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Endless Disunity. The key to whether Khanh survives is, of course, the Buddhist hierarchy, which influences a majority of the populace. And it seemed impossible to satisfy the monks. They wanted more and more concessions. But hardly was one demand met when the Buddhist clergy whipped out another. At week's end, for example, they were clamoring for the head of the national police chief, who they said should be fired for having arrested Buddhists during the riots. Saigon's head monk, Thich Tarn Chau, handed the government his umpteenth ultimatum: If all Buddhist grievances were not resolved by Oct. 27, the religious community would call a general strike. What were the grievances? Said Chau, with deliberate vagueness: "Provocations and oppressions." Announced one influential monk, with his usual beatific smile: "Not a single Buddhist is satisfied." Out went the word to the bonzes: Begin a 48-hour period of prayer. Yet Khanh, by striving to placate the Buddhists, had aroused alarmed rumblings from Catholics, who charged that the Buddhists were using him to take over the country.
As for the war, the Viet Cong for the most part lay low, taking full advantage of the chaos. The way things were going last week, they really did not need to keep fighting; South Viet Nam seemed to be paralyzed by its own endless disunity.