Before dawn on January 30, 1964, General Nguyễn Khánh ousted the military junta led by General Dương Văn Minh from the leadership of South Vietnam without firing a shot. It came less than three months
Thi (left) and Thiệu (right) during the 1960s. Both were prominent in supporting Khánh's coup.
At the time Charles de Gaulle wanted to recognize communist China and make South Vietnam neutral. The plotters accused the ruling junta of being part of de Gaulle's plot.
Khánh had told CIA officer Lucien Conein (pictured) that he planned to seize power, but senior US officials in Washington ignored Conein's report.
Nguyễn Chánh Thi
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Nguyễn Chánh Thi was an officer in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. He is best known for being involved in frequent coups in the 1960s and wielding substantial influence as a key member of various
Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, Thi's fiercest rival.
William Westmoreland, the US commander in Vietnam, disapproved of Thi and supported his removal from command.