communist agent of the Vietminh and later the Vietnam People's Army...
—actually a communist agent intent on maximizing infighting in South Vietnam—in another coup attempt. After the forces were deadlocked, Phát met with Vietnam Air Force
Vietnam Air Force
The Vietnam Air Force began with a few hand-picked men chosen to fly alongside French pilots during the State of Vietnam era. It eventually grew into the world’s sixth largest air force at the height of its power, in 1974...
chief Nguyễn Cao Kỳ
Nguyen Cao Ky
Nguyễn Cao Kỳ served as the chief of the Vietnam Air Force in the 1960s, before leading the nation as the prime minister of South Vietnam in a military junta from 1965 to 1967...
, insisting on Khánh’s demise. After the meeting concluded, the coup collapsed, but Khánh was also forced from office by his junta
Junta
Junta may refer to:Governance:* Military-led government:** By military junta or committee**Military dictatorship regardless of structure* Other governance:** Junta ** Specific to Spain:*** Junta , 1808–1810...
colleagues the next day. Phát and Thảo went into hiding and were sentenced to death in absentia by Kỳ’s military tribunal. Thảo was killed but Phát evaded capture for three years until surrendering. By this time, Kỳ’s power had been eclipsed by the Catholic General Nguyễn Văn Thiệu
Nguyen Van Thieu
Nguyễn Văn Thiệu was president of South Vietnam from 1965 to 1975. He was a general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam , became head of a military junta, and then president after winning a fraudulent election...
, and Phát was allowed to go free.
Early military career
Vietnamese National Army
On March 8, 1949, after the Elysee accords, the State of Vietnam was recognized by France as an independent country ruled by Vietnamese Emperor Bảo Đại. The Vietnamese National Army or Vietnam National Army was the State of Vietnam's military force created shortly after that. It was commanded by...
of the State of Vietnam
State of Vietnam
The State of Vietnam was a state that claimed authority over all of Vietnam during the First Indochina War, and replaced the Provisional Central Government of Vietnam . The provisional government was a brief transitional administration between colonial Cochinchina and an independent state...
, Phát became a member of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam
Army of the Republic of Vietnam
The Army of the Republic of Viet Nam , sometimes parsimoniously referred to as the South Vietnamese Army , was the land-based military forces of the Republic of Vietnam , which existed from October 26, 1955 until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975...
after the State of Vietnam became the Republic of Vietnam. In 1958, holding the rank of colonel, Phát was sent to Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, to undergo further officer training. Described as being tall for relatively short Vietnamese norms, Phát “spoke halting English”. After returning to Vietnam, he served as the head of the Civil Guard, a paramilitary force that was mostly used at the time to protect the ruling family of President Ngô Đình Diệm rather than to counteract the communist Việt Cộng insurgency. Phát was sometimes described as a “political Catholic”, a term used to designate those who practiced or converted to the religion to curry favor with Diệm, who had a strong history of making appointments and promotions on grounds of religion.
Phát had a habit of customarily being seen in public with a swagger stick
Swagger stick
A swagger stick is a short stick or riding crop usually carried by a uniformed person as a symbol of authority. A swagger stick is shorter than a staff or cane, and is usually made from rattan.-History:...
, and had a reputation for autocratic leadership that alienated his subordinate officers. He grew his fingernail on his pinky
Little finger
The little finger, often called the pinky in American English, pinkie in Scottish English , or small finger in medicine, is the most ulnar and usually smallest finger of the human hand, opposite the thumb, next to the ring finger.-Muscles:There are four muscles that...
to a great length, a practice that was observed by mandarins
Mandarin (bureaucrat)
A mandarin was a bureaucrat in imperial China, and also in the monarchist days of Vietnam where the system of Imperial examinations and scholar-bureaucrats was adopted under Chinese influence.-History and use of the term:...
during Vietnam’s imperial era to denote their status. Some observers claimed that the mandarin style of his fingernail spread to his general behavior, decrying him as “haughty” and “hawklike”. U.S. military advisors regarded Phát as “mediocre”.
As a colonel, he served as the commander of 2nd Division
2nd Division (South Vietnam)
The 2nd Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam —the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975—was part of the I Corps that oversaw the northernmost region of South Vietnam, the centre of Vietnam....
, located in central Vietnam from June 8, 1961, until June 18, 1963, the same year, when he was replaced by Colonel Truong Van Chuong.
