At 9:24 a.m., TV stations in industrial villages, which cover Saigon, Vung Tau and Da Nang and the entire Kam Ou Peninsula, as well as Vietnamese Chinese radio stations that cover most of Southeast Asia, began broadcasting news related to the coup.

Base stations and broadcasting stations were set up in various industrial villages, and the coup army was insufficient, occupying only the police headquarters and a few police stations in the urban area, and could not even control the embankment, let alone control the heavily guarded Pingdong industrial village.

According to truthful reports, Chen Shiguo, vice chairman of the board of directors of the Industrial Investment Company, called on both sides to exercise restraint on radio and television, and the chairmen of the 11 industrial village management committees and the Phu Quoc Special Zone Management Committee spoke out one after another, strongly urging the coup army to lay down its arms, suggesting that the government adopt a tolerant attitude towards the past and not blame the officers and soldiers who laid down their arms in a timely manner, and suggesting that differences be resolved through peaceful negotiations.

Until this moment, it was finally known that the Ngo Dinh Diem brothers were still alive, that the rebels had never been able to capture the presidential palace, and that the coup had not been as successful as the state radio had broadcast.

After reading the reporter's interview with the general manager of Vung Tau Industrial Village, Li Weimin turned around and said with a wry smile: "Mr. Ambassador, it is not easy to maintain a neutral attitude in South Vietnam. On the surface we don't seem to have offended anyone, but in fact we have offended both sides. But on this issue, we have no better choice but to openly express our neutrality. ”

Puzzled, Ambassador de Brow asked, "Mr. President, can you be specific?" ”

"For the coup officers and their supporters and sympathizers, our reporting and statements will affect more potential supporters, causing a large number of people who are on the sidelines to abandon their support, and it will be a heavy blow to them; President Yan and Mr. Yao believe that we have not done enough. Think we should condemn the mutiny. There should be unequivocal support for the Government. ”

Some of the national troops stationed in and around the city did not support it. But there was no public opposition. This means that there is an undercurrent in Saigon, and most of the officers of the national army are dissatisfied with the current government.

In a sense, the Department of Industry and Investment is standing on the opposite side of them.

The Ngo Dinh Diem brothers, on the other hand, are known for their authoritarian and cautious eyes, with no room for sand in their eyes, and for them not explicitly expressing support is no different from opposing it, and the company says neutrality does take courage.

Ambassador de Brow reacted and asked worriedly: "How does Mr. Chairman plan to deal with the situation in the future?" ”

Li Weimin looked at Professor Fisher and said meaningfully, "Mr. Ambassador." The industrial village plan was developed by MSU when President Yan returned to Saigon to become the former prime minister of Vietnam. Over the past six years, we have received extensive help, support and sympathy from the U.S. government, U.S. civil society and the U.S. people.

At this critical juncture, we urgently need more unequivocal support from your Government. Otherwise, it will be difficult to maintain the achievements that have been achieved with the help of your country, and the industrial investment companies and industrial villages will become a tool for some politicians and careerists to accumulate money. ”

Washington's attitude was clear, and its support for the South Vietnamese government was limited, as long as it ensured that it was not occupied by North Vietnam and that the Soviet Russian camp did not expand further in Southeast Asia.

In other words, to spend the least amount of money to maintain the situation in South Vietnam.

The company provided nearly two million jobs to South Vietnam and covered more than 20 percent of the expenses of the South Vietnamese government and army. Maintain financial stability in South Vietnam and vigorously promote infrastructure construction on the Kim Gull Peninsula. Assisting the six provinces of the Kim Ou Peninsula in resisting North Vietnamese infiltration into the south was far more important than that of the increasingly unpopular Ngo Dinh Eem.

The previous assistance provided to industrial investment companies through the "Commodity Import Program" had the effect of not one plus one equal two, but one plus one equal to three, or even more.

If the company crosses over, the U.S. government's $500 million a year in aid will not necessarily be able to turn the situation around. This is the difference between teaching a man to fish and teaching him to fish.

