thieu was our boy. >> but absolute power corrupts, and thieu becomes a dictator. >> a catholic presence imposing itself on a buddhist majority, and now they're going after the buddhists. >> soldiers and police broke up the demonstrations and killed nine persons. >> a debate broke out in the american government over whether we should continue to support diem or not. >> by the summer of 1963, there had been discussions in the cia the in the pentagon about toppling the regime. >> mr. president, has our government in any way been tardy in recognizing the nature of the diem government? >> we are faced with a problem of wanting to protect the area against the communists. on the other hand we have to deal with the governments there.