Overthrow of Diệm in 1963
By late 1963, Diệm knew that a coup was brewing and that the 7th Division at Mỹ Tho on the southern outskirts of the capital, Saigon, might be involved. As it was close to the capital, it would play a crucial role in either attacking or defending Diệm, or blocking outlying units from entering the city. Diệm put Phát in command of the 7th Division on October 31. According to tradition, Phát had to pay the corps commander a courtesy visit before assuming control of the division. However, General Tôn Thất ĐínhTon That Dinh
Major General Tôn Thất Đính is a retired officer who served in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam . He is best known as one of the key figures in the November 1963 coup that deposed and resulted in the assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem, the first president of the Republic of Vietnam .A favourite of...
, commander of the III Corps
III Corps (South Vietnam)
III Corps was a corps of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam , the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975...
was part of the plot and deliberately refused to see Phát and told him to come back at 14:00 the following day, by which time the coup had already been scheduled to start. In the meantime, Đính had General Trần Văn Đôn
Tran Van Don
Trần Văn Đôn was a general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, and one of the principal figures in the coup d'état which deposed Ngô Đình Diệm from the presidency of South Vietnam.-Family:...
sign a counter-order transferring command of the 7th Division to his deputy and co-conspirator Nguyễn Hữu Có
Nguyen Huu Co
Lieutenant General Nguyễn Hữu Có served as an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam and was prominent in several coups and juntas in the 1960s....
.
Có then trapped and arrested the 7th Division’s officers on the day of the coup. He then phoned General Huỳnh Văn Cao
Huynh Van Cao
Major General Huỳnh Văn Cao was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. He was born on September 26, 1927.He is married and has ten children and more than 20 grandchildren. In 1950, he graduated from Military school in Huế. He then attended College of Tactics and graduated in Hanoi in...
, further south in the Mekong Delta
Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong delta region encompasses a large portion of southwestern Vietnam of . The size of the area covered by water depends on the season.The...
’s largest town, Cần Thơ, where the IV Corps
IV Corps (South Vietnam)
The IV Corps was a corps of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam , the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975...
was headquartered. Có, a central Vietnamese, imitated Phát’s southern accent and tricked Cao into thinking that nothing unusual was happening. Phát’s removal had thus stopped Cao from sending loyalists to Saigon to save Diệm, who was captured and executed the following day.
Despite the fact that Đính saw Có as being more reliable for the purposes of staging the coup against Diệm, Minh had him promoted to brigadier general immediately after the officers seized power. As a brigadier general, he served as the commander of the 7th Division, from December 2, 1963, until February 2, 1964.
Nguyễn Khánh
He was then promoted and served as the commander of III CorpsIII Corps (South Vietnam)
III Corps was a corps of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam , the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975...
, which oversaw the region of the country surrounding the capital, Saigon
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
, from February 2 till April 4, 1964, when he was replaced by Lieutenant General Tran Ngoc Tam
Tran Ngoc Tam
Major General Tran Ngoc Tam was an officer of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam.He served as the commander of II Corps, which oversaw the central highlands region, from 1 October 1957 until 13 August of the next year, when he was replaced by Major General Ton That Dinh. He was the first commander...
. Phát’s promotion coincided with a coup by General Nguyễn Khánh
Nguyen Khanh
Nguyễn Khánh is a former general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam who variously served as Head of State and Prime minister of South Vietnam while at the head of a military junta from January 1964 until February 1965. He was involved in or against many coup attempts, failed and successful,...
against the officers that removed Diệm. Many of these, such as Generals Tran Van Don
Tran Van Don
Trần Văn Đôn was a general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, and one of the principal figures in the coup d'état which deposed Ngô Đình Diệm from the presidency of South Vietnam.-Family:...
, Le Van Kim
Le Van Kim
Lieutenant General Lê Văn Kim is a former general of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. He was the brother in law of General Trần Văn Đôn and together with General Dương Văn Minh, the trio organised the 1963 South Vietnamese coup which toppled President Ngô Đình Diệm and ended in his arrest and...
, Ton That Dinh
Ton That Dinh
Major General Tôn Thất Đính is a retired officer who served in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam . He is best known as one of the key figures in the November 1963 coup that deposed and resulted in the assassination of Ngo Dinh Diem, the first president of the Republic of Vietnam .A favourite of...
and Mai Huu Xuan
Mai Huu Xuan
Major General Mai Hữu Xuân was a general of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam and a participant in the November 1963 coup that deposed President Ngô Đình Diệm and ended in his assassination....
were put under house arrest, opening up vacancies for other generals.
