Press Release of Letter from President Dwight Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem
10/25/1954
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The 1954 Geneva Accords had called for a temporary partition of Vietnam at the 17th Parallel—creating a Communist state in the North and a French-backed non-Communist state in the South. The agreement called for an election to reunify the two zones in 1956.
Eisenhower believed "losing" South Vietnam to communism would be a strategic, economic, and humanitarian disaster. So he pledged support to an emerging leader—Ngo Dinh Diem—a devout Catholic and fervent anti-French, anti-Communist nationalist.
In this letter, President Eisenhower offered South Vietnamese President Diem financial support and encouraged him to make "needed reforms" to broaden his government and make it more representative. But President Diem’s ideas about nation building differed from those held by the U.S. His early successes against his enemies only reinforced his authoritarian tendencies and his conviction that he knew better than the Americans how to govern South Vietnam.
Eisenhower believed "losing" South Vietnam to communism would be a strategic, economic, and humanitarian disaster. So he pledged support to an emerging leader—Ngo Dinh Diem—a devout Catholic and fervent anti-French, anti-Communist nationalist.
In this letter, President Eisenhower offered South Vietnamese President Diem financial support and encouraged him to make "needed reforms" to broaden his government and make it more representative. But President Diem’s ideas about nation building differed from those held by the U.S. His early successes against his enemies only reinforced his authoritarian tendencies and his conviction that he knew better than the Americans how to govern South Vietnam.
This primary source comes from the Collection DDE-EPRES: Eisenhower, Dwight D.: Papers as President of the United States.
Full Citation: Press Release of Letter from President Dwight Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem; 10/25/1954; Vietnam (3); International Files, 1953 - 1961; Collection DDE-EPRES: Eisenhower, Dwight D.: Papers as President of the United States; Dwight D. Eisenhower Library, Abilene, KS. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/letter-eisenhower-diem, December 6, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.