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Superior Subordinates. The chief U.S. objection to Diem is not so much that he is a dictator, but an inefficient dictator. The proper democratic standards of the League of Women Voters cannot be applied to a deeply war-torn country, and Mme. Nhu has a point when she defends the regime's intolerance of opposition: "We consider Communism opposition enough in wartime, but we will have open declared opposition as soon as peacetime allows." The trouble is that Diem rules not so much by firmness as by confusion; deliberate disorganization is his way of keeping possible enemies off balance. Cabinet ministers are undercut by a system of "superior subordinates." who actually outrank their nominal bosses because they get orders direct from the palace. But there is serious doubt whether any of this would change after a coup.
Any number of army commanders, few of whom are truly loyal to Diem, would presumably be ready to take over, and they might conceivably be more ready to accept U.S. advice than Diem. Should his brother be eliminated, it is also generally assumed that Nhu himself would make a bid for power, and some Americans think that he might be more efficient, having shown administrative ability in the strategic-hamlets program. But the U.S. still doubts that any of the available alternatives to Diem would be a real improvement. American policymakers also suspect that a coup would only set off a chain reaction of other coups until some strongman finally emerged, and that in the meantime there would result a power vacuum in which only the Viet Cong could operate.
Into this pit of war, fear and intrigue, the U.S. is sending tough-minded Henry Cabot Lodge to replace Ambassador Frederick E. Nolting, who in 2| years in Saigon has been totally committed to Diem. The U.S. is hopeful—but not overly confident—that Lodge can make Diem more receptive to U.S. advice. Whatever Diem does, there is at least one South Vietnamese leader who will listen to advice with a ravishing smile, and probably refuse to accept it. Mme. Nhu is eagerly awaiting Lodge's arrival. Noting his middle name, she says: "We hear that in his family, they talk only to God." Told the same was said of her family, she replied: "In that case, I hope we will talk together, with God in the middle."
*Opponents of the bill said that Mme. Nhu sponsored it only to prevent the husband of her somewhat restless sister from divorcing her, but the First Lady indignantly denies this. Says she soothingly: "I well knew that my sister would want a divorce herself when she found someone more appropriate." Today the sister does indeed want a divorce, but it is doubtful that President Diem will grant it.