Phát was regarded as a dour military tactician who persisted with his pre-devised battleplan once hostilities had commenced, refusing to change tack if difficulties arose. In one engagement in 1964 in Kien Hoa Province in the Mekong Delta
Mekong Delta
The Mekong Delta is the region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong delta region encompasses a large portion of southwestern Vietnam of . The size of the area covered by water depends on the season.The...
, Phát was blamed for the loss of an American helicopter in addition to heavy personnel losses after he proceeded with an attack despite the contrary advice of his junior officers. American military advisors who worked with Phát regarded him as competent, albeit dour and lacking in charisma.
September 1964 coup attempt
In September 1964, Phát was dismissed as Interior Minister, while General Dương Văn ĐứcDuong Van Duc
Major General Dương Văn Đức was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. He is best known for leading a coup attempt against General Nguyễn Khánh on September 14, 1964...
was about to be removed as IV Corps
IV Corps (South Vietnam)
The IV Corps was a corps of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam , the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975...
commander. Both were removed in part due to pressure from Buddhist activists, who accused Khánh of accommodating too many Catholic Diệm supporters in leadership positions. This had come after Khánh had made an attempt to augment his power in August by ordering a state of emergency and introducing a new constitution, which resulted in mass unrest and calls for civilian rule, forcing Khánh to make concessions in an attempt to dampen discontent. Disgruntled, the pair launched a coup attempt before dawn on September 13, using 10 army battalions that they had recruited. They gained the support of Colonel Ly Tong Ba, the head of the 7th Division’s armored section. The coup was supported by Catholic and Đại Việt Quốc dân đảng
Dai Viet Quoc Dan Dang
Đại Việt Quốc dân đảng , often known simply as Đại Việt, was a nationalist and anti-communist political party and militant organisation that was active in Vietnam in the 20th century. The party was founded by Trương Tử Anh, known as Anh Cả Phương...
elements. Another member of the conspiracy was Colonel Phạm Ngọc Thảo
Pham Ngoc Thao
Colonel Phạm Ngọc Thảo, known to friends as Albert Thảo , a major provincial leader in South Vietnam and infiltrator of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam, was a communist agent of the Vietminh and later the Vietnam People's Army...
, who, while a Catholic, was a communist spy trying to maximize infighting at every possible opportunity. General Trần Thiện Khiêm
Tran Thien Khiem
General Trần Thiện Khiêm was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. During the 1960s he was involved in several coups. He helped President Ngo Dinh Diem put down a November 1960 coup attempt and was rewarded with promotion...
, a member of the ruling triumvirate along with Khánh and Minh, but a rival of the dominant Khánh, was also believed to have supported the plot.
Four battalions of rebel troops moved before dawn towards Saigon from the Mekong Delta, with armored personnel carriers and jeeps carrying machine guns. After cowing a police checkpoint on the edge of the capital, they put sentries in their place to seal off Saigon from incoming or outgoing traffic. They then captured communication facilities in the capital. As the rebel troops took over the city without any firing and sealed it off, Phát sat in a civilian vehicle and calmly said, “We’ll be holding a press conference in town this afternoon at 4 p.m.” Claiming to represent “The Council for the Liberation of the Nation”, Phát proclaimed the deposal of Khánh’s junta over national radio, and accused Khánh of promoting conflict within the nation’s military and political leadership. He further promised to capture Khánh and pursue a policy of increased anti-communism, stronger government and military. Phát said that he would use the ideology and legacy of Diệm to lay the foundation for his new junta. According to historian George McTurnan Kahin
George McTurnan Kahin
George McTurnan KahinSometimes referred to as George Kahin or George McT. Kahin. Some, but fewer, sources may also cite him as George M. Kahin. was an American historian and political scientist. He was one of the leading experts on Southeast Asia and a critic of United States involvement in the...
, Phát’s broadcast was “triumphant” and may have prompted senior officers who were neither part of the original conspiracy nor fully loyal to Khanh to conclude that Phat and Duc would not embrace them if they rallied to their side.
