Chung Tấn Cang

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
In this Vietnamese name, the surname is Chung. In accordance with Vietnamese custom, this person should be referred to by the given name, Cang.

Chung Tấn Cang
Republic of Vietnam
Service/branchSouth Vietnam Republic of Vietnam Navy
Years of service1952–1975
Rank Vice admiral (phó đô đốc)
Commands heldCapital Military District

Admiral Chung Tấn Cang (July 22, 1926, Gia Định – January 24, 2007, Bakersfield, California) was a commander of the Republic of Vietnam Navy between 1963 and 1965.

Cang took command in November 1963 after Captain

ouster and execution.[1]
Cang was one of the "Young Turks" during the era of military juntas in South Vietnam from 1963 to 1967.

Junta era

After General

Nguyen Khanh seized power in January 1964, he promoted several young colonels to the rank of "aspirant brigadier general",[2] including Cang, hoping to solidify his power base.[2]

After the September 1964 coup attempt by General

Duong Van Duc failed, As the coup collapsed, Cang, along with fellow Young Turks Ky and Thi among others, appeared with Đức at a news conference where they proclaimed the unity of the South Vietnamese military. They announced a resolution by the armed forces, claiming a united front against corruption,[3][4] vowing to fight communists and remove their sympathizers from the public service, and insisting that there was no coup attempt.[5]

In

West Point and they a group of cadets caught cheating".[7] He said "I told you all clearly at General Westmoreland's dinner we Americans were tired of coups. Apparently I wasted my words."[8] He said "you have made a real mess. We cannot carry you forever if you do things like this."[8] Cang and his colleagues were taken aback by Taylor's searing words and felt they had been humiliated,[10] but they responded to Taylor in a circumlocutory way. They remained calm and did not resort to direct confrontation, trying to justify their actions in the interests of stability and government efficiency.[11] Cang said "It seems ... we are being treated as though we were guilty. What we did was only for the good of the country."[12] Later, despite Taylor's pleas to keep the dissolution of the HNC secret in the hope it would be reversed,[6] the Young Turks called a media conference, where they maintained the HNC had been dissolved in the nation's best interests. The quartet vowed to stand firm and not renege on their decision. They also proclaimed their ongoing confidence for Suu and Hương.[13]

However, relations between Khanh and Taylor continued to deteriorate.

Pham Ngoc Thao, an unstinting plotter.[17] The Young Turks maintained a guarded approach, waiting to see what the other officers would do, rather than boldly taking the initiative.[17]

When the coup was started by Thao and Phat on February 19, rebel forces surrounded the naval headquarters at the Saigon Naval Shipyard,[18] apparently in an attempt to capture Cang. However this was unsuccessful, and Cang moved the fleet to Nhà Bè Base, downstream on the Saigon River, to prevent the rebels from seizing the ships.[18] Thao and Phat's coup attempt collapse but in the midst of the instability, the remaining junta forced Khanh to go into exile.[19]

Honour

National honours

See also

Notes

  1. ^ "Vice Admiral Chung Tan Cang". Archived from the original on January 21, 2011. Retrieved October 26, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Kahin, p. 204.
  3. ^ "Khánh arrests 5 in coup attempt". The New York Times. September 17, 1964. p. 10.
  4. ^ Grose, Peter (September 15, 1964). "Khánh, Back at the Helm, Lauds Younger Officers". The New York Times. p. 1.
  5. ^ "Coup collapses in Saigon; Khánh forces in power; U.S. pledges full support". The New York Times. September 14, 1964. p. 1.
  6. ^ a b Kahin, p. 256.
  7. ^ a b Karnow, p. 398.
  8. ^ a b c Moyar (2006), p. 344.
  9. ^ Langguth, pp. 326–327.
  10. ^ Karnow, p. 399.
  11. ^ Moyar (2004), p. 770.
  12. ^ Hammond, p. 117.
  13. ^ "South Viet Nam: The U.S. v. the Generals". Time. January 1, 1965.
  14. ^ Kahin, pp. 295–297.
  15. ^ a b c Kahin, p. 298.
  16. ^ Kahin, p. 512.
  17. ^ a b Kahin, p. 299.
  18. ^ a b "Hours in an Anxious Saigon: How Anti-Khánh Coup Failed". The New York Times. February 21, 1965. p. 2.
  19. ^ Kahin, pp. 303–315.

References

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