On the issue of the Industrial Investment Corporation, senior officials in Washington have long reached a consensus that they will support aid to South Vietnam or strongly want to cut aid to Vietnam.

As the opposition to Ngo Dinh Diem's brothers in Saigon has become louder and louder, the "Association of Friends of Vietnam," which once strongly supported Ngo Dinh Diem, has now almost become an "Association of Friends of Industry and Investment." When the vice president, deputies and senators come to South Vietnam, they will all stop by to visit the headquarters of the Industrial Investment Corporation in Vung Tau and visit the Phu Quoc Special Economic Zone.

Ambassador de Brow, of course, knew the importance of the company and the person in front of him, and stared into his eyes and said seriously: "Mr. Chairman, as the highest official of the United States in this country, I can tell you unequivocally that the government and people of the United States will continue to support you and your company. It's not just about friendship, it's in the interests of the United States and the free world as a whole. ”

"Mr. Ambassador, but your government has always been reluctant to get involved in the internal affairs of South Vietnam, and I am worried that some problems will not be resolved through diplomatic channels. ”

"Did you get some wind?"

"Yes."

Li Weimin nodded slightly, and said in a low voice: "Due to the deep personal relationship, President Yan is slightly better, although we did not explicitly support the government this time, but we will not take over or dissolve the industrial investment company; Mr. Ngo Tinh Mye, political adviser to the President, took a different view, especially since last year's disagreement over a number of issues, and he and his People's Workers' Party have been seeking to nationalize the company.

In order to ensure the normal operation of the company and the industrial villages, we have changed the direction in the past few months and banned some secret organizations of the People's Workers' Party in the companies and industrial villages, dismissed some secret members of the People's Workers' Party, and deprived them of some of the power to arrest people without legal procedures in the industrial villages......"

To put it mildly, it's actually thrilling.

As the company's chief adviser, Professor Fisher was not ignorant of this, and even traveled back and forth between Saigon, Vung Tau and Phu Quoc, and mediated privately as a mutual friend several times.

He sighed secretly and said with a bitter smile of helplessness: "Mr. Ambassador, the relationship between Li and Jin is more tense than you imagined, even Colonel Lansdale, who was transferred back to Washington last year, knows about it, and often writes to both sides to try to ease the contradictions between the two sides. ”

Diem does not have many friends, and even fewer American friends.

Ambassador de Brow was impressed by Lansdale. Not only because he is one of the few American friends of Ngo Dinh Eem. He was also his strongest contender for the post of ambassador to Vietnam.

Secretary of State Dulles wants to familiarize himself with the South Vietnamese environment. Lansdale, who was close to Diem, was appointed and was supported by President Eisenhower, but more senior officials saw strong opposition to the lack of a CIA official as ambassador, and eventually transferred Lansdale to the Pentagon and let him take office.

Even Lansdale, who is far away in the United States, knows that this incident should not be fake.

Realizing the seriousness of the problem, Ambassador de Brow mused, "Mr. Chairman, what do you want me to do? What can I do for you? ”

It's an election year in the United States, and John F. Kennedy is touring canvassing.

Once a son of heaven and a courtier, he can't work as an ambassador for a few days, but he can't quench his thirst far from water, and the industrial investment company can't do without his help if it wants to maintain the status quo.

On the issue of whether unnecessary-for-tat confrontations can be avoided, Li Weimin said bluntly: "I sincerely hope that you can tell President Yan and Mr. Yao in the name of the US government that the time is not ripe for the nationalization of the industrial investment company. The three government directors on the board of directors of the company and the chairman of the management committee of each industrial estate cannot be removed for at least three years. ”

Ambassador de Brow did not think that the "right people" in the whole of South Vietnam were all in the Industrial Investment Company, and they were competent and dedicated, earning the respect of almost everyone, and Ambassador de Brow did not think this was too much. He readily agreed: "No problem, I will combine this issue with aid to Vietnam." He did not want to be overthrown, he did not want South Vietnam to be occupied by North Vietnam, and he had to agree to this condition on our part. ”

The industrial village security team has its own system, and has always been in harmony with the national army system.