There was little reaction from most of the military commanders. Phat's rebels set up their command post in the Saigon home of General Duong Ngoc Lam, a Diem loyalist who had been removed from his post as Mayor of Saigon by Khanh.
In contrast to Phat's serene demeanour, his incoming troops prompted worshippers at the Catholic cathedral who were attending mass to flee in panic. The Buddhists however, made no overt reaction to a coup that would dent their rights. The air force commander Nguyen Cao Ky
Nguyen Cao Ky
Nguyễn Cao Kỳ served as the chief of the Vietnam Air Force in the 1960s, before leading the nation as the prime minister of South Vietnam in a military junta from 1965 to 1967...
had two weeks earlier promised to used his planes against any coup attempt, but there was no reaction early in the morning. Duc mistakenly thought that Ky and his subordinates would be joining the coup, but he later realized that he was mistaken. When he found out that he had been tricked into thinking that the plotters had great strength, he soon defected.
Several US advisors were chased away by rebel officers who did not want interference in the coup. They thought that the Americans would not approve of their actions, as both US Ambassador Maxwell Taylor and President Lyndon Johnson had made optimistic comments about South Vietnam recently.
However, Phat and Duc could not apprehend Khanh, who had escaped the capital and flew to the central highlands resort town of Da Lat. Their forces stormed Khanh's office and arrested his duty officers but could not find him. There was then a lull in the power struggle. One Vietnamese official said that "All these preparations are the result of a big misunderstanding on both sides. I don't think either group will start anything, but both think the other will."
American officials flew after Khanh to encourage him to return to Saigon and reassert his control. The general refused to do so unless the Americans publicly announced their support for him to the nation. They then asked Khanh about his plans for the future, but felt that he was directionless. After talking to Phat and Duc, they concluded the same, so they decided to back the incumbent and publicly released a statement through the embassy to endorse Khanh. The announcement helped to deter ARVN officers from joining Lam and Duc, who decided to give up.
Ky then decided to make a show of force as Phat and Duc began to wilt, and he sent jets to fly low over Saigon and finish off the rebel stand. He also sent two C-47s to Vung Tau
Vung Tàu
Vũng Tàu is a city in southern Vietnam. Its population in 2005 was 240,000. The city area is including 13 urban wards and one village. It is the capital of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, and is the crude oil extraction center of Vietnam. It is also known as one of the most beautiful cities of tourism...
to pick up two companies of South Vietnamese marines who remained loyal to Khanh. Several more battalions of loyal infantry were transported into Saigon. Phat then withdrew with his forces to My Tho, the base of the 7th Division. In the early hours of September 14, before dawn, Ky met senior coup leaders at Tan Son Nhut and told them to back down, which they did.
As the coup collapsed, Ky, Duc and some others held a press conference claiming that the senior officers involved in the stand-off "have agreed to rejoin their units to fight the Communists", naming Phat among them. Ky claimed that no further action would be taken against those who were involved with Duc and Phat's activities, and that the events in the capital were misinterpreted by observers, as "there was no coup". Despite the media event, Phat and Colonel Huynh Van Ton were remaining defiant after returning to the latter's 7th Division's headquarters in My Tho. Ton was apparently still maintaining a hostile political stance, and threatening to break away from the government. On September 16, Khanh had the plotters arrested; Phat returned to Saigon to turn himself in, the last taken into custody. He removed three of the four corps commanders and six of the nine division commanders for failing to move against Lam and Duc.
Phat and 19 others were put on trial in a military court; observers predicted that he would be the only one to face the death penalty. Phat's lawyers started by asking for the charges against the conspirators to be dismissed, claiming that the rebels were not captured "red-handed". They were more successful in another demand, managing to persuade the five judges to allow witnesses to be called. The court agreed to their request to compel Khanh, Ky and Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Oanh
Nguyen Xuan Oanh
Nguyễn Xuân Oánh was Prime Minister of South Vietnam in 1964 and 1965.Professor Nguyễn Xuân Oánh was trained as an economist, receiving his doctorate from Harvard University. He subsequently worked for the International Monetary Fund before returning to Vietnam as an economic adviser...
to appear before the hearing. The accused officers claimed that they only intended to make a show of force, rather than overthrow Khanh. Asked why he had denounced Khanh as a "traitor" during a broadcast on national radio during the coup attempt, Phat said that he had merely "gotten excited".
