Khanh,, Stranded North Of Saigon, Resigns

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30682, 23 February 1965, Page 13

Khanh,, Stranded North Of Saigon, Resigns

(N.Z.P.A.- Reuter—Copyright)

SAIGON, February 22.

The commander of South Vietnam’s armed forces, Lieutenant-General Nguyen Khanh, finally released his grip on power today after failing to muster support. General Khanh was reported to be at Da Lat, 250 miles north of Saigon. His plane was said to be stranded there, out of fuel.

. General Khan h agreed to bow out after a tense and confused night during which troops loyal to him were reported to be moving towards the capital.

Reconnaissance flights, however, saw no substantial troop movements.

The Armed Forces Council, which met throughout the night, had warned the 37-year-old General Khanh that it would use force to back the decision to replace him. The council yesterday

named Major-General Trant Van Minh to succeed him temporarily. In a bid to stay in power. General Khanh tried to rally to him troops of the important Ist Army Corps by appointing a new commander, but the man remained loyal to the Council. Brigadier-General Nguyen Chanh Thi, the apparent leader of the anti-Khanh faction within the 20-member Council of Generals, said today the solution worked out with General Khanh was a good one.

Asked if General Khanh would leave the country, General Thi replied: “We will

talk to him later about this.”

The Japanese news agency, Kyodo, reported late today that columns of General Khanh’s troops were advancing on Saigon. The agency’s correspondent in Saigon said troops loyal to the general had decided to seize the capital. No similar reports were received from other sources. American servicemen reacted yesterday with dismay and disgust to the latest attempted coup.

They condemned not only the unsuccessful coup makers but the casual manner in which many Vietnamese officers considered their commands as the path to political power.

In Washington, the South Vietnamese Ambassador, Lieu-tenant-General Tran Thien Khiem, was jubilant over reports of General Khanh’s removal. The Ambassador, an opponent of General Khanh, said: “With Khanh we did not have stability, and without him we will have the stability we need.” Pope Paul VI disclosed today he had “confidentially” approached world statesmen to plead for a negotiated settlement of international problems including Vietnam. He made the appeal in letters on February 3.