President Eisenhower Greets Ngo Dinh Diem
5/8/1957
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South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem received a rare honor when he arrived in Washington, DC, for a state visit—President Eisenhower personally greeted him at the airport. In this photograph, Eisenhower and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles (from left) greet Diem at Washington National.
The 1954 Geneva Accords had called for a temporary partition of Vietnam at the 17th Parallel—creating a Communist state in the North and a French-backed non-Communist state in the South. The agreement called for an election to reunify the two zones in 1956.
Eisenhower believed “losing” South Vietnam to communism would be a strategic, economic, and humanitarian disaster. So he pledged support to an emerging leader—Ngo Dinh Diem—a devout Catholic and fervent anti-French, anti-Communist nationalist. Diem faced multiple threats: some members of his inherited government and military were associated with the hated French; mobsters controlled much of Saigon; and French-supported armed religious sects and military officers challenged his leadership. Against all odds, Diem consolidated power; though the “Diem Miracle” would prove to be short-lived.
The 1954 Geneva Accords had called for a temporary partition of Vietnam at the 17th Parallel—creating a Communist state in the North and a French-backed non-Communist state in the South. The agreement called for an election to reunify the two zones in 1956.
Eisenhower believed “losing” South Vietnam to communism would be a strategic, economic, and humanitarian disaster. So he pledged support to an emerging leader—Ngo Dinh Diem—a devout Catholic and fervent anti-French, anti-Communist nationalist. Diem faced multiple threats: some members of his inherited government and military were associated with the hated French; mobsters controlled much of Saigon; and French-supported armed religious sects and military officers challenged his leadership. Against all odds, Diem consolidated power; though the “Diem Miracle” would prove to be short-lived.
This primary source comes from the Records of U.S. Air Force Commands, Activities, and Organizations.
National Archives Identifier: 542189
Full Citation: Photograph 342-AF-18302USAF; President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles (from left) greet South Vietnam's President Ngo Dinh Diem at Washington National Airport.; 5/8/1957; Black and White Photographs of U.S. Air Force and Predecessors' Activities, Facilities, and Personnel, Domestic and Foreign, 1930 - 1975; Records of U.S. Air Force Commands, Activities, and Organizations, Record Group 342; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/eisenhower-ngo-dinh-diem, September 7, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