Phat was asked about the collapse of his coup attempt and he discussed his visit to the American Embassy along with labor union leader Tran Quoc Buu. Phat said that his discussion with deputy ambassador U. Alexis Johnson
U. Alexis Johnson
-Background:Ural Alexis Johnson was born in Falun, Kansas into a family of Swedish descent. His mother named him for the mountain range, of which she learned from a geography book. He had a rural upbringing and schooling until 1923, when the family moved to Glendale, California. He graduated...
was "not too important" and played down its impact, claiming that Johnson's perfunctory use of French had limited any talks he would have wanted to have. However, Buu contradicted Phat's testimony by telling journalists that the meeting with Johnson lasted for around 90 minutes. One week later, the charges were dropped, because Khanh needed support for his fragile regime and wanted to have a counterweight against the likes of Ky and Thi. Khanh then gave Duc and Phat two months of detention for indiscipline; their subordinates were given shorter periods of detention.
February 1965 coup attempt
In 1965, Phat was involved in another coup attempt against Khanh. Colonel Thao and General Khiem, had both been sent by Khanh to Washington to keep them away from plotting. In late December 1964, Thao was summoned back to Saigon by Khanh, who thought that he was plotting with Khiem to launch another coup. Thao suspected that Khanh was attempting to have him killed, so he underground upon returning to Saigon, and began plotting, having been threatened with being charged for desertion. Due to his Catholic religion, Thao was able to recruit Catholic Diem loyalists like Phat; Thao's communist status was still not known. By this stage, the Americans had fallen out with Khanh and were encouraging various Vietnamese officers to launch a coup, and the Thao-led effort caught them out.Between January and February, Thao began plotting his own counter-coup. Thao consulted Air Force Chief Ky—who wanted to seize power for himself—before the plot, and exhorted him to join the coup, but the air force chief claimed that he was remaining neutral. Thao thus believed that Ky would not intervene against him. Shortly before noon on 19 February, Thao and Phat attacked. They used around 50 tanks and a mixture of infantry battalions to seize control of the military headquarters, the post office and the radio station in Saigon. They surrounded the home of General Khanh and Gia Long Palace, the residence of head of state Phan Khac Suu
Phan Khac Suu
Phan Khắc Sửu was President of South Vietnam from 1964–1965.-Biography:He was an octogenarian, a trained agricultural engineer and was a member of the Cao Đài religion.He was a member of Emperor Bảo Đại’s political cabinet....
.
In the meantime, Thao's main partner Phat headed towards Tan Son Nhut Air Base
Tan Son Nhut Air Base
Tan Son Nhut Air Base was a Republic of Vietnam Air Force facility. It is located near the city of Saigon in southern Vietnam. The United States used it as a major base during the Vietnam War , stationing Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine units there...
, the country's military headquarters to capture it with an assortment of marines
Republic of Vietnam Marine Corps
The Republic of Vietnam Marine Corps ) was part of the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam . It was established by Ngo Dinh Diem in 1954 when he was Prime Minister of the State of Vietnam, which became the Republic of Vietnam in 1955. The longest-serving commander was Lieutenant General Le...
, paratroopers
Vietnamese Airborne Division
The Vietnamese Airborne Division was one of the earliest components of the State of Vietnam's military forces . The Vietnamese Airborne Division began as companies organised in 1948, prior to any agreement over armed forces in Vietnam...
and special forces troops. At the same time, most of the senior officers had been in meetings with American officials at Tan Son Nhut since the start of the morning, and Khanh left at 12:30. The plotters had secured the cooperation of someone working inside the Joint General Staff headquarters. This collaborator was supposed to have closed the gate so that Khanh would be held up, but left them open. Some of the other senior officers in the Armed Forces Council were not so lucky, and they were caught by Phat’s troops inside headquarters, while other buildings of the military complex remained under junta control. Khanh managed to escape to Vung Tau
Vung Tàu
Vũng Tàu is a city in southern Vietnam. Its population in 2005 was 240,000. The city area is including 13 urban wards and one village. It is the capital of Ba Ria-Vung Tau province, and is the crude oil extraction center of Vietnam. It is also known as one of the most beautiful cities of tourism...
. His plane was just emerging from the hangar and lifted off just as rebel tanks were rolling in, attempting to block the runway and shut down the airport. Phat's ground troops also missed capturing Ky, who fled through the streets in a sports car with his wife and mother-in-law. Ky ended up at Tan Son Nhut, where he ran into Khanh, and the pair flew off together to regroup.
