Posted on Jun 19, 2017
Ky becomes premier of South Vietnam - Jun 19, 1965 - HISTORY.com
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Air Vice-Marshal Nguyen Cao Ky assumes the premiership of the ninth government to be installed within the last 20 months in the country. The Armed Forces Council had chosen Ky as premier on June 11, and Gen. Nguyen Van Thieu was chosen for the relatively powerless position of chief of state.
Having risen to the rank of lieutenant general in the fledgling South Vietnamese Air Force, Ky was one of a group of officers who had seized power earlier in 1965 to end the anarchy that had followed in the wake of the assassination of President Ngo Dinh Diem in November 1963.
The new premier immediately took steps to strengthen the armed forces. He also instituted needed land reforms, programs for the construction of schools and hospitals, and price controls. Additionally, his government began a much-touted campaign to remove corrupt officials. At the same time, however, Ky instituted a number of unpopular repressive actions, including a ban on newspapers.
In 1966, Buddhists, among other political factions, demanded Ky’s ouster, and protests took place in various cities. The disturbances ended partly as a result of a government crackdown and partly because of a loss of support for the Buddhists among dissident elements of the military. Ky continued in his post until the elections of 1967, when be became Vice President of South Vietnam and Thieu became president. Ky served in that position until 1971, when he chose not to run as an opposition candidate against President Nguyen Van Thieu. He reverted to the rank of Air Marshal in the air force.
@ SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas Capt Christopher MuellerCOL Mikel J. Burroughs Cynthia Croft SSgt (Join to see)Capt Seid WaddellSrA Christopher Wright LTC Stephen F. SFC(P) Hercules Lobo MSG Tom EarleyPVT James Strait Alan K. PO1 William "Chip" NagelSGT John " Mac " McConnell SFC William Farrell LTC (Join to see) SSgt Robert Marx PO1 Tony Holland Maj Marty Hogan SCPO Morris Ramsey
Having risen to the rank of lieutenant general in the fledgling South Vietnamese Air Force, Ky was one of a group of officers who had seized power earlier in 1965 to end the anarchy that had followed in the wake of the assassination of President Ngo Dinh Diem in November 1963.
The new premier immediately took steps to strengthen the armed forces. He also instituted needed land reforms, programs for the construction of schools and hospitals, and price controls. Additionally, his government began a much-touted campaign to remove corrupt officials. At the same time, however, Ky instituted a number of unpopular repressive actions, including a ban on newspapers.
In 1966, Buddhists, among other political factions, demanded Ky’s ouster, and protests took place in various cities. The disturbances ended partly as a result of a government crackdown and partly because of a loss of support for the Buddhists among dissident elements of the military. Ky continued in his post until the elections of 1967, when be became Vice President of South Vietnam and Thieu became president. Ky served in that position until 1971, when he chose not to run as an opposition candidate against President Nguyen Van Thieu. He reverted to the rank of Air Marshal in the air force.
@ SMSgt Minister Gerald A. Thomas Capt Christopher MuellerCOL Mikel J. Burroughs Cynthia Croft SSgt (Join to see)Capt Seid WaddellSrA Christopher Wright LTC Stephen F. SFC(P) Hercules Lobo MSG Tom EarleyPVT James Strait Alan K. PO1 William "Chip" NagelSGT John " Mac " McConnell SFC William Farrell LTC (Join to see) SSgt Robert Marx PO1 Tony Holland Maj Marty Hogan SCPO Morris Ramsey
Ky becomes premier of South Vietnam - Jun 19, 1965 - HISTORY.com
Posted from history.com
Vietnam War
American History
Military History
Posted >1 y ago
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Maj Marty Hogan
SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth - started out strong. I like controlling in times of war- amount of info relayed etc, but to completely control the media is sorta one of the tenets of the regime they were fighting
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Good morning Mark. 9th Government in 20 months......Holy crap! No wonder things were so screwed up....I wonder if they installed a revolving door?
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Thanks for reminding us SP5 Mark Kuzinski that on June 19, 1965 South Vietnamese Air Vice-Marshal Nguyen Cao Ky assumed the premiership of the ninth government to be installed within the last 20 months in the country.
