From the way he buttonholed passers-by on Saigon sidewalks, the pint-sized Vietnamese officer in green fatigues could have been Nelson Rockefeller campaigning in the New Hampshire primary. He shook hands, introduced himself, asked, "Have you any suggestions about how we can do a better job for Viet Nam?" The politician was none other than South Viet Nam's strongman of the hour, Major General Nguyen Khanh, 36. Almost desperately, he was striving for the support necessary to safeguard his successful military coup.
The folksy style pleasantly surprised U.S. advisers, who have long urged grass-roots politicking on government leaders. Next day Khanh flew...
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