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More disturbing to President Thieu was a statement issued by South Viet Nam's senior Catholic prelate, Archbishop Nguyen Van Binh. Faced with an unjust election, said he, Catholics "can act according to their conscience." The statement was mild enough, but it indicated growing opposition to Thieu—a Catholic by conversion—from former Catholic supporters.
Thieu of course does have genuine support, but without a contested election, there is no way of knowing how numerous—or few—his supporters are. There is little doubt that the provincial officials who control the rural population will be able to deliver the required majority. But some Vietnamese activists have said that their opposition is only in its "first phase." They promise that the U.S. Government, because of its support of President Thieu, will be the next target. The U.S. military command, taking no chances, issued a special alert barring U.S. military personnel from populated areas except on official business.