213. Telegram From the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State1
57. Following letter dated July 7, addressed to Ambassador and signed by Reverend Thich Tam Chau as Chairman of Inter-Sect Committee for Defense of Buddhism, received yesterday. Letter is typed on official stationery of above committee.
Begin verbatim text:
The series of misfortunes that have been occurring to Vietnam Buddhism since May 8, 1963, must not be unknown to Your Excellency. It is also believed that Your Excellency has been fully informed of the development of the situation since the signing of the joint communiqué between the Government of Vietnam and our Association.
The whole affair now seems to be moving to a new stage, since police have not hesitated to bully international reporters this morning, and we have every reason to expect the worst in the days to come.
We then have the honor to appeal to your assistance and that of the U.S. forces now living on the fend of Vietnam who represent, to our eyes, the noblest humanitarian traditions and the love for justice and freedom. We do not want to ask you and the citizens of the United States who have been giving considerable help to this country, even their own lives, to support us in order to overthrow the Ngo Dinh Diem government. We Just ask you-in the name of justice and humanity-to protect our Xa Loi Pagoda and the lives of Buddhist leaders from destruction and assassination. It could not be unknown to [Page 479] you that nothing will withhold our government when it wants to achieve its aim, and a St. Barthelemy Night2 is not to be excluded from our assumption.
Would you please then consider the possibility of placing the Xa Loi Pagoda under a discreet protection of the U.S. forces now available. in Saigon. Our promiscuity (sic)3 with U.S.O.M. headquarters seems to be a favorable factor for such an emergency.
Please accept, Excellency, our deepest gratitude for whatever you will be doing for Buddhism in Vietnam.
End verbatim text.
Comment: I plan to get word discreetly to Chau that letter received and that U.S. cannot meet his request. Given fact that GVN would probably consider letter sufficient basis to try Chau for treason-not to mention propaganda use that could be made of it in raising question about Buddhists’ real objective-it is difficult to believe Buddhists will publish it. However, I do not count on rational action these days, and it is possible that Buddhists might consider that by publicizing letter they would forestall GVN repressive action. If letter is published, believe we will have to send written reply stating U.S. does not intervene in internal Vietnamese affairs and has no authority to provide security protection for Vietnamese citizens or facilities.4
- Source: Department of State, Central Files, SOC 14-1 S VIET. Secret; Priority; Limit Distribution.↩
- Reference is apparently to the “St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre” of Protestants in France, August 23-August 24, 1572.↩
- As on the source text. Presumably the word should be “proximity.”↩
- In telegram 62 from Saigon, July 9, the Embassy reported that word had been passed to Chau that the United States could not accede to the request outlined in his letter. Chau responded that he understood the U.S. position and did not intend to publish his letter. (Department of State, Central Files, SOC 14-1 S VIET)↩