Sept. 12, 1964 - Four battalions moved into Saigon early this morning in a bloodless coup d’état. The troops, spearheaded by armored units, were led by Brig. Gen. Lan Van Phat, who was ousted last week by Premier Nguyen Khanh. Khanh’s whereabouts could not be learned.
The troops were supported by dissident Buddhist elements.
Phat, pausing at the gates to the city, told newsmen:
“This is nothing to worry about. Just a little operation against some politicians.”
The rebel troops invaded Khanh’s office and arrested several duty officers but found no trace of the Premier.
The rebels also occupied communications centers in Saigon. They disarmed police posts with guns drawn. No shooting was reported in the city.
Phat appeared to be in complete command of the situation. With him were the commanders of the South Vietnamese army IV Corps along with officers who had been fired by Khanh.
Rebel headquarters were at the home of the former mayor of Saigon, also fired by Khanh.
The whole operation appeared to be patterned after the bloodless coup last Jan. 30 when Khanh took power.
In Washington, President Johnson, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, and other high officials were informed of the developments, but they declined to comment immediately. Rumors of an impending coup were relayed to Washington repeatedly yesterday from the U.S. Embassy in Saigon.
The news of the coup was regarded as a serious setback in the Administration’s month-old effort to restore a viable government in Saigon, preferably under Khanh.
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