Another bloodless coup occurs when Maj. Gen. Nguyen Khanh and a group of generals led by Air Commodore Nguyen Cao Ky and Army Gen. Nguyen Van Thieu arrest three dozen high officers and civilian officials. The coup was part of the continuing political instability that erupted after the November 1963 coup that resulted in the murder of President Ngo Dinh Diem. The period following the overthrow of Diem was marked by a series of coups and "revolving door" governments. The coup on this day was engineered by a faction of younger military officers known as the "Young Turks," who were fed up with what they believed was the ineffective government headed by a group of older generals known as the Military Revolutionary Council. Khanh and the newly formed Armed Forces Council, made up of the generals who had participated in the coup, restored civilian control on January 7, 1965, under Tran Van Huong. Hunon proved unable to put together a viable government and the Armed Forces Council ousted him on January 27 and installed Gen. Khanh in power. Khanh was ousted by yet another coup on February 18 led by Ky and Thieu. Khanh then went to the United States and settled in Palm Beach, Florida. A short-lived civilian government under Dr. Phan Huy Quat was installed, but it lasted only until June 12, 1965. At that time, Thieu and Ky formed a new government with Thieu as the chief of state and Ky as the prime minister. Thieu and Ky were elected as president and vice-president in general elections held in 1967.
Also on This Day
- Lead Story
- President Clinton impeached, 1998
- American Revolution
- Thomas Paine publishes American Crisis, 1776
- Automotive
- "Bullitt" hits the silver screen in Sweden, 1968
- Civil War
- Confederate General James Archer is born, 1817
- Cold War
- Gorbachev releases Sakharov from internal exile, 1986
- Crime
- World Series parachutist sentenced, 1986
- Disaster
- Pennsylvania miners perish in coal mine explosion, 1907
- General Interest
- Continental Army enters winter camp at Valley Forge, 1777
- Last lunar-landing mission ends, 1972
- Britain agrees to return Hong Kong to China, 1984
- Hollywood
- Titanic sails into theaters, 1997
- Literary
- Poor Richard's Almanack is published, 1732
- Music
- Ahmadinejad bans all Western music in Iranian state television and radio broadcasts, 2005
- Old West
- John Ford's Cheyenne Autumn released, 1964
- Presidential
- Washington leads troops into winter quarters at Valley Forge, 1777
- Sports
- National Hockey League (NHL) opens its first season, 1917
- Vietnam War
- Another bloodless coup topples the government in Saigon, 1964
- North Vietnam condemns Linebacker raids, 1972
- World War I
- Haig becomes commander-in-chief of the British army in France, 1915
- World War II
- Hitler takes command of the German army, 1941
Another bloodless coup topples the government in Saigon
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This Week in History, Dec 19 - Dec 25
- Dec 19, 1964
- Another bloodless coup topples the government in Saigon
- Dec 19, 1972
- North Vietnam condemns Linebacker raids
- Dec 20, 1960
- National Liberation Front formed
- Dec 20, 1967
- President Johnson visits Australia, Thailand, and Vietnam
- Dec 21, 1969
- Thailand announces plans to withdraw troops
- Dec 21, 1972
- Defense Department reports eight B-52s lost during Linebacker II
- Dec 22, 1971
- Soviet Union attacks Chinese policy toward Vietnam
- Dec 22, 1972
- Washington announces Linebacker II raids will continue
- Dec 23, 1966
- Francis Cardinal Spellman visits South Vietnam
- Dec 23, 1972
- Operation Linebacker II continues
- Dec 24, 1964
- Viet Cong bomb Brinks Hotel
- Dec 24, 1972
- Bob Hope gives his last show in Vietnam
- Dec 25, 1966
- Harrison Salisbury reports on damage caused by U.S. bombing
- Dec 25, 1972
- Linebacker II resumes after Christmas pause
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