Thao made a radio announcement stating that the sole objective of his military operation was to get rid of Khanh, whom he described as a "dictator". He said that he intended to recall Khiem to Saigon to lead the Armed Forces Council in place of Khanh, while his supporters made speeches strongly supportive of Diem; it was later concluded that the coup was again mostly by hard-core Diem loyalists and Catholics. This turned American officials against the coup as they feared that the plotters would lead a divisive regime that would inflame sectarian tensions and play into the hands of the communists, so they decided to look for some officers to defeat both Thao and Phat, as well as Khanh.
Phat was supposed to seize the Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base
Bien Hoa Air Base is a Vietnam People's Air Force military airfield located in South-Central southern Vietnam about 20 miles from Saigon near the city of Bien Hoa within Dong Nai Province....
, the second largest air force base in the country, located in the satellite city of Bien Hoa
Bien Hoa
Biên Hòa is a city in Dong Nai province, Vietnam, about east of Ho Chi Minh City , to which Bien Hoa is linked by Vietnam Highway 1.- Demographics :In 1989 the estimated population was over 300,000. In 2005, the population wss 541,495...
on the northeastern outskirts of Saigon. This was to prevent Ky from mobilizing air power against them, but this failed, as Ky had already flown there to take control after dropping Khanh off at Vung Tau. Phat could not challenge Ky’s fighter planes, which were already patrolling the air above Bien Hoa by the time they arrived. Ky then flew a short distance southwest and circled Tan Son Nhut, threatening to bomb the rebels. Ky had never liked Thao or Phat and did not want them to take power. Most of the forces of the III
III Corps (South Vietnam)
III Corps was a corps of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam , the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975...
and IV Corps
IV Corps (South Vietnam)
The IV Corps was a corps of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam , the army of the nation state of South Vietnam that existed from 1955 to 1975...
surrounding the capital disliked both Khanh and the rebels, and took no action. As nightfall came, it appeared that forces loyal to Khanh through Ky were strengthening as they began to move towards Saigon.
At 20:00, Phat and Thao met Ky in a meeting organized by the Americans, and insisted that Khanh be removed from power. The coup collapsed when, between midnight and dawn, anti-coup forces swept into the city. Whether the rebels were defeated or a deal was struck with Ky to end the revolt in exchange for Khanh's removal is disputed, but the latter theory is strongly favored. According to the latter version, Phat and Thao agreed to free the members of the Armed Forces Council that they had arrested and withdraw in exchange for Khanh’s complete removal from power. Possibly as a means of saving face, Phat and Thao were also given an appointment with the figurehead chief of state Suu, who was under the close control of the junta, to "order" him to sign a decree stripping Khanh of the leadership of the military. Before fleeing, Phat changed into civilian clothes and made a broadcast stating "We have capitulated", before leaving with Colonel Ton, who had also participated in his September 1964 coup attempt. The Armed Forces Council then adopted a vote of no confidence in Khanh and forced him into exile, while Ky assumed control.
Post-military life
Phat and Thao were stripped of their ranks, but nothing was initially done as far as prosecuting or sentencing them for their involvement in the coup for the time being. They went into hiding in Catholic villages and offered to surrender and support the government if they and their officers were granted amnesty. However, this failed to materialize, and in May 1965, a military tribunal loyal to Ky's junta sentenced both to death in absentia.In July 1965, Thao was hunted down and was presumed executed in unclear circumstances. Phat remained on the run for three years. During that time, Ky's power was eclipsed by the Catholic General Nguyen Van Thieu
Nguyen Van Thieu
Nguyễn Văn Thiệu was president of South Vietnam from 1965 to 1975. He was a general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam , became head of a military junta, and then president after winning a fraudulent election...
in a continuing power struggle. Thieu became president in 1967 with Ky as his deputy and over time began to work himself into a dominant position, removing Ky's supporters in the military from positions of high power. In June 1968, Phat came out of hiding and surrendered himself to the authorities. He was then pardoned by a military court in August and released. Phat was married, but he was a private man. His military colleagues, Vietnamese and American, knew nothing more of his family details. When he made his coup attempts, he was sufficiently obscure that The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
could only say that he was in his late 30s, implying that he was born in the mid-to-late 1920s.