In 1955 the United States backed Ngo Dinh Diem and help organize the Republic of Vietnam to which Diem named himself president. The idea was o conduct Vietnam as an independent nation fighting against Communism. This of course is not how it played out and Diem began to spiral down the path of corruption, greed and dictatorship.
The American press cheered on Diem's "successes and praised his efforts to defeat communism in his country",(Young, 61). Yet all the while the United States is funding and aiding Diem's military who are conveniently abusing their positions to benefit themselves. The CIA and FBI along with other organizations were contributing to the repression of the people who lived among the countryside. These groups spent time and money trying to convince the people that the government was good and that communism was bad. The problem i find with this plan was that Diem was just imprisoning anyone who defied him, it didn't matter whether they were commie or not.
Diem had controlled Saigon but the north and many southern Vietnamese were already on the resistance. This came about because the majority of the peasants living in the countryside were landless and poor. Too add insult to injury, Diem passed the law 10/59; stating that anyone committing crimes against the state would be tried by the military and executed within three days (Young,62). Many Viet Minh in hiding had their entire families captured and killed for information. Corruption spanned the entire Bureaucratic system.
I question whether the United States contributed in poor judgment on giving influence and financial backing to the Diem government which they had put into office in the first place.Diem tortured and killed in order to keep his regime moving forward. He committed atrocities against his own people and thee United States only when put with it's back to the wall, denounces Diem's actions. This is a troubling piece of history for the United States cause i reflect upon this moment in time and look to Iraq. How long does it take to admit we were wrong? Is it possible to right the wrongs made in war?
When it was decided that Vietnam could not be an independent nation it was not decided by the Vietnamese people but instead by other countries including the United States, France, Britain etc. After all the French didn't even endorse Diem being Prime Minister of South Vietnam. Basically we went wrong when we decided to call imperialism by another name, Democracy for Vietnam.