Although Gen. Nguyen Van Thieu was chosen for the relatively powerless position of chief of state, he steadily rose in influence until Nguyen Van Thieu was elected president of South Vietnam in 1967. He styed on as President for an amazing 8 years until North Vietnam conquered the south in May 1975.
He served the equivalent of two USA Presidential terms in a country that was embroiled in a Civil war.
"In the years after the 1963 takeover, Thieu rose steadily in importance. He became deputy premier and minister of defense in 1964. He was appointed chief of state late in 1965 by Nguyen Cao Ky, who became premier when the South Vietnamese generals decided to form their own government following the weak civilian regime of Dr. Phan Huy Quat. Thieu soon proved his political mettle, emerging as the military's candidate in the American-encouraged 1967 elections. The more flamboyant Marshal Ky was forced to accept the soldiers' vice-presidential nomination.
President Thieu
Thieu won, as expected, in the balloting—partly because the country's most popular military figure, General Duong Van Minh, had been disqualified as a candidate on a technicality. But Thieu ended up with a surprisingly modest 35 percent plurality vote (with civilian candidate Truong Dinh Dzu polling 17 percent to finish second).
Following his electoral triumph, President Thieu sought to make his government somewhat more representative than it had been and to unify it politically and organizationally. Originally, only two of 19 Cabinet members were soldiers, and the premier, Tran Van Huong, was a civilian. In 1969, however, Thieu picked Gen. Tran Thien Khiem as premier in a government in which other soldiers, technocrats, and followers of former president Diem predominated. He had chosen to base his government on military rather than popular support."
https://www.biography.com/people/nguyen-van-thieu-9542460
FYI LTC Greg Henning LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown CW5 (Join to see) SGM David W. Carr LOM, DMSM MP SGT MSG Andrew White SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SSgt Robert Marx SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SGT John " Mac " McConnell SPC (Join to see) Cpl Joshua Caldwell SGT Michael Thorin CPT Gabe Snell
Although Gen. Nguyen Van Thieu was chosen for the relatively powerless position of chief of state, he steadily rose in influence until Nguyen Van Thieu was elected president of South Vietnam in 1967. He styed on as President for an amazing 8 years until North Vietnam conquered the south in May 1975.
He served the equivalent of two USA Presidential terms in a country that was embroiled in a Civil war.
"In the years after the 1963 takeover, Thieu rose steadily in importance. He became deputy premier and minister of defense in 1964. He was appointed chief of state late in 1965 by Nguyen Cao Ky, who became premier when the South Vietnamese generals decided to form their own government following the weak civilian regime of Dr. Phan Huy Quat. Thieu soon proved his political mettle, emerging as the military's candidate in the American-encouraged 1967 elections. The more flamboyant Marshal Ky was forced to accept the soldiers' vice-presidential nomination.
President Thieu
Thieu won, as expected, in the balloting—partly because the country's most popular military figure, General Duong Van Minh, had been disqualified as a candidate on a technicality. But Thieu ended up with a surprisingly modest 35 percent plurality vote (with civilian candidate Truong Dinh Dzu polling 17 percent to finish second).
Following his electoral triumph, President Thieu sought to make his government somewhat more representative than it had been and to unify it politically and organizationally. Originally, only two of 19 Cabinet members were soldiers, and the premier, Tran Van Huong, was a civilian. In 1969, however, Thieu picked Gen. Tran Thien Khiem as premier in a government in which other soldiers, technocrats, and followers of former president Diem predominated. He had chosen to base his government on military rather than popular support."
https://www.biography.com/people/nguyen-van-thieu-9542460
FYI LTC Greg Henning LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown CW5 (Join to see) SGM David W. Carr LOM, DMSM MP SGT MSG Andrew White SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL SSgt Robert Marx SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SGT John " Mac " McConnell SPC (Join to see) Cpl Joshua Caldwell SGT Michael Thorin CPT Gabe Snell
Nguyen Van Thieu was elected president of South Vietnam in 1967, but was forced to flee when his government surrendered to the North in 1975.
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