Đỗ Cao Trí
Đỗ Cao Trí | |
---|---|
(1968–1971) | |
Battles/wars | Ambassador to South Korea (1967–68) |
Lieutenant General Đỗ Cao Trí (20 November 1929 – 23 February 1971) was a general in the
Years later, Trí was exiled by
Early years
Trí was born in Bình Tuoc,
He earned his baccalaureate (Part II) from
As a young lieutenant colonel, he was made the commander of the
In 1958, he attended the United States
Buddhist crisis
During the Buddhist crisis of 1963, Trí garnered considerable notoriety for his crackdown on Buddhist protests against the Diệm regime in the central region of Vietnam.
The main raids in Saigon were accompanied by attacks across the country.
The most determined resistance occurred outside the
Coup against Diệm
When Trí was informed that coup was imminent, he left Huế on 29 October 1963 for
Following the
Conflict with Kỳ
Trí lived lavishly and flamboyantly, leading to suspicions of corruption. In 1965, he tried to kill himself during a government investigation. [dubious ] One of the main forces behind the inquiry was then-Prime Minister Nguyễn Cao Kỳ, then head of the air force and the leading figure in the ruling military junta.[19] The pair became bitter rivals, and Kỳ sent Trí into exile.[19] In 1967, General Nguyễn Văn Thiệu became president and Kỳ became his deputy. Thiệu sent Trí to South Korea as Vietnam's ambassador.[2]
The power struggle between Thiệu and Kỳ played to Trí's advantage. At the time of the communists'
Thiệu's regime became more pro-active,[21] declaring martial law,[22] widening conscription,[22] and organising token anti-corruption campaigns were carried out.[23] Thiệu used the threat of the Việt Cộng to increase his political power,[24] arresting, exiling or relieving senior officers who supported Kỳ.[25][26]
Return to command
Thiệu recalled Trí from South Korea and made him Commander of III Corps, which surrounded the capital Saigon and was crucial in blocking or orchestrating coups. Trí replaced Lieutenant General Lê Nguyên Khang, a prominent Kỳ supporter. Thiệu gave orders directly to his supporters in senior positions, bypassing Trí's own superior, Cao Văn Viên. According to Creighton Abrams, the head of U.S. forces in Vietnam at the time, "Tri has dinner with the President once or twice a week. He gets operational approval, that sort of thing, and Viên's not in on that".[27] Although Trí and Kỳ often crossed paths at official functions thereafter, they never shook hands.[19]
Trí was accused of involvement in a money-smuggling ring at the same time of his successful campaign in
In late February 1971 Trí was ordered north to take command of beleaguered I Corps forces after Operation Lam Son 719, a 1971 incursion into Laos, had gone astray due to the incompetent leadership of Lieutenant General Hoàng Xuân Lãm. On 23 February 1971 Trí's command helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff from Bien Hoa Air Base, killing all onboard (other than photojournalist François Sully who died of his wounds several days later) and he was interred at Biên Hoa Military Cemetery.[19][28]
Awards and decorations
- South Vietnam :
- Knight Grand Cross of the National Order of Vietnam
- Army Distinguished Service Order, First Class
- Gallantry Cross
- Training Service Medal, First Class
- Civil Actions Medal, First Class
- Staff Service Medal, First Class
- Administrative Service Medal, First Class
- Psychological Warfare Medal
- Taiwan :
- Thailand :
- Knight Commander of the Order of the White Elephant
- USA
- France :
References
- ^ a b c d e f "The Patton of the Parrot's Beak". Time. 8 June 1970. Archived from the original on 30 October 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
- ^ a b c d e "Do Cao Tri". Who's Who In Vietnam. Saigon: Vietnam Press. 1972.
- ^ Hammer, p. 135.
- ^ a b c d e Jones, pp. 263-64.
- ^ a b c Hammer, p. 136.
- ^ Jacobs, p. 145.
- ^ a b c Jones, pp. 261-62.
- ^ a b c Jacobs, pp. 152-53.
- ^ a b c d "The Crackdown". Time. 31 August 1963. Archived from the original on July 13, 2007. Retrieved 18 August 2007.
- ^ Dommen, pp. 508-11.
- ^ Halberstam, p. 143.
- ^ Hammer, p. 168.
- ^ Hammer, p. 166.
- ^ Hammer, pp. 285-86.
- ^ Jones, p. 433.
- ^ a b Hammer, pp. 305-06.
- ^ Jones, p. 434.
- ^ a b Shaplen, p. 221.
- ^ a b c d "The Death of a Fighting General". Time. 8 March 1971. Archived from the original on 29 April 2007. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
- ^ a b Stowe, Judy (2 October 2001). "Nguyen Van Thieu". The Independent. Archived from the original on November 5, 2009. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
- ^ Dougan and Weiss, pp. 118-19.
- ^ a b Dougan and Weiss, p. 119.
- ^ Dougan and Weiss, p. 120.
- ^ Dougan and Weiss, pp. 124-25
- ^ Hoang, p. 142.
- ^ Dougan and Weiss, p. 126.
- ^ Sorley, pp. 180-81.
- ISBN 0939526107.
Sources
- Dommen, Arthur J. (2001). The Indochinese Experience of the French and the Americans: Nationalism and Communism in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press. ISBN 0-253-33854-9.
- Dougan, Clark; Weiss, Stephen; et al. (1983). Nineteen Sixty-Eight. Boston, Massachusetts: Boston Publishing Company. ISBN 0-939526-06-9.
- ISBN 978-0-7425-6007-9.
- ISBN 0-525-24210-4.
- Hoang Ngoc Lung (1978). The General Offensives of 1968–69. McLean, Virginia: General Research Corporation.
- Jacobs, Seth (2006). Cold War Mandarin: Ngo Dinh Diem and the Origins of America's War in Vietnam, 1950–1963. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0-7425-4447-8.
- Jones, Howard (2003). Death of a Generation: how the assassinations of Diem and JFK prolonged the Vietnam War. New York City: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-505286-2.
- Shaplen, Robert (1966). The lost revolution: Vietnam 1945–1965. London: André Deutsch.
- Sorley, Lewis (1999). A Better War: The Unexamined Victories and Final Tragedy of America's Last Years in Vietnam. New York City: Harvest Books. ISBN 0-15-601309-6.
External links
- "Two Fighting Generals Generals Đỗ Cao Trí and Nguyễn Việt Thành" Archived 2013-07-03 at the Wayback Machine
- Đỗ Cao Trí/Nguyễn Việt Thành Archived 2013-07-03 at the Wayback Machine
- "The Patton of the Parrot's Beak", Time
- Presentation about Lieutenant General Đỗ Cao Trí on YouTube
- Declassified CIA Documents on Vietnam War