Although the military advisers were few and far from well-equipped, they were commendable in rotational battles in the Tay Ninh and Tran Sa areas, and cooperated with the 5th Infantry Division and the Militia Self-Defense Forces to defeat and even defeat aggressive North Vietnamese People's Army units on several occasions.

General Lionel pondered for a moment and took the initiative to say, "Mr. Chairman, if I can, I would like to send some additional military advisers to your company's security forces. You have so many friends in Washington, D.C., you can think of another way to provide military aid. ”

The quarrel with Ngo Dinh Yao and then escalated to the ban on the secret organizations of the People's Workers' Party and the restriction of the activities of the People's Workers' Party agents in various industrial villages were important components of the "cutting plan."

Others have always thought that the backer of the industrial investment department is Ng Dinh Diem, but in fact it has never been.

Ruan Zhengshi, Wang Wendong and Ruan Zhaohong and other young Zhuang faction officers have started the "coup mode", and the situation will become more and more tense in the future, and it is a matter of time before the Wu brothers are overthrown, not to mention that the relationship is so tense now, it can no longer be hidden, and the real "backer" must be moved out.

Li Weimin took a deep breath and agreed: "With the large-scale infiltration of North Vietnam, the security forces of the industrial village really need to be strengthened. With regard to military advisers, I would like to be assigned to the brigade level. As for weapons and equipment, when the political situation stabilizes, I will go to Washington to see if I can get some unplanned assistance. ”

His relationship with senior officials in Washington is not one or two points good, and his influence in the United States is not one or two points great.

Ambassador de Brough couldn't help but smile and said, "Mr. Chairman, if you can't get it, I don't think anyone in this world can get it." ”

As he was talking, Sang Pingxiang walked in briskly and reported in English: "Chairman, Mr. Ambassador, General, Professor, half an hour ago, the troops supporting President Yan surrounded the coup army near the Independence Palace, and recovered the national radio station, the police headquarters, and the police stations of the second and third counties from several other coup troops.

Five minutes earlier, Brigadier General Nguyen Thanh had rushed to the Independence Palace, and seeing that the general situation had turned, the coup troops had laid down their arms and began to withdraw under the supervision of the armored forces of the 7th Division, the opposition crowd demonstrating had been dispersed, and traffic around the Independence Palace had returned to normal. ”

"The coup d'état was aborted?"

"Yes."

Sang Binh Xiang cleared his throat and continued: "The coup failed, Ruan Zhengshi, Wang Van Dong and several lieutenants took the Army Chief of Staff Brigadier General Le Van Chi hostage, and fled to Tan Son Nhat Airport in two trucks, probably trying to hijack the plane to escape. In addition, President Dim Dinh Diem has just issued a statement strongly condemning the mutiny, announcing that an extraordinary session of the National Assembly will be convened the day after tomorrow, and if nothing else, a decree will be issued in the name of the National Assembly to launch a large-scale search and arrest of anti-government figures from all walks of life. ”

The worst fears are finally about to happen.

If the Ngo Dinh Diem brothers were allowed to take the opportunity to arrest people indiscriminately, the situation would become even more difficult to manage, and Ambassador de Brow did not want to delay for a minute, so he suddenly got up and said, "Gentlemen, I will rush to Saigon immediately." Damn, I'm going to make it clear that none of this has anything to do with us. ”

Since you took office, you have been criticizing Diem, helping opposition figures on more than one occasion, and the military advisory group has advisers in the paratrooper brigade. With Diem Dinh's suspicious character, no matter how much he clarifies it, he will not believe it.

Li Weimin felt very funny, and forcibly said: "Mr. Ambassador, I will contact Tan Son Nhat Airport first to see when they will open the runway. (To be continued.) )