The September 1964 South Vietnamese coup attempt took place before dawn on September 13, 1964, when the ruling military junta of South Vietnam, led by General Nguyễn Khánh, was threatened by a coup at
Maxwell Taylor, the US Ambassador to South Vietnam, opposed a coup.
Tan Son Nhut Air Base, pictured here in 1962, was the headquarters of both the US and South Vietnamese military and a key target in any coup.
Kỳ was prominent in putting down the coup.
Thi (left) and Thieu (right) during the 1960s. Thi helped stop the coup, while Thieu was regarded as a tacit supporter of the rebellion.
Nguyễn Cao Kỳ
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Nguyễn Cao Kỳ was a South Vietnamese military officer and politician who served as the chief of the Republic of Vietnam Air Force in the 1960s, before leading the nation as the prime minister of South
September 1964 South Vietnamese coup attempt
…Khánh gradually rallied more allies and the U.S. remained supportive of his rule and pressured the rebels to give up. With the backing of Air Marshal Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, commander of the Republic of Vietnam Air Force, and General Nguyễn Chánh Thi, Khánh was able to force Phát and Đức to capitulate the next morning…
Kỳ in 1966
Kỳ (far right), US President Lyndon B. Johnson, General William Westmoreland, and President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu together in October 1966
Kỳ with Lyndon Johnson during the Honolulu summit in Hawaiʻi in 1966
Kỳ with Prime Minister Harold Holt on his controversial 1967 